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Elite Prospect Showcase Analysis: Class of 2017 Pitchers

November 18, 2015

By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

The 2015 Elite Prospect Showcase took place Saturday, November 7th at Keystone State Baseball Academy in Manheim, PA with 75 prospects from four  states displaying their skills. Today we continue our analysis of all prospects in attendance by reviewing members of the Class of 2017 that took to the mound. Just four of the prospects in this group fall into the category of pitcher onlys. The remaining six participated during the course of the event as two-way prospects and have been previously reviewed as positional players.

The standout among the group was 6-foot-4, 170-pound righty Zach Boop (Neshaminy). The junior sat comfortably at 84-86 from a high 3/4 arm slot. Boop also fashioned a 77 mph curveball with 11/5 rotation and an 80 mp changeup thrown at fastball arm speed with late fade. He has plenty of room to fill out his lanky frame and his balanced, repeatable delivery should lead to additional velocity gains in the near future. Boop looks to build off of a standout sophomore season in which he went 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA that included 29 strikeouts in 23 innings of work.


Christian Friberg, LHP, State College Area
5-foot-11, 180-pound lefty sat 72-76 from a 3/4 arm slot with what appears to be much more in the tank. If the junior can work to get downhill and incorporate his lower half more effectively a decided velocity jump is likely. Also displayed a 69 mph curveball with 1/7 rotation and a 71 mph changeup thrown at near fastball arm speed. Showed good tempo, and balance throughout delivery and the ability to hold his velocity from the stretch.

Ryan Giovenco, RHP, Parkland
5-foot-11, 175-pound righty sat 81-84 with some cut action to his four-seam fastball out of a 3/4 arm slot. Also displayed an 83 mph two-seamer with some gradual fade. Off-speed arsenal included a 68 mph breaking ball with slider shape and a 72 mph changeup thrown with similar arm speed. Junior has shown a 4-5 mph up tick in velocity in past year. Repeatable mechanics and a solid frame indicate more yet to come.

Eddie Hamman, RHP/1B, Mifflin County
Sat 74-76 out of a high 3/4 arm slot while touching 78 mph. 6-foot-1, 155-pound righty has some hip coil to his delivery and has plenty of room to add to his current frame. Also displayed a 67 mph curveball with 11/5 rotation and a 68 mph changeup thrown at near fastball arm speed. Will need to work to gain a consistent feel for his secondary offerings.

Maxx Harpalani, OF/RHP, Pine-Richland
5-foot-11, 185-pound primary outfielder sat 78-81 out of an over-the-top arm slot. Max effort delivery leads to some command issues. Also displayed a 64 mph curveball with 1/5 shape and a 73 mph changeup thrown at near fastball arm speed with some late arm side run. Holds velocity well and shows better command out of stretch with a less violent delivery.

Mitchel Hoon, RHP/OF, Cumberland Valley
6-foot, 185-pound righty sat 83-85 out of a high 3/4 arm slot. Incorporates an overhead rocker into a long arm motion with solid tempo and command of three pitches. Curveball sat 71-72 with 11/5 shape and tight rotation. Also displayed a 77 mph slider that has cutter action and a 76 mph changeup thrown at near fastball arm speed. Solid frame and good arm speed indicate additional velocity spikes moving forward.

Jimmy Kingsbury, RHP, Malvern Prep
6-foot, 170-pound righty touched 88 mph and sat 86-87 with his four-seam fastball out of a 3/4 arm slot. Also displayed a two-seam fastball with some arm side run at 83-84. Curveball sat 71-72 with 11/5 shape and changeup showed heavy run and sink at 79-80. Junior announced his verbal commitment to Villanova shortly after the completion of the event.

Ryan McSorley, 3B/RHP, Lansdale Catholic
5-foot-10, 165-pound primary infielder sat 76-78 from a 3/4 arm slot. Long arm motion and slight hip coil to delivery lead to consistent arm side run. Also displayed a curveball with 10/4 shape at 64-66 and a 72 mph changeup at fastball arm speed with similar arm side run. Athletic two-way prospect ran a 6.80 60-yard dash earlier in the day.

Tyler Smith, SS/RHP, Seneca Valley
6-foot, 165-pound primary shortstop sat 77-79 out of a high 3/4 arm slot. Utilizes an extremely deliberate delivery with a pronounced hip coil. Displayed a 67 mph curveball with 11/5 shape, a 73 mph changeup thrown at near fastball arm speed and a sinker that sat 77-80 among his complimentary pitches. Sinker is thrown from a slightly high arm slot and shows some late fade.

Drew Swire, OF/LHP, Brandywine Heights
6-foot-1, 150-pound primary outfielder sat 74-75 while topping at 77 mph from a high 3/4 arm slot. Lefty also showcased a 63 mph curveball with 1/7 shape and and splitter that sat 64-65. Tendency to fall hard of his mid-line will likely be lessened with physical maturity and strength gains.

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