Their was a very respectable scouting contingent at the Northwoods League all-star game on Monday night, which followed a combine in which the players in attendance, as well as a few other non-all-stars that made the trip to participate in, got to show off their speed, arms and bats in a showcase-style workout.

This is yet another example of how the league tries to put its players in the best position to prepare themselves for professional baseball, and having the event take place in Madison, Wisconsin, a much more central locale for the scouts that cover the area, made it that much more accessible.

It was difficult to get a feel on the overall talent level in the league while comparing it to last year’s crop. The scouts I spoke to in attendance felt the same way, but many of them admitted that they had not yet seen all of the talent, and were using the pre-game combine and the game itself to prepare their follow lists to determine who they should be keeping their eyes on the rest of the summer.

With any all-star game, while most of the top players were in attendance, not all of the top prospects were there. The scouts also admitted that they were somewhat unfamiliar with the talent at hand largely because most of the top players in attendance don’t play college ball in the upper Midwest.

For me it was a perfect opportunity to see most of the top talent first-hand as I prepare myself to assemble a top prospect for this league in about a month. From the combine to the game while gathering some opinions from the scouting community, there are a few players that are definitely worth getting excited about.

I’m not going to focus on the game as much as I am going to focus on the players that made the greatest impression on me. I will say that the entire event was extremely well run, by the Madison Mallards, the coaches that organized the showcase and by the Northwoods League itself. The Mallards staff in particular did a very good job assembling the necessary documents providing player rosters, stats, media guides and other items that made it a lot easier for the scouts to do their jobs.

ESPNU covered the game live on national television, and the Madison faithful showed up to set a new all-star game league record. The number of television cameras and several other media members and photographers gave the event truly an electric feel on a beautiful summer evening.

The Bats

The pre-game combine gave everyone a good idea of the tools that the top players possessed. Starting with the 60-yard dash and moving onto the outfield and infield drills and batting practice, a few players definitely stood out.

No player stood out more than Green Bay Bullfrogs shortstop Josh Prince (Tulane), a player whose name I had circled as soon as it showed up on Green Bay’s roster. Listed at 6’3”, 195 pounds, he already looks like a big-leaguer, and has the frame of the new generation of shortstops that have evolved ever since Robin Yount and Cal Ripken Jr. re-definited the position prototype in the 1980s.

With a 6.60 60-time (only two other players matched that, P.J. Polk (Tennessee) and Brooks Pinckard (Baylor)), an impressive infield arm and range and a good showing at the plate, Prince definitely has the tools to be in the conversation for the early rounds for next year’s draft.

He came into the game leading the league in triples (seven, four more than any other player in the league), ranking third in slugging percentage (.540) and fourth in batting (.340), which is especially impressive considering he started the Northwoods League season a couple of weeks late.

Prince of course was a well-known player coming out of high school, but decided to honor his commitment to Texas before transferring to Tulane. He had a very good freshman year for the Longhorns while struggling somewhat as a sophomore. His frame has always suggested that he had more power potential despite being known for his glove more than his bat, but his bat is definitely starting to come around, showing no problems making the adjustment to hitting with a wood bat.

And he put an exclamation mark on his performance by crushing a high fastball from left-handed pitcher Phil Haig (during his first at-bat) in the sixth inning of the game for a two-run home run that soared over the tall left-field wall. While the numbers don’t officially count, that was his first Northwoods League home run.

With any shortstop with his size and stature, you automatically are going to have some concerns about his long-term ability to stick at shortstop, but by playing a premium position with very good speed, a strong arm and a promising stick, you have a player that is going to draw a lot of attention next spring.

In addition, he carries a swagger and confidence about him that often is confused with cockiness, but is a necessary and frequently overlooked attribute that the best players in the game all posssess.

La Crosse outfielder Cory Vaughn (San Diego State) is an equally impressive physical specimen that also performed well both during the pre-game workout and during the game itself. His two-for-three effort, which included a pair of doubles, led to him being named the game’s MVP, or as they called it, the “Star of Stars.”

Cory is the son of former big-league outfielder Greg Vaughn, and like his father, Cory has an infectious smile that seemingly can pick up his teammates. His father actually is an assistant coach/advisor for the La Crosse Loggers, and spoke to the players during the event’s luncheon earlier in the day.

Vaughn posted a 6.65 time in the 60, and his arm was rated between a 60 and 70 overall according to the scouts. He started the game in centerfield, but may end up in right with a prototypical power-power combination for the position and the potential to become a 30-30 player down the road.

He will have to tone down his swing some given the amount of times he has struck out so far this summer and during the spring for the Aztecs. Much of that has to do with being over-aggressive swinging at breaking balls out of the strike zone. I was a little surprised that Brendan Lafferty, the starting pitcher for the North squad, tried to throw a fastball by him with two strikes after it was clear that he had trouble handling anything else. Both of his doubles were hit hard to left field, and both were off fastballs.

Vaughn is currently among the league leaders in home runs (six) and stolen bases (14), proving that his power/speed combination is legit.

Vaughn’s outfield mate for La Crosse, P.J. Polk, was also in attendance, and he came into the game as a reserve to play left field.

Polk, as mentioned above, matched Josh Prince’s 6.60 60-time, and clearly is a fine overall athlete. Physically he resembles big-leaguer Juan Pierre (a Northwoods League alum) for his smaller yet wiry strong frame, and while he may not have Pierre’s world-class speed, he clearly knows how to make the most of his wheels.

Unfortunately Polk’s arm is Pierre-esque, and he doesn’t project to hit for much over-the-fence power. He did hit some nice live drives in batting practice, and laced a double to the right-field corner (as a right-handed hitter) for an RBI double in his only at-bat. He will be better off learning to pound the ball into the ground more often to make the most of his speed to get on base to wreck havoc on the basepaths. While his speed will allow him to play center, his arm would be best served in left, but regardless, his overall skill-set will definitely make him a name to follow next spring for the Volunteers in the always-tough SEC.

No player has put up numbers as impressive as Mankato’s Carlos Ramirez (Arizona State) in the league this summer. You can tell how he has been so consistently good with a very quiet, and simple stance and a quick bat. His bat is made more for gap power, despite the fact that he leads the league in home runs with nine. He shows a very patient eye at the plate, and shows the ability to put the big part of the barrel of the bat on the ball when he gets a pitch to hit.

Defensively he looks pretty good behind the plate. I don’t think he’s a perennial Gold Glover down the road, but he sets himself up well, and seems to work well with the pitchers. During the drills, his POP times range from the low 1.9s to around 2.10. His transfer from the glove to the hand is extremely quick, and he consistently made accurate throws to the second base bag.

He didn’t run the 60, but it’s clear that he runs like a catcher. While his overall numbers have been impressive, I had a hard time getting a feel for his overall ceiling. Regardless, a solid overall catcher putting up big numbers with a wood bat in one of the better summer college leagues is definitely going to draw a lot of interest between now and next June.

Statistically speaking, Rochester Honker Eric Stephens (Cal State Fullerton) is just behind Ramirez, being among the league leaders in nearly every single offensive category, highlighted by his power as he led the league in RBI (39), was second in extra base hits (19) and fourth in slugging (.537) at the all-star break.

As a left-handed hitter, Stephens put on a show during his second round of batting practice once he found his swing, hitting several balls over the wall in right and right-centerfield.. He led of the second inning of the game with a solo home run to right field, even if it less than 300 feet down the line at Warner Park, and overall showed a very quick bat with good extension, a powerful frame and an intimidating presence. He hasn’t had too many opportunities to shine with the Titans so far during his college career, but I’m guessing that will change in a hurry next spring.

Defensively, he moves well for his size, even if he is limited to left field should he play the outfield at the next level. He has a slightly above average and accurate arm, although he profiles best at first base, where he showed a pretty slick glove and nimble feet.

The starting second baseman for the North all-stars was St. Cloud’s Derek McCallum (Minnesota), who is a true ballplayer that is a joy to watch. McCallum follows in the footsteps of former Gopher infielders and Northwoods alums Nate Hanson and Dan Lyons, as one of the top overall prospects in the league, and his upside as a professional prospect is probably greater than both of those players.

McCallum is the type of player that does everything well. Scouts agreed with me that he probably doesn’t have the ideal range or arm strength to play shortstop, but he could be a valuable second baseman or utility infielder, profiling very similar as a left-hand hitting version of the Chicago Cubs’ Mark DeRosa.

He ran a 7.0 flat in the 60-yard dash, and looked good during infield drills. He showed a nice, inside out swing, knowing the importance of using the entire field during batting practice, and was leading the league in hits (54), was second in batting (.355), tied for third in runs scored (30), fourth in on-base percentage (.441) and was tied for fourth in RBI (33) at the break.

Wisconsin’s Troy Frazier (Kentucky), an outfielder, hit the ball consistently hard throughout batting practice. He didn’t get much loft under the balls he hit, but he ripped line drive after line drive into left and left-centerfield. He has a very powerful frame, and managed to rip an RBI single off of the outfield wall during the game with the bases loaded, a ball that was hit so hard the baserunners had to hold not knowing how far it would travel with less than two outs. Otherwise that hit could have cleared the bases and Frazier should have ended up on second base with at least a two-run double.

Frazier overall showed a very nice tool-set, clocking in at 6.8 in the 60 and showing off a strong arm from the outfield. He, like Vaughn, needs to work on shortening his swing while recognizing breaking pitches better, but his aggressive approach works for him at this point in time.

Three powerfully built sluggers in addition to Eric Stephens also showed very exciting power potential. La Crosse’s Derek Melton (Evansville), Thunder Bay’s Derek Wiley (Belmont) and Duluth’s Tim Jobe (Indian River CC) showed very good pull power in batting practice. Melton and Wiley were mirror images of one another with one (Melton) hitting left-handed while both showed a pretty good glove, and arm, at first base. While Jobe had arguably the most intimidating physical presence of anyone in attendance, his athletic actions looked rather stiff, and he probably would fit best with an American League ballclub.

Another trio of hitters, a group of outfielders, showed a nice package of hitting, running and throwing. Madison’s Rob Lyerly (Charlotte) was the most impressive of this trio, with a strong, compact build, a strong, accurate arm and an easy yet powerful left-handed stroke. Mankato offered two intriguing outfielders in Cory Harrilchak (Elon) and Michael Rockett (Texas-San Antonio). Harrilchak showed surprising speed during the workout, running in the 60 in 6.8 seconds, while Rockett was just behind him at 6.9. The ball carried very well to the outfield off of Harrilchak’s left-handed strong, and he also showed a very strong arm. Rockett’s arm was just as impressive, and while he doesn’t have the same kind of power that his Mankato teammate does, he has a very quick and easy swing that allows him to hit the ball to the gaps.

Green Bay catcher Rocky Gale (Portland) showed the best defensive tools behind the plate, showing off a very strong and accurate arm, while having the potential to show some offensive promise.

Check back next week as I will take a detailed look at some of the more intriguing arms in attendance as well as a few of the players that attended the pre-game workout that were not selected to participate in the game itself.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.