2015 Summer Collegiate Top Prospect Index

Although we’ve already supplied readers with top prospect lists and detailed reports on some of the best players in nearly 20 collegiate summer leagues (and Team USA), from Alaska to Florida, there are still a number of quality leagues with prospective professional talent and a high quality of play that deserve recognition and attention. The MINK, Southern Collegiate, New York Collegiate, South Florida Collegiate, and Central Valley Collegiate Leagues provided players with an opportunity to get invaluable experience and compete at a high level, and their efforts—along with those of the leagues already highlighted—are commendable.

Perfect Game recognizes that are even more leagues spread across the nation that provide quality environments for players to grow and be recognized.

Listed in no specific order or ranking below are players from these leagues that were identified as having some of the best professional prospects by coaches, league officials and scouts.


M.I.N.K. Collegiate Baseball League

Official league website: http://www.minkleaguebaseball.com/
Year established: 1910
States represented: Missouri, Iowa
No. of teams: 8
Regular season Champion (best overall record): St. Joseph Mustangs (27-14)
Postseason Champion: St. Joseph Mustangs

Player of the Year: Kasey Cooper, of, Branson Nationals
Pitcher of the Year: Sam Perez, rhp, Sedalia Bombers

Sam Perez, rhp, Sedalia Bombers (Missouri State/SR in 2016)
Overshadowed by a pair of 2015 draft picks, righthander Jon Harris and lefthander Matt Hall, Perez racked up nine wins in the spring of 2015, an extraordinary total considering all 27 of his appearances and 68 innings for the Bears came out of the bullpen. This summer Perez starred for the Sedalia Bombers of the MINK League, taking home the pitcher of the year award and leading the circuit in wins (6), ERA (1.07), and strikeouts (61) while excelling in an unfamiliar role, starting pitcher. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righty doesn’t necessarily have wipeout stuff, but he pounds his low-90s fastball to the bottom half of the strike zone and is able to keep hitter’s honest and off balance with two average secondary offerings in his changeup and curveball. He’ll return to Missouri State this spring and should be an important cog for a pitching staff looking to replace a lot of quality innings.

Sean Rackoski, rhp, Chillicothe Mudcats (Kansas/JR in 2016)
The first thing that stands out about Rackoski is his size, and more specifically his height. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound righty has an extremely long, projectable frame. However, as with many young pitchers of such proportions, Rackoski has had some issues repeating his delivery and commanding his pitches. He consistently works in the 89-92 mph range with his heater and is able generate significant plane and angle because of his size. Still, he’s been hit hard at times for the Jayhawks because of an inconsistency in throwing the pitch for strikes and keeping the ball down. This summer, Rackoski showcased a better feel for commanding his fastball and a more consistent ability to throw his curveball to get both called strikes and swings and misses. His changeup is still a developing pitch, and he’ll have to maintain his tightened command this spring in order to be similarly effective against Big 12 competition.

Trey Harris 2b/of, Sedalia Bombers (Missouri/SO in 2017)
Harris had a strong freshman campaign for Missouri in the spring, hitting .263/.307/.376, and he had a memorable moment, delivering a walkoff single against South Carolina in SEC play. He performed well this summer for Sedalia, and while he didn’t necessarily light the league on fire Harris showcased solid hitting tools in strength off of the barrel, quick wrists and solid bat speed. He didn’t hit any homers this summer, but there is some pop in his 5-foot-10, 215-pound frame. There are some questions about his best defensive home, and his thicker build gives evaluators some pause, but he’s a solid overall athlete and has been serviceable at both second base and in the corner outfield slots.

Brett Bond, c, St. Joseph Mustangs (Missouri/SO in 2017)
Bond had a very impressive season for Missouri, finishing second on the team with a .294 batting average as a true freshman. After starting 46 (and playing in 51) games for the Tigers in the spring, Bond got some quick work in for the St. Joseph Mustangs, playing 12 games for the MINK club. Bond still has some work to do defensively, as he still needs to refine his footwork behind the plate, but he works well with pitchers, is a solid receiver and was trusted to be Missouri’s primary catcher despite his youth. Additionally, he’s a decent athlete and shows lateral quickness and agility to block balls in the dirt. Where Bond truly stands out is at the plate, as the switch hitter has solid strength in his 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame and shows power potential from either batter’s box. There’s still some rawness to the approach and his ability to adjust to off-speed pitches, but Bond has solid tools to work with and should continue to develop with additional reps and experience against some of the best competition that college baseball has to offer in the Southeastern Conference.


Southern Collegiate Baseball League

Official league website: http://scbl.pointstreaksites.com/view/scbl
Year established: 1999
States represented: South Carolina and North Carolina
No. of teams: 6
Regular season Champion (best overall record): Piedmont Pride (32-7)
Postseason Champion: SBA Bones

Ryder Ryan, rhp/inf/c, SBA Bones (North Carolina/SO in 2016)
A talented two-way player coming out of North Mecklenburg High School, Ryan elected to attend the University of North Carolina after he fell to the 40th round of the 2014 draft. He didn’t play much as a true freshman, receiving just 14 at-bats, but he picked up some valuable experience this summer in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League as a member of SBA Bones. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound righty threw 16 2/3 innings this summer, splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation and showcased some of the swing-and-miss stuff that he had flashed in high school. He struck out 21 thanks to his 90-93 mph fastball as he continues to develop feel for both a sweeping breaking ball and changeup. At the plate Ryan flashed good bat speed and showcased natural carry and loft of the barrel, with some evaluators giving him above average raw power.

Tanner Poole, of, Piedmont Pride (Mississippi State/JR in 2016)
Poole hit over .300 in both of his two seasons at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College, and he’ll be a part of the Mississippi State University baseball program this year. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound outfielder prepared for the transition to Division I baseball this summer with the Piedmont Pride of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League. He acquitted himself well, leading the league in batting average (.370), hits (47) and stolen bases (25). Poole still has plenty of room to fill out and while he’ll flash some gap power he’s more of a line-drive, contact-oriented hitter at this point in his development. As evidenced by his stolen base numbers, he’s an above average runner and his speed and athleticism play well in the outfield where he’s regarded as a plus defender.


New York Collegiate Baseball League

Official league website: http://nycbl.com/view/nycbl
Year established: 1978
States represented: New York
No. of teams: 12
Regular season Champion (best overall record): Hornell Dodgers (31-15)
Postseason Champion: Olean Oilers

Player of the Year: Caleb Lang, of, Niagara Power
Pitcher of the Year: Vince Apicella, lhp, Geneva Red Wings

Conner Simonetti, 1b, Geneva Twins (Kent State/JR in 2016)
Simonetti was a 35th round draft pick in 2013 by the Cincinnati Reds, but he elected to attend Kent State University rather than sign, and he put together a solid sophomore campaign, hitting .283 with 11 homers. After spending part of last summer in the NYCBL, Simonetti returned to the Geneva Twins in 2015 and impressed league officials with his raw power. He hit a league-best nine homers and was among the top five in RBI (33). The 6-foot, 215-pounder has a broad, muscular frame and while he’s not the most projectable or athletic player, he is a solid defender at first base and has also played some corner outfield.

Adam Scott, lhp, Oneonta Outlaws (Wofford/SO in 2016)
Scott only started (and appeared in) three games this summer because of the innings that he logged at Wofford this spring, but he impressed in his brief cameo nonetheless. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound lefty was a mainstay in the Wofford starting rotation and he went 8-4 with a 3.68 ERA over 83 innings for the Terriers. He was dominant in his 19 innings in the NYCBL, striking out 25 and walking just five batters in 19 innings of work for the Oneonta Outlaws. The physical lefty throws from a deceptive three-quarters to low three-quarters arm slot and does a good job of working to all four quadrants of the strike zone with his low-90s fastball.


South Florida Collegiate Baseball League

Official league website: http://pointstreaksites.com/view/southfloridacollegiateleague/home-109
Year established: 2011
States represented: Florida
No. of teams: 10
Regular season Champion (best overall record): Pompano Beach Clippers (29-6)
Postseason Champion: Palm Beach Xtreme

Player of the Year: Mason Paxton, inf, Pompano Beach Clippers
Pitcher of the Year: Robert Guarnieri, rhp, Palm Beach Xtreme

Stephen Kerr, inf, Pompano Beach Clippers (Florida Atlantic/JR in 2016)
At Florida Atlantic University this past season he was named to the preseason All-Conference Team for Conference USA. In 2015, he started 61 games for the Owls and hit .310 with a team-high 10 doubles and 54 runs scored. This summer Kerr plied his trade for the Pompano Beach Clippers of the South Florida Collegiate League and was named to the 2015 SFCBL All-Star team. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Kerr is not the most physical player but he possesses a quality, disciplined approach at the plate and he makes a lot of contact. Additionally, he is an excellent defender and was praised for his instincts and feel for the game, all of which has put him on the radar of South Florida scouts.

Brady Acker, rhp, Palm Beach Xtreme (Palm Beach State JC/SO in 2016)
As a freshman at Palm Beach State (Fla.) JC, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Acker turned plenty of heads and stood out on the mound. Acker had a team-best 1.98 ERA and he struck out 48 batters in his 50 innings of work. Acker consistently tops out at 94 mph and sits anywhere from 89-93. Despite the impressive velocity, Acker is not just a thrower as scouts have labeled him as a “true pitcher,” with solid feel for locating his curveball and an improving changeup. Although he threw just six innings this summer for the Palm Beach Xtreme, Acker was identified by league sources as an arm to keep an eye on this spring, as he may have the potential to follow in the footsteps of former SFCBL players Dan Jagiello and Austin Glorious.

Mitch Reeves, of, Pompano Beach Clippers (Florida Southern/JR in 2016)
After sitting out part of the spring season at Seminole State due to pulled hamstring, Reeves bounced back and put on quite a power show this summer as he led the South Florida Collegiate League in home runs and RBI this summer while playing for the Pompano Beach Clippers. Reeves, a well-proportioned 6-foot-2, 205-pounds looks the part in a uniform and he is a solid athlete, acquitting himself well in the outfield and going 8-for-9 in stolen base attempts. This year he heads to Division II program Florida Southern where South Florida scouts will undoubtedly keep their eyes on him after his strong summer performance.


Central Valley Collegiate League

Official league website: http://cvclbaseball.webs.com/
Year established: 2013
States represented: California
No. of teams: 7
Regular season Champion (best overall record): California Expos
Postseason Champion: California Expos

Hilario Tovar, rhp, California Expos (San Jose State/SO in 2016)
Tovar appeared in 16 games for San Jose State as a freshman this past spring. While he had some peaks and valleys, in his rookie campaign the 5-foot-11, 170-pound righty performed well this summer for the California Expos of the Central Valley Collegiate League and was identified by league officials as one of the rising stars. The righty displayed a fastball that sat in the 88-91 mph range and showed improved control and feel for his 76-78 mph slider, which flashed two-plane tilt and proved to be a difficult pitch for opposing hitters to pick up. After serving as SJSU’s No. 3 starter for much of 2015, Tovar is expected to take on the Saturday or Friday role this spring.

Connor Brogdon, rhp, California Expos, (Lewis & Clark/JR in 2016)
A former 40th round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2013, Brogdon heads to Division III Lewis & Clark after two seasons at Fresno City College. The long, lean 6-foot-5, 190-pound righty served as Fresno City College’s ace and went 11-1 and struck out 91 in 99 innings this spring before heading to the CVCL as a member of the California Expos. While with the Expos, Brogdon impressed league officials by displaying solid command of his 87-91 mph fastball and flashing a plus curveball.