Stetson Allie arrived in State College with an electric right arm, prospect status and $2.25 million in his bank account.

He left town last month as a project. Allie confused, instead of dazzled, during the State College Spikes’ 2011 season. He unleashed a knee-high 95 mph fastball on one pitch then missed the catcher’s glove the next.

Allie needs more polish than a glass coffee table sitting in storage. That’s why the Pittsburgh Pirates sent him, along with dozens of other prospects/projects, to their fall instructional league.

“Hopefully he can move past the second round and $2 million thing and just focus on development,” said Kyle Stark, who the Pittsburgh Pirates recently promoted from director of player development to assistant general manager. “We have to come to grips with where he’s at instead of where he’s going to be. Once we do that, we can move forward.”

Players such as Allie are why prospect lists spark fall and winter chatter.

Is performance overlooked when potential exists? Is somebody’s performance so poor it masks potential?

Allie represents one reason why it took a month to determine the State College Spikes’ top 2011 prospects.

Only five players made our list. And, no, it doesn’t include Allie, who walked 29 and hit nine batters in 26 innings.

A high-90s fastball doesn’t automatically place somebody on a prospect list. Remember Yoffri Martinez? He threw hard for the 2007 and ‘08 Spikes and never ascended beyond Class A.

Allie is just 20 years old and might become a prospect one day. Based on this past summer — and the opinions of multiple scouts who cover the New York- Penn League — today isn’t that day.

Here are five 2011 Spikes with potential — and polish.

1. Nick Kingham

Easy call here. Kingham, a 2010 fourth-round draft pick, cruised through the summer, allowing one or no runs in his final 11 outings.

Neither NY-PL hitters nor the Pittsburgh Pirates’ prescribed workloads seemed to challenge or stimulate Kingham. He lasted five or six innings in his final 10 starts despite rigid pitch counts.

Kingham went 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA. He only posted 47 strikeouts in 71 innings, but that has more to do with the Pirates forcing him to pitch to contact than it does with his stuff.

Kingham’s stuff, by the way, is intriguing. His fastball sits between 91 and 93 mph and his curveball and change-up land in the strike zone.

His velocity might improve. Kingham is just 19, stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 220 pounds. A baseball looks like a TItleist in his massive right hand. Expect Kingham to add velocity as he ages.

“I think overall performance- wise we expected some good things,” Stark said. “We felt like he would do a good job. Did we think he would perform like he has? Maybe not necessarily.”

2. Alex Dickerson

Dickerson offers the Pirates two things they must develop — power and a long-term solution at first base.

The former Indiana University star spent a month resting an aching body before signing with the Pirates and joining the Spikes in mid-July. He hit .313 with three homers, 16 doubles and 19 RBIs in 41 games. Dickerson’s presence led to the Spikes’ improved second-half play.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Dickerson played outfield at Indiana. The Pirates are using him at first base. He’s a project in the field who will benefit from individualized fall and spring instruction.

Dickerson’s bat will carry him through the farm system. He hits left-handed and posses power to both fields. He’s selective at the plate and saw plenty of offspeed and breaking pitches during his junior year at Indiana.

“It’s an impact bat potentially,” Stark said. “He’s a guy with where we took him we think he profiles as a potential middle-of-the-order bat. We are excited to see how this guy develops.”

3. Ryan Hafner

The tallest pitcher on the Spikes’ giant staff, Hafner spent most of the summer competing with Kingham for the team’s ERA title. Two shaky late-season starts resulted in Hafner finishing with a 3.15 ERA.

Like Kingham, Hafner’s strikeout numbers weren’t impressive. He had 31 in 652/ 3 innings. Like Kingham,

Hafner worked almost exclusively with fastballs that sat in the low 90s.

Hafner’s breaking and offspeed pitches were adequate by NY-PL standards. They will need sharpened for him to succeed at higher levels.

Pitching coach Justin Meccage lauded Hafner’s physical style. He attacked hitters and entrusted his defense.

Hafner, 19, looks like a draft steal. The Pirates selected him in last year’s 17th round and he should push members of the Pirates’ expensive 2009 draft class.

“We had a bunch of arms last year that came through here more hyped and didn’t pitch as well as Nick Kingham has or Ryan Hafner has,” Stark said. “I think when a high school kid holds his own in this league you’re encouraged.”

4. Wes Freeman

This is a case of developmental persistence.

The Pirates drafted Freeman out of a small Florida high school in the 16th round of the 2008 draft. Injuries and offensive struggles then slowed his career.

The Pirates stuck with Freeman because of his physical tools. He’s 6-foot-2, weighs a solid 220 pound, runs like a strong safety, mashes to both fields in batting practice and demonstrates a strong outfield arm.

After a slow start, Freeman, 21, blossomed, raising his batting average from .183 to .304 during a torrid 29-game stretch. He cracked six homers and stole 11 bases before a late-season promotion to West Virginia.

“Those are the type of guys we are going to have to take chances on in the draft,” Stark said. “You look at the tools and you get excited about it, and they might be a little raw. It’s a great reminder to us that they dictate the timing and we can’t plan things out.”

Freeman’s physical abilities aren’t fading. His progress hinges on whether he can recognize and hit breaking and offspeed pitches.

5. Samuel Gonzalez

Gonzalez, 22, was considered old for the NY-PL, but the Pirates are thin at catcher, so his performance must be taken seriously.

The sturdy receiver hit .302 and struck out just 15 times in 139 at-bats. His swing features few holes and Spikes pitchers enjoyed throwing to him.

The Pirates might expedite Gonzalez’s development. Neither catcher at West Virginia hit above .250 and top prospect Tony Sanchez struggled at Double- A Altoona.

Franchise wins award

The Spikes won the New York-Penn League’s Vincent McNamara Outstanding Club Award for the 2011 season. The award is presented to the club that exemplifies the exceptional standards of the complete baseball franchise. The award was voted upon by general managers from each of the league’s 14 franchises.

Winning the award makes the Spikes a nominee for the John H. Johnson President’s Trophy awarded to Minor League Baseball’s top franchise. The President’s Trophy winner will be honored during December’s Winter Meetings.

Spikes pair make list

Baseball America has ranked Kingham and Dickerson among the NY-PL’s top 20 prospects. The publication ranked Kingham ninth while Dickerson was 11th. Staten Island outfielder Mason Williams was named the league’s top prospect.

Past Spikes to make the list: Zack Von Rosenberg (sixth, 2010), Colton Cain (10th, 2010), Zack Dodson (17th, 2010), Victor Black (sixth, 2009), Chase d’Arnaud (18th, 2008), Danny Moskos (fourth, 2007), Duke Welker (14th, 2007), Adam Ottavino (eighth, 2006) and Mark Hamilton (12th, 2006).

Guy Cipriano covers the Spikes for the Centre Daily Times. He can be reached at 231-4643 or gciprian@centredaily.com.

Follow him @cdtguy on Twitter.