Several of the state's top baseball prospects will get a chance to showcase their talents in front of Major League Baseball scouts and college coaches on Wednesday afternoon.

The MountainWest Baseball Academy is hosting scouts from at least 27 major league teams. Among the players participating will be two of this year's top senior prospects from Utah: Kayden Porter from Spanish Fork and Brady Lail from Bingham.

Both are considered pitching prospects - although Porter might have value as a hitter - and both are signed to colleges. Porter is slated to go to North Carolina, while Lail signed with Arizona this fall.

But both could be taken in this year's MLB draft, so there's the potential neither could see a college campus. Porter has said in the past that he'll be eyeing his draft position closely, and Lail said if he got drafted in the first 10 rounds, he'd strongly consider going pro.

"It'd be a lifelong dream come true," he said. "I'd definitely consider signing."

Porter is a fastball pitcher who led the Dons in strikeouts last year, and his velocity has been clocked as high as 97 mph. Lail said he has three strong pitches right now: a fastball that has reached 93 mph, a circle change-up and a knuckleball curve.

Outfielder Connor Williams, another Bingham player who is signed to play at Utah, also could be drafted this year. It's unclear whether he'll be at the showcase due to his high school basketball commitments.

There will also be a number of underclassmen prospects, Academy director Bob Keyes said. The roster includes local players such as Tanner Draper of Riverton and Brett Snyder of Alta. Some top-level prospects from New Mexico, Colorado, Montana and Idaho will attend as well.

The showcase will go from the early afternoon to potentially late Wednesday evening. Prospects will throw, hit and do infield drills for the scouts.

— Kyle Goon
kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon