CA: Alex Lavisky, St. Edward HS (Ohio)
1B: Jeff Jackson, Wauconda HS (Ill.)
2B: Myles Smith, Deerborn Divine Child HS (Mich.)
3B: Justin O'Conner, Cowan HS (Ind.)
SS: Kellen Sweeney, Jefferson HS (Iowa)
OF: Conrad Gregor, Carmel HS (Ind.)
OF: Marcus Davis, Princeton HS (Ohio)
OF: Patrick Jones, Moeller HS (Ohio)
DH: Mark Payton, St. Rita HS (Ill.)
UT: Kevin Koziol, Brother Rice HS (Ill.)

SP: Stetson Allie, St. Edward HS (Ohio)
SP: Mike Foltynewicz, Minooka Community HS (Ill.)
SP: Jordan Shipers, South Harrison HS (Mo.)
SP: Even Grills, Sinclair Secondary HS (Ont.)
SP: Tyler Skulina, Walsh Jesuit HS (Ohio)
UT: Kevin Koziol, Brother Rice HS (Ill.)

Storylines

Buckeye Baseball

The State of Ohio provides one-third of the players on PnR’s All-Regional squad, including its most highly rated prospect -- Stetson Allie, RHP/3B, St. Edward HS (#15 on the Fall/Winter Top 300). Allie has true “80” arm strength, and it translates to the mound where he routinely reaches the upper-90s with his fastball. He also brings a hard upper-80s slider with big time bite, though he struggles controlling either offering with any sort of consistency. Some of his mechanical issues are discussed in detail in PnR’s scouting report on Allie -- the long-and-short of it being that he should be able to find enough control to become an effective pro prospect but may always struggle to command his pitches to spots. If this assessment proves accurate, his big velocity and potential plus slider should be more than enough to make him a successful reliever with dominant closer upside. In the field, his arm is an asset at third, and his actions are adequate right now for the hot corner. At the plate, there is a fair amount of development still to be done with regards to his approach and pitch-ID. He has impressive raw power that shows-up in-game, but less so against advanced secondary stuff. The road to the Majors may be a little shorter off the mound, though scouts will take their time this spring analyzing his total game before making their minds up. His control, in particular, will be closely monitored as teams try and determine what it will take, instructionally, to harness all the potential in Allie’s golden arm. 

While scoping Allie, scouts will get a close look at his high school teammate and battery-mate Alex Lavisky, C/3B, St. Edwards HS. Lavisky (pictured above), a Georgia Tech commit, shows good offensive potential and is a smooth receiver with a quick transfer on throws to second (clocked sub-1.90 pops). Middle infielder Ross Kivett, a Kansas commit, makes a third St. Edward Eagle that could draw some draft attention, as well. Slightly to the south, just outside of Akron, UVA commit Tyler Skulina, RHP, Walsh Jesuit HS (#231 on PnR Top 300), will work to show improvement in his secondary stuff to go along with his low-90s fastball. With a durable 6-6/235, Skulina could be another Buckeye righty to come off the boards on Day 1 in June. Further south, in Cincy, outfielders Marcus Davis, Princeton HS (LSU commit) and Patrick Jones, Moeller HS (Xavier commit) could also come off the board in the first ten rounds. Both can be true center fielders at the collegiate level.

Jupiter Jumps

Perhaps no one had a more productive WWBA World Championship showing down in Jupiter than Jordan Shipers, LHP, South Harrison HS (Mo.). With no high school baseball program to showcase his wares, Shipers will rely heavily on his showcase/tournament performances to help establish his value. Taking the mound for an early morning (8am) start on Friday back in October, Shipers dominated an overmatched NJ Twins squad, striking out thirteen in five innings, while walking four and allowing no hits. He is undersized for a pro prospect (5-11/165) but can still produce upper-80s to low-90s velocity on a lively fastball, and also throws a decent slider and deceptive change-up with depth. If they hadn’t already by October 23, midwest scouts quickly placed Shipers high on their watch lists following his no-hit performance. The trick will be finding opportunities to observe the lefty this spring.

A couple of other midwest prepsters upped their stock in Jupiter -- both members of the runner-up 2008 Cangelosi Baseball team. Mark Payton, OF, St. Rita HS (Ill.) returned to the WWBA World Championship as the reigning tourney MVP, puttin in another solid effort. Like Shipers, he’s a bit undersized (5-8/160), profiling more as a good collegiate recruit than a pro prospect at this point. But Payton keeps on hitting and keeps on putting-up impressive performances against good competition. He’ll likely head to Arizona St. where his wide-based, bat speed oriented approach should continue to play well. To win over scouts, he’ll likely need to incorporate more momentum in his lower-half, which will be necessary for him to make hard enough contact to play against pro pitching with wood. When all is said an done, he could compare favorably to former Sun Devil and 2009 2nd Rounder Jason Kipnis.  His teammate on Cangelosi, Mike Foltynewicz, RHP, Minooka HS (Ill.) is a projectable Texas commit who should continue to get stronger and throw harder. In Jupiter, he logged a short but impressive 2-inning outing, allowing no hits or walks while striking out two -- showcasing a power arsenal in the making. His boring fastball crept into the low-90s, and though his curve was inconsistent in shape, he also flashed an adequate change-up with some depth and fade. This spring will have teams watching for improved secondary stuff and less tip-off (he tends to slow his arm speed with his breaking ball and off-speed). The 6-5/200 righty could see a spike in fastball velocity at any time, as well as a corresponding jump in his draft ranking.

North of the Border

The high-end talent from the Canadian ranks is a somewhat limited this year, though there are a handful of talents that will be jockeying for single-round selection. The current front-runner amongst the Canadian class is likely Evan Grills, LHP, Sinclair Secondary HS (Ont.). As with Jake Eliopoulos last year, Grills doesn’t have the power fastball yet, but he sports a very projectable frame (6-4/180) and good repeatability in his mechanics. His fastball is lively and tough to square on, and he pairs it with a tight, curve with hard late bite.

Not far behind is Under Armour All-American Evan Rutckyj, LHP, St. Josephs HS (Ont.). Rutckyj (pronounced “Root-skee”; pictured) comes with an upper-80s fastball with some armside run and an upper-70s slider with above-average potential. He also shows good feel for a change-up, though it’s more “show-me” right now. Kellin Deglan, C, Langley HS (B.C.) rounds out the northern neighbor reps on the PnR Top 300 -- showing promise as a catch-and-throw backstop with a potential impact lefty bat. Other Canucks outside the PnR Top 300 but worth keeping an eye on include Canadian Junior Nationals Steve McKinnon, RHP, Duncan HS (B.C.), Mike Ellis, RHP, Fleetwood Park HS (B.C.), Joel Pierce, RHP, Vincent Massey HS (Ont.), Rowan Wick, OF/C, Carson Graham HS ( B.C.) and Emmanuel Forcier, OF, Les Estecades Academy (Que.). 

O'Conner to Catcher

Some were surprised to see Justin O’Conner, C/SS/RHP, Cowan HS (Ind.) listed second on PnR’s Fall/Winter Positional Rankings for Catchers -- after all, he has been primarily a SS/RHP on the showcase circuit and just recently started devoting significant time to transitioning behind the plate. Those familiar with his skill set should have no trouble visualizing how well his athleticism, arm strength and quick release should play at catcher. As a shortstop, O’Conner profiled well with plus arm strength, an incredibly quick release and solid footwork. His biggest knock is range, which is solid but not above-average, and in danger of decreasing as he finishes filling-out.

A shift to catcher utilizes O’Conner’s strengths while playing down his defensive limitations. His bat profiles as solid for a corner position (such as third base), but above-average for a high-skill position such as short or catcher. If the transition is successful, it allows him increased odds to stick at an up-the-middle defensive position, adding to his value as a draft-eligible prospect and making him a very good bet for 1st round consideration (perhaps as high as the early- or mid-1st round). This will be one of the more closely-followed situations on the scouting scene this spring, with many anticipating the emergence of a legitimate top-tier backstop.