BaseballAmerica.com: Prospects Plus: High School: PG National Standouts

While Drew Vettleson was one player that stood out at thet Perfect Game National Showcase in Minneapolis June 11-14, he certainly wasn't alone. I missed the last day of the event, so I didn't see all of the pitchers that threw, but still saw each team at least two times. Look for a top 2010 prospect list soon but, in the meantime, here are 25 players (listed in alphabetical order) that stood out . . .

1.	Stetson Allie, rhp/3b	St. Edward HS, Lakewood, Ohio
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 225
Allie is a big kid. He's listed at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds and with his big thighs, broad shoulders and barrel chest, it adds up. Because of his size, his game has a lot of strength. He's strong at the plate, but what stood out the most about Allie was his inning on the mound. He was pumping gas, showing off the most impressive fastball velocity at the event, sitting 94-95 mph and touching 97. The problem is that he doesn't really know where it's going—several of his pitches ended up thumping off the backstop. Still, he was a force on the mound and it was downright unfair to the hitters when he mixed in an 89 mph slider. The opposing dugout was cheering if their teammates were lucky to even foul a ball off, but Allie struck out the side in order.
2.	Zach Alvord, if	South Forsyth HS, Cummings, Ga.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 180
Alvord had a great junior year. He hit just .336, but of his 41 hits, 32 of them went for extra bases—16 doubles and 16 home runs. He didn't hit his first single until 12 games into the season. Alvord showed off that power by tying Kris Bryant and Justin O'Conner in the first round of PG's home run derby with six bombs. He has good bat speed and ran a 6.8-second 60-yard dash. The Auburn recruit is funky as a pitcher, sometimes dropping down sidearm, and threw in the 86-89 mph range with a 74 mph breaking ball.
3.	Michael Arencibia, of	Key West (Fla.) HS
B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 165
At 6-foot-1 and just 165 pounds, Arencibia didn't stand out physically at the event, but was still exciting to watch. He has an explosive swing from the left side that produced some hard line drives and he has the speed to take extra bases. Arencibia ran a 6.47-second 60-yard dash and also showed off a good arm from the outfield.
4.	Krey Bratsen, of	Bryan (Texas) HS
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 160
Speed is Bratsen's game. The 6-foot, 160-pounder ran a 6.40-second 60-yard dash without shoes. He also showed off a good arm and is committed to Texas A&M.
5.	Kris Bryant, if	Bonanza HS, Las Vegas
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 205
Bryant stood out physically, as the 6-foot-5, 205-pounder looked like a man among boys. His batting practice with wood was a little inconsistent and he didn't hit any home runs, but with metal in the home run derby, he put on an absolute show. While most participants were trying to pull everything, Bryant showed off his power by hitting some home runs to straightaway center field. He ended up losing to Justin O'Conner, but all of Bryant's home runs were light-tower no-doubters.
6.	Yordy Cabrera, if/rhp	Lakeland (Fla.) HS
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 190
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Cabrera has a pro body and all the tools you look for in a young player. At the plate, he has strong wrists and forearms that generate good bat speed and he hit a hard triple to the right-center gap in one of the games. He runs a 6.6-second 60-yard dash and showed fluid actions and above-average arm strength in the field and on the mound, where he touched 92 mph.
7.	Garin Cecchini, ss	Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La.
B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 200
Cecchini took a great batting practice—showing off power from the left side of the plate by hitting a couple home runs and a few more off the baggy in right field. He's a very athletic 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds with a good arm and above-average speed. His father is the coach for Barbe High and Cecchini is fundamentally sound and plays hard.
8.	Chevez Clarke, of	Marietta (Ga.) HS
B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 185
Clarke is a flashy outfielder that has been on the prospect map for a while. The 6-foot, 190-pounder is a toolsy center fielder that hits from both sides of the plate, runs well and shows off above-average arm strength.
9.	A.J. Cole, rhp	Oviedo HS, Winter Springs, Fla.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 190
While Allie showed more present velocity, Cole was the most impressive overall pitcher at the event. At 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Cole is long and lanky and has the projection scouts can dream on. But, even if he doesn't fill out, he was an effortless 88-91 mph at the event, touched 93 and has been higher in the past. He also showed a tight, 78 mph knuckle curve that he threw for strikes and knew what he was doing on the mound.
10.	Jacob Felts, c	Orangefield HS, Orange, Texas
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 195
The most impressive defensive catcher at the event was Felts, who flashed a 1.8-second pop time. But he also hit with some authority too, hitting a triple off the baggy in right-center in one game and then a double to the left-center gap in another.
11.	Kevin Gausman, rhp	Grandview HS, Centennial, Colo.
B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 180
Another long and lean righthander, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Gausman sat 88-91 mph with his fastball and touched 93. He also threw his secondary pitches for strikes, located his fastball to both sides and was aggressive on the mound.
12.	Lonnie Kaupilla, if	Burbank (Calif.) HS
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 170
Kauppila showed off a nice swing in batting practice. It was fast and compact with a high finish. But he showed he wasn't just a five-o-clock hitter when he turned around a 92 mph Karsten Whitson fastball for a double off the left field wall.
13.	Marcus Littlewood, ss	Pineview HS, St. George, Utah
B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 190
Littlewood comes from a baseball family. His dad, Mike, played for Brigham Young and then in the Brewers organization for a year. He's now the head coach at Dixie State in Utah, where Marcus' older brother, Tyson, plays. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Littlewood is a switch-hitter and looked fluid at shortstop with a strong arm and quick release. He's an average runner and is committed to San Diego.
14.	Michael Lorenzen, of/rhp	Fullerton (Calif.) Union HS
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 190
Lorenzen, who has already verbally committed to Cal State Fullerton, is a good athlete. He took an impressive BP with wood, showed off a plus arm and is an average runner. He also looked good on the mound, where he located his 89-92 mph fastball all around the strike zone with free and easy mechanics, while mixing in a 76 mph breaking ball for strikes.
15.	Joel McKeithan, ss/3b	Roberson HS, Arden, N.C.
B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 182
McKeithan comes from the same school that produced first-rounders Cameron Maybin and Justin Jackson. He's a switch-hitter and took a very loud batting practice with wood. He has a pro body with some strength and is committed to Vanderbilt.
16.	Connor Narron, if	Aycock HS, Goldsboro, N.C.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 190
Narron's father Jerry and uncle Johnny both played in the big leagues and are still involved with major league teams, and it's obvious Connor has grown up around the game. He has a pro-ready body at 6-foot-3 and 187 pounds. The switch-hitter is strong at the plate and the ball jumps off his bat. Unfortunately, it also shows up in how he carries himself. He doesn't show a lot of hustle and sometimes looks as though he's just going through the motions.
17.	Justin O'Conner, ss	Cowan HS, Muncie, Ind.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 190
O'Conner drew oohs and aahs when he edged Bryant in the event's home run derby, but he played well in the games, too. The 6-foot-1, 190 pounder looked good at shortstop—making one play where he showed good range to his right and made an off-balance throw to get the runner at first. He also showed above average speed and was 88-91 off the mound.
18.	Brian Ragira, of	Martin HS, Arlington, Texas
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 175
The lanky Ragira had an inconsistent batting practice session, but he showed flashes of potential, like when he hit a home run on the last pitch he saw. In the games, he showed good bat speed and strength, evidenced by the opposite-field ground-rule double he hit. He's patient at the plate but aggressive on the bases with his above-average speed.
19.	Josh Sale, of	Bishop Blanchet HS, Seattle
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 203
Sale really put his name on the map when he hit for the cycle at last year's Area Code Games. At 6-feet and 203 pounds, Sale is built like a fullback and the strength shows up when he hits. He put on a very impressive batting practice session and his highlight from the games came when he juiced a Yordy Cabrera fastball to center field on a rope for a stand-up triple.
20.	Mitchell Shifflett, of	Cosby HS, Midlothian, Va.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 170
Shifflett didn't turn heads in batting practice, but everyone was paying attention to his next at-bat after he ran three consecutive sub 6.2 60-yard dashes. First he was clocked at 6.19 seconds, then he ran a 6.16 and then, on his third try, he legged out a legit 6.11, breaking the event's previous record held by Xavier Avery and creating a substantial amount of buzz in the stands. On the 20-80 scouting scale, Shifflett has 90 speed.
21.	DeAndre Smelter, rhp	Tattnall County HS, Reidsville, Ga.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 205
Smelter is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthander with broad shoulders and a thick lower half. He rocks back and fires 89-92 mph fastballs from a lower three-quarter arm slot and touched 93. Smelter hides the ball well and mixes in an 83 mph changeup and an 80-81 mph slider. He's a good athlete that ran the 60-yard dash in 6.6 seconds.
22.	Will Swanner, c	La Costa Canyon HS, Carlsbad, Calif.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 185
Another impressive catcher at the event was Swanner, a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder with a verbal commitment to Pepperdine. Swanner hit well at the event, both in BP and the games, showed good athleticism for a backstop and plays the game hard.
23.	Jameson Taillon	The Woodlands (Texas) HS
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-7 Wt.: 230
Before Allie stole the show, it was Taillon's velocity that stood out. Already maxed out physically at an imposing 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, Tallion was sitting 93-94 mph from a lower three-quarter arm slot. He mixed in an 80-83 mph breaking ball and is committed to Rice.
24.	Karsten Whitson, rhp	Chipley (Fla.) HS
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 190
Before Allie stole the spotlight, it was Whitson that impressed most with his fastball. The righthander displayed impressive velocity, sitting 90-93 mph and mixed in a changeup, curveball and slider. The athletic, 6-foot-4, 190-pounder is committed to Florida.
25.	Austin Wilson, of	Harvard-Westlake HS, Los Angeles
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 215
Already a chiseled 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Wilson is a physical specimen that looks the part. He looked a little raw, with an inconsistent BP, a little over-aggressiveness at the plate and some awkward routes in the outfield, but the tools are there for him to be a special player. He showed off an absolute hose in the outfield and was an average runner.

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