Prospect League reports

Official League Website: www.prospectleague.com
2016 Summer Collegiate Top Prospect Index
Prospect League Top Prospect List

In the eighth iteration of the Prospect League, stretching across much of the Midwest from Illinois and Indiana to West Virginia and Pennsylvania, the West Virginia Miners won their third Prospect League Championship, defeating the Quincy Gems in the title series. Despite not making the final series, the Springfield Sliders warrant mention here as well, having posted the best regular season record (by a pretty good margin) at 39-20, good for a .661 winning percentage.

Several prospects stood out individually for their performance and projection, as both Pitcher of the Year Brian Hobbie (Indiana) and Player of the Year Aaron Meyer (Missouri State) will head into their respective 2017 seasons having garnered solid draft buzz; Hobbie for his advanced pitchability and full arsenal, and Meyer for his uncanny bat-to-ball skills and surprising power.


Year established: 2008
States represented: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania
No. of teams: 12
Regular season champion (best overall record): Springfield Sliders
Postseason champion: West Virginia Miners
No. 1 prospect, 2015: Logan Steinberg, ss/3b, Danville (St. Mary’s)
First 2015 player selected, 2016 MLB Draft: Matt Anderson, rhp, West Virginia (Moorehead State/Pirates, 10th round)

Player of the Year: Aaron Meyer, 2b, DuPage Drones (Missouri State)
Pitcher of the Year: Brian Hobbie, rhp, Terre Haute Rex (Indiana)

BATTING LEADERS

Batting average: Aaron Meyer, 2b, Dupage Drones (Missouri State) (.423)
Slugging percentage: Aaron Meyer, 2b, Dupage Drones (Missouri State) (.598)
On-base percentage: Aaron Meyer, 2b, Dupage Drones (Missouri State) (.487)
Home Runs: Mitch Carriger, of, Quincy Gems (Maryville) (11)
RBI: Riley Benner, if, Lafayette Aviators (St. Joseph’s) (48)
Stolen bases: Aaron Bence, of, Lafayette Aviators (Murray State) (40)

PITCHING LEADERS

Wins: Mike Anthony, rhp, Kokomo Jackrabbits (Lock Haven) (7)
ERA: Brian Hobbie, rhp, Terre Haute Rex (Indiana) (0.82)
Saves: Sean Frontzak, rhp, DuPage Drones (Saint Louis) (11)
Strikeouts: Jacob Belinda, rhp, West Virginia Miners (Lock Haven) (69)

BEST TOOLS

Best athlete: Nick Delgado, of, West Virginia (West Alabama)
Best hitter: Aaron Meyer, 2b, DuPage Drones (Missouri State)
Best power: Joey Polak, 1b/3b, Quincy Gems (South Carolina)
Best speed: Aaron Bence, of, Lafayette Aviators (Murray State)
Best defender: Josh Smith, ss, Danville Dans (Louisiana State)
Best velocity: Casey Sullivan, rhp, Danville Dans (Louisiana Tech)
Best breaking stuff: Connor Coward, rhp, Butler (Virginia Tech)
Best command: Brian Hobbie, rhp, Terre Haute Rex (Indiana)


TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Brian Hobbie, rhp, Terre Haute (Indiana/JR in 2017)
Hobbie collected Pitcher of the Year honers in the Prospect League in 2016, after an outstanding summer that saw him go 4-2 for the Rex with a league-best 0.82 ERA in 54 2/3 innings pitched. Collectively, coaches and scouts around the league mentioned Hobbie the most when talking about best command, and that is further evidenced by his mere 11 walks in those 54 2/3 innings. His best off-speed pitch at present is the changeup, thrown in the mid- to upper-70s with late, fading action and excellent deception out of the hand due to his arm speed and intent. His fastball will usually work in the 88-92 mph range, clocking up to 93-94 at times, with heavy sinking life and arm-side bore. The slider is the third pitch in the starter’s repertoire right now, but will still show as an average pitch once in awhile, and is mostly thrown in the upper-70s as a get-me-over strike, but he has shown the ability to tighten/sharpen it up into the low-80s and use it as a put-away pitch against righthanded hitters. He’s likely to be counted on more and more heavily in Bloomington in 2017, as the Hoosiers have seen several 2016 contributors leave via the draft and/or graduation, and Hobbie has a chance to establish himself on MLB Draft boards.