iHigh.com Top 100 Players in Kentucky

**blue1424** · 05-12-2011, 07:29 PM

iHigh.com has come out with their mid season edition of the top 100 players in Kentucky:

http://www.ihigh.com/news/article_65616.html

X's and O's · 05-12-2011, 09:28 PM

Some of the top players are obvious, but a lot of it is like a lot of the other coach and media voted lists, it is a popularity vote and "who you know". There are some kids on this list that aren't even in the top five best players in their region.

**PHSForever** · 05-13-2011, 09:37 AM

X's and O's Wrote:Some of the top players are obvious, but a lot of it is like a lot of the other coach and media voted lists, it is a popularity vote and "who you know". There are some kids on this list that aren't even in the top five best players in their region.

Pretty good list all in all. I question a couple as well, but overall pretty decent list.

**ekff** · 05-13-2011, 12:44 PM

Well If Dylan Creech (Wolfe), Conner Hurt (Perry), Kevin Smith(Perry), Ryan Cox (Breathitt). Are all on the list then Corey Slone (Hazard) has to be, he's better then those boys', not saying Corey is a top 100 player because I haven't seen everyone in the state play but if those boys are then Slone is easily....

Commanche · 05-13-2011, 01:03 PM

Clark Keene and Steven Layne from Pikeville both hitting in excess of 450 should be included as well. Find me a better Third or Second baseman in the state than these two. Again we play in the mountains and that is just that, noone sees these two play and it is a shame.

**Panther Thunder** · 05-13-2011, 01:15 PM

Commanche Wrote:Clark Keene and Steven Layne from Pikeville both hitting in excess of 450 should be included as well. Find me a better Third or Second baseman in the state than these two. Again we play in the mountains and that is just that, noone sees these two play and it is a shame.

Keene is most definitely the #1 at best and no worse that #5 defensive 3rd basemen in the state. I am constantly amazed by the plays he makes over there. He doesn't have elite speed, but he is as quick as they get.

Layne is definitely solid as well, and probably has been Pikeville's best offensive player this season.

Miller (#17 in this list) gets the best jump on balls that I have ever seen. He made a play last night on a ball hit well on the right side of the bag. He is also stellar defensively and while we aren't seeing the numbers we did from last year, he is still having a very good season at the plate.

Then at first you have Hamilton who is a great defensive first basemen and is starting to turn the corner offensively.

That is as complete of an infield that you will find in Kentucky. There may be some better and some on par, but it is tough to play as well together as they do. Doesn't have much to do with this 100 because I have not seen enough players to make that distinction. And I think it has a lot to do with going to showcases in Lexington and Louisville. Just giving some credit to those guys.

Congrats to Chan for topping the list.

**Panther Thunder** · 05-13-2011, 01:27 PM

Also, the fact that Clinton Hollon isn't in the top 50 is hilarious. Best pitching prospect in Kentucky and he is a sophomore.

dd734 · 05-13-2011, 02:40 PM

When you have a top 100 players list in Kentucky for this year, and you don't have Jake Rebholz and Michael Kremer of Campbell County on it. It has no credibility what so ever. None!

jed · 05-15-2011, 06:57 PM

4 players from Knox Central. They must have been buying votes. None of them deserve a mention except maybe King and that is questionable. They are not even top level players in region.

**Stardust** · 05-15-2011, 07:52 PM

dd734 Wrote:When you have a top 100 players list in Kentucky for this year, and you don't have Jake Rebholz and Michael Kremer of Campbell County on it. It has no credibility what so ever. None!

Agreed

**geauxtigers75** · 05-15-2011, 10:26 PM

ekff Wrote:Well If Dylan Creech (Wolfe), Conner Hurt (Perry), Kevin Smith(Perry), Ryan Cox (Breathitt). Are all on the list then Corey Slone (Hazard) has to be, he's better then those boys', not saying Corey is a top 100 player because I haven't seen everyone in the state play but if those boys are then Slone is easily....

I agree 100% that Slone is a top 100 player, but I do not think he is better than some of those you mentioned.

**adopted purple** · 05-15-2011, 10:55 PM

Ihigh should stick to broadcasting the games. They obviously don't know anything about player rankings. The list is a joke!

X's and O's · 05-16-2011, 09:50 AM

adopted purple Wrote:Ihigh should stick to broadcasting the games. They obviously don't know anything about player rankings. The list is a joke!

Absolutely agree, looks like after the first few players they just put players names in the order they were received. Nothing to support this at all and wonder if they have seen many of these players play. Not knocking any of the kid's abilities, just the rankings.

**Stardust** · 05-16-2011, 11:00 AM

adopted purple Wrote:Ihigh should stick to broadcasting the games. They obviously don't know anything about player rankings. The list is a joke!

Great post AP and dead on

the amarillo wizard · 05-19-2011, 12:12 PM

jed Wrote:4 players from Knox Central. They must have been buying votes. None of them deserve a mention except maybe King and that is questionable. They are not even top level players in region.

The kids from kc deserve every bit of recognition they receive. King is the best pitcher in the region, Smith, Gilbert, and Branum are all top hitters and defensive players, and whats more, how many votes did Wilson have to buy to get #7 in the state? there is no way he is better than Matt Spalding, or a few others. While he can hit ok and has a good arm, there are many others on the list that should be above him. The list is really just political. Theres no way Clinton Hollin should be as low as he is. A sophomore throwing 90+ already committed to UK? come on people.

Hit and Run · 05-19-2011, 12:39 PM

^ Spoke to a guy very close to the Central program today and he said that Branum has been the biggest dissapointment of the year, and from what I've seen I would agree. Great kid, but he's struggled this year. I'll give you Gilbert and King. Both are very good, but I'm not sold as King being the best pitcher in the region. He has good stuff, but he's not dominant. The Wilson argument is crazy. You find 7 high school baseball players in this state that are better than John Wilson. You can't do it. The kid is hitting north of .500, 7 bombs, he has a 90+ arm, he runs extremely well. What does this kid not have? Yeah he's a little raw with his blocking skills behind the plate, but they are still very good.

dawgbyte02 · 05-19-2011, 12:39 PM

I believe the Hollon kid has a high ranking with Perfect Game Baseball one the the top recruiting organizations in all of baseball.

kidatheart · 05-19-2011, 01:02 PM

This ranking means about as much as the pre season rankings. What does it matter if certain kids were or were not on this list. If you know personally how good a kid is, that is all that matters. That ranking list is just like everything else on BGR - an opinion

jed · 05-19-2011, 02:02 PM

the amarillo wizard Wrote:The kids from kc deserve every bit of recognition they receive. King is the best pitcher in the region, Smith, Gilbert, and Branum are all top hitters and defensive players, and whats more, how many votes did Wilson have to buy to get #7 in the state? there is no way he is better than Matt Spalding, or a few others. While he can hit ok and has a good arm, there are many others on the list that should be above him. The list is really just political. Theres no way Clinton Hollin should be as low as he is. A sophomore throwing 90+ already committed to UK? come on people.

I can't even respond to this, it is so ridiculous. All I will say is, do you really believe that a team with 4 of the top 100 players in the state could be as weak as KC. As far as Wilson goes, his play speaks for itself. I don't think you will find any team that has played against him, pitching or catching that will question his talent.

Rollitover · 05-19-2011, 05:20 PM

About all I will say is I have watched John Wilson for the last three years and have seen Will Hurt for Lex Cath the past two years and IF John Wilson is a #7 there is no way on earth Will Hurt is a #11!!!

LClion4life · 05-19-2011, 10:37 PM

No mention for Matt Jones of Greenup County? He's every bit as good as Joe Hunt from Fleming and Hunt is ranked #23.

Hit and Run · 05-20-2011, 12:00 AM

Rollitover Wrote:About all I will say is I have watched John Wilson for the last three years and have seen Will Hurt for Lex Cath the past two years and IF John Wilson is a #7 there is no way on earth Will Hurt is a #11!!!

You won't hear me complain about Will Hurt. Kid is a ball player. I'm not convinced that he is better than Wilson, but he is an unbelieveable talent. Wilson is so raw. The kid has never played in the summer or fall. He plays school ball from Feb. to June and that's it. I think his POTENTIAL could be higher than anybody's in the state. Not saying he is the best in the state, but I am saying that in 10 years you may look back and say that he had the best college and potentially pro career out of all these kids. Then again he may turn out to be the biggest bust. You can never tell about these things, but there is no denying that this kid is a stud.

Rollitover · 05-20-2011, 12:57 AM

good points Hit and Run. I know Will lives baseball and is one of the most refined highschool kids I have seen. He does it year round and is constantly being fine tuned by the best (Kevin Clary and others). You are right on about John's potential, time will tell where he takes it. The kid might have other interests and not really be interested in the next level, which is perfectly fine also. My only point would be you cant look at it as a raw potential list or a (Could be) list.

Hit and Run · 05-20-2011, 09:23 AM

Rollitover Wrote:good points Hit and Run. I know Will lives baseball and is one of the most refined highschool kids I have seen. He does it year round and is constantly being fine tuned by the best (Kevin Clary and others). You are right on about John's potential, time will tell where he takes it. The kid might have other interests and not really be interested in the next level, which is perfectly fine also. My only point would be you cant look at it as a raw potential list or a (Could be) list.

From the times I have talked to John and his father he really wants to play at the highest level he possibly can. Even with John being as raw as he is I still think he is one of the top 10 players in the state. Receives the ball well, calls his own game and does it very well, has an absolute cannon behind the plate, and hits for average and power. The only thing John could work on would be his blocking ability, but he's so good at picking the ball in the dirt that it doesn't hurt him at the high school level.

KentuckyFan35 · 05-20-2011, 10:28 AM

ekff Wrote:Well If Dylan Creech (Wolfe), Conner Hurt (Perry), Kevin Smith(Perry), Ryan Cox (Breathitt). Are all on the list then Corey Slone (Hazard) has to be, he's better then those boys', not saying Corey is a top 100 player because I haven't seen everyone in the state play but if those boys are then Slone is easily....

Corey Slone was one from the 14th region I was looking for also.

Not one player on this list from the All A State Champion Chistian Adademy of Louisville. They had at least 5 players that are better than anybody in the 14region!

the amarillo wizard · 05-20-2011, 12:13 PM

Agreed with the statement about Will Hurt. The kid committed to Coastal Carolina as a Junior. The top 100 players in the state isnt about who has the most potential, it is about who is the best at this time. Wilson has a cannon and speed, hits well, but lacks some defensive skills. Wilson definitely deserves to be on the list, but not a top 10 in the state player imo. Will Hurt is a true 5 tool player. Kid could play college ball right now. And in regaurds to jed, most of your posts contain ignorance, so you obviously dont know baseball.

Hit and Run · 05-20-2011, 01:37 PM

the amarillo wizard Wrote:Agreed with the statement about Will Hurt. The kid committed to Coastal Carolina as a Junior. The top 100 players in the state isnt about who has the most potential, it is about who is the best at this time. Wilson has a cannon and speed, hits well, but lacks some defensive skills. Wilson definitely deserves to be on the list, but not a top 10 in the state player imo. Will Hurt is a true 5 tool player. Kid could play college ball right now. And in regaurds to jed, most of your posts contain ignorance, so you obviously dont know baseball.

I will still say that Wilson is a top 10 player in the state. He's hitting .518 with a OBP of .603. He's hit 7 dingers and has drove in 49 runs. He's also drew 22 walks. This is opposed to 4 total strikeouts on the year. He's 11 of 13 on SB and Clay doesn't even run that much. This goes without mentioning his 30 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched. You can argue that Clay doesn't play a top notch schedule, but they still play a pretty solid schedule.