Jackson Feltner Shines At MLB Combine; Awaits Draft In A Couple Weeks

Phoenix, AZ. — It was a good couple of days for Louisa native Jackson Feltner at Chase field the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks last week. 

Feltner had several conversations with eight or nine organizations during the combine. Most frequent teams would be the Padres, Giants and Diamondbacks, so who knows it’s very unpredictable. 

Baseball’s top Draft prospects showcased their skills at the 2023 MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix last week, and they did so not only under the watchful eye of myriad scouts, but in view of Hawk-Eye, the camera system that fuels Statcast data.

They have Statcast tracking data for the Draft Combine’s batting practice and bullpen sessions at Chase Field on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as Tuesday’s 12-inning game between high school prospects. So we can see which Draft prospects hit the ball the hardest and the farthest and threw it the fastest. The performance they put on in front of big league clubs is the final impression they’ll make before the Draft, which will be held from July 9-11 in Seattle.

Highest maximum exit velocity (batting practice)

116.2 mph – George Wolkow, OF, Downers Grove North HS (Ill.) (No. 68)
113.5 mph – Brandon Winokur, OF, Edison HS (Calif.) (No. 72)
113.5 mph – Joe Vetrano, 1B, Boston College
111.4 mph – Kemp Alderman, OF, Mississippi (No. 62)
111.4 mph – TayShaun Walton, CF, IMG Academy (Fla.) (No. 165)
110.6 mph – Jackson Feltner, 1B, Morehead State
110.2 mph – Kris Armstrong, 1B, Jacksonville
110.0 mph – Jake DeLeo, OF, Georgia Tech
109.8 mph – Sam Parker, 1B/OF, Kennesaw Mountain HS (Ga.)
109.5 mph – Daniel Cuvet, INF/RHP, ESB Academy (Fla.)

Louisa Native Jackson Feltner 

“… The entire experience was almost surreal. To be able to take bp on a big league field like that was unbelievable. The atmosphere around the ballpark and the town in general was electric the entire week. You could just tell everyone involved was having the time of their life. Being able to talk to some big time executives for clubs was just the cherry on top for me. It was one of the best weeks of my baseball career.”