Mark
Neels

Providing speed/power upside, Neels brings value in the 6.5 speed that he brings and pairs with left-handed bat strength. There's noticeably more strength than last year in the 6-foot, now 205-pound frame and the swing continues to polish. He starts open with a connected handset before hovering in a smaller leg kick stride. He is able to hold ground with the stride and turns the connected barrel tight off the back shoulder to get on-plane early. The swing adjustments paid dividends from a metric perspective as he peaked at 99 mph off the bat and averaged 93-plus. There is some tendency to exit the zone early, but the ability to present the barrel flat and deep in the zone should allow for quality contact rates. The arm is an average tool and he holds centerfield upside.

For the third consective event he has attended with us, Neels turned in the top 60-yard dash, burning a 6.61 60-yard dash on a brisk morning. He's burned into the 6.4s, a plus runner underway with evident explosive traits. He showed some pull-side strength in batting practice with a couple of pull side homers that stuck out there, hinting at speed/power upside that he has flashed in game. Neels collected a couple off-time hits during the gameplay portion, turning the knob tight to the chest for an adjustable path, and the L/L power/speed profile he brings continues to elevate with added polish/feel

One of the more intriguing position players in the class, Neels began the day with a bang, turning in a 6.46 60-yard dash - still the best straight-line runner in the class to date. There is strength and big twitch in the 6-foot, 185 pound frame and those attributes translate to the box. The operation becomes more fluid each time I get eyes on him, using a hovering stride paired with a tight, compact load as he gets to his launch position. He turns the barrel tight with the ability to shrink the lead arm and deliver the barrel head when needed. He still lacks the ability to repeat at times, but when everything syncs, real bat speed is flashed. The 60-time indicates a potential future at a premium defensive position (CF) and his arm plays with average strength (83 OF).

Neels offers a really interesting profile being 6-foot, 185 pounds, athletic, hitting from the left-side, and running an event-best 6.54 60-yard dash. The swing features a big hovering stride on the back leg with tight, pre-loaded arms. He flashes bat speed when synced but the forward move is inconsistent. There is present strength in the frame with room for more and his exits reached 94-plus. The foot speed is elite & the defensive skills need to be evaluated in game. If he can really play defense he offers a high floor look, while the bat has a chance to polish with further development

Neels is an interesting outfielder in the class, standing with an athletic frame at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds. Neels burned an event-best 6.72 60-yard dash to begin the day before putting together my favorite round of batting practice of the day. Setting up in a taller, pre-coiled stance - Neels gathers into a toe-tap early in the operation before making a positive forward move towards the baseball. The barrel gets perpendicular to the back shoudler at launch, creating connection in the upper-half, and he turns it on-plane early with lift at the front of the path. Neels was able to use the whole field & hinted pull-side gap power throughout his round, reaching a peak exit velocity of 93.2 mph. Indiana's 2027 class boasts plenty of talented left-handed hitting OF's - and Neels performance this past weekend puts him in the conversation with some of my early favorites in the class.