These players stood out during Day 1 of MLB Draft Combine
Jim Callis
@JimCallisMLBPHOENIX -- The workouts are the most exciting part of the annual MLB Draft Combine, giving prospects the chance to show off their talents in front of scouting delegations from all 30 teams. Hitters mostly stole the show during the first day of on-field action Tuesday at Chase Field, led by Mississippi outfielder Kemp Alderman.
Alderman hit the hardest and longest blast during MLB Network's broadcast of the proceedings, a 443-foot shot with an exit velocity of 111 mph, and displayed effortless power during his batting practice. MLB Network will televise Wednesday's workout as well, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET.
Here's an alphabetical listing of Tuesday's standouts:
Kemp Alderman, OF, Mississippi
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Alderman has as much raw power as anyone in college baseball and also knows that he can hit home runs without swinging for the fences. He displayed pop to all fields with a relatively compact right-handed swing. Adding to his intrigue, he pushed his fastball to 94 mph in sporadic pitching appearances this spring and also caught some midweek games for the Rebels.
Daniel Cuvet, 3B, ESB Academy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Hitting in the first batting-practice group of the day before the broadcast began, Cuvet crushed a home run to the left of the batter's eye, a blast that rivaled Alderman's most prodigious shot. He displayed some of the best bat speed of the day and also some of the best arm strength, with a throw from third base clocked at 92 mph.
Will Gasparino, OF, Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.
Gasparino slammed the longest home run by a high schooler (418 feet) and a separate shot that registered as the hardest-hit ball by a prepster (110 mph). The son of Dodgers scouting director Billy Gasparino, he's a projectable 6-foot-6, 201-pound athlete with more upside than most of the high school hitters in this Draft.
Cole Miller, RHP, Newbury Park HS, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Miller resisted the temptation to overthrow and instead provided consistent strikes with a low-90s sinker and a mid-80s slider and changeup. The son of former NFL wide receiver Mike Miller, he's an athletic 6-foot-6, 226-pounder who has improved this spring and should continue to get better as he adds strength.
Kevin Sim, OF/1B, San Diego
Chong Soo Shim mashed 328 homers in the Korean Baseball Organization, earning the nickname "Hercules," and he passed his power down to his son. Kevin had the highest average recorded exit velocity at 101.5 mph and 16 of his 19 balls qualified as hard hit (95 mph or harder).
Sammy Stafura, SS, Panas HS, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
Stafura has plenty of helium and is pushing his way into late first-round consideration. His play reminds some scouts of Anthony Volpe at the same stage and he exuded calm during the workout. He took a professional batting practice, working the ball around the field with a clean right-handed stroke, and had the best infield actions of anyone who took grounders.
Brock Vradenburg, 1B, Michigan State
Vradenburg didn't register on scouting radars before this spring, when he batted .400/.492/.721. The 6-foot-7, 230-pounder still has some untapped power potential and he hinted at it by crushing three balls with exit velocities of 106-107 mph.