Bren
Spillane

5.13.15 - Illinois recruit, currently ranked No. 7 in Illinois’ 2015 class, No. 69 overall. Strong, athletic 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame; has drawn considerable pro interest despite not being able to throw at 100 percent after having Tommy John surgery last year. Possesses high-level tools across the board: size, speed (6.7 runner), power and arm strength (when healthy, 90-plus from the outfield). Hits from a wider setup, low hand set, quiet overall mechanics. Creates leverage in swing and possesses bat speed and hand strength. In the game, went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. Also flew out to centefield and struck out.

4.1.15 - Currently ranked No. 7 in the Illinois Class of 2015, No. 69 in PBR 2015 Overall Ranks. Committed to Illinois. 6-foot-4, 210-pound, right-handed hitting outfielder. Body comp similar to Hunter Pence minus the awkwardness. Still working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Played centerfield showing solid actions and footwork on a ball hit over his head. Long strides. Not letting throws go yet, but hits the cutoff man every time. Only got 2 ABs in game. Went 1-2 with a single and a strikeout. Hits from a wide stance with a low hand set and fluid rhythm.Mechanics similar to Jayson Werth. Would like to see more of him this spring. Already drawing considerable draft interest.

The future of Wheeling HS, Spillane possesses big power potential at the plate, and moves well laterally for his size. Physically advanced for his age.

6/5/18 - Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 3rd Round, 82nd Overall.

5/9/18 - As mentioned in the Scouting Trail Week 10, I have never seen Spillane pull velocity for power. While taking a look at Ryan Feltner for Ohio State (he touches 96-97 mph while pitching at 91-94), it was a great opportunity to see Spillane try to do just this. It was also a chance to see Spillane at full strength, as he was battling a bone bruise in his foot two weeks ago on my previous look. At first glance on Saturday, his running was noticeably improved. Showed long, powerful strides running home to first on a ground ball to the shortstop and no more slight limp during his home run trot...yes, he crushed another one. It was an opposite field laser off the scoreboard in right field on another fastball away. Why do pitchers continue to throw him fastballs away that are in the strike zone? Maybe it’s just been the games that I’ve seen him, but I sense a pattern. His defensive play was also improved, mostly due to his plus range. A natural outfielder, he also showed good instincts at first base, making the correct snap decision for the situation: With runners on first and third, one out, the batter hit a chopper past the pitcher towards the second baseman. Spillane pounced on it quickly, fielded it cleanly, spun and threw a perfect strike to the shortstop covering second base for the out. A quick relay throw by the shortstop to first base barely missed getting the batter and allowed the runner to score from third. But again, it was the right play for the situation, regardless of the runner scoring, and Spillane showed off his athleticism, quickness, arm strength and instincts. Overall, another good day for Spillane who continues to hit and hit for power while striking out less; his season strikeout rate has dropped from 28.1% just two weeks ago to its present 25.7%. Still too high, but a remarkable improvement in just two weeks. Maybe it really is the new contact lenses he received mid-season? Whatever the reason, Spillane continues to perform at a high level and climb draft boards around the country. 

4/25/18 - Tall, broad shouldered and very athletic, Spillane remains somewhat of a mystery to scouts this spring after bursting on the scene with unequaled offensive production in all of Division I baseball. After only nine at-bats as a freshman and an ordinary sophomore season (.295/.378/.500) he has slugged his way to a .451/.543/1.044 slash this season. Yes, he really has a 1.044 slugging percentage. The highest SLG% I can remember in recent draft history is Kris Bryant (1st round, 2nd overall in 2013) at .820 with a .491 isolated slugging (ISO) or Brent Rooker (1st round, 35th overall in 2017) with an .810 SLG% and .423 ISO during his fourth year in the SEC. Spillane’s current ISO at .593 blows all of them away. ISO indicates how often a player hits for extra bases. It is calculated by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage. Kyle Schwarber (1st round, 4th overall in 2014) is the most recent comparison to a MLer from the Big Ten conference. Schwarber had a .659 SLG% and .301 ISO during his junior year in Big Ten. This is not to suggest that Bren Spillane is the next Kris Bryant or Kyle Schwarber, as their walk and strikeout rates are drastically different. Of the three, he is probably most similar statistically to Rooker and athletically to Bryant. Out of a spread stance, Spillane creates good separation, lands soft and connects well. Allows his hips to work first and create torque. Combines bat speed with very good bat strength. His extension through the ball produces power to all fields. This spring he is averaging 102 mph exit velocity on batted balls with a high of 109 mph on an opposite field home run over the right field scoreboard at Southern Illinois University. In my handful of looks this season the only thing I haven’t seen him do in the batter’s box is pull AND elevate an inside fastball. I imagine he has, I just have not seen it. He crushes elevated off speed, like the long home run he hit to left field on a hanging curveball from Jake Wong on Friday night. Also unloads on fastballs thrown to the outer half. I missed his opposite field bullet home run he hit this Saturday on a fastball away, but saw him play pepper against the hard stuff with the tall right field wall at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis earlier this spring during the Big Ten / Pac-12 Challenge. Sunday he was well-pitched or pitched around all game by Grand Canyon. They handcuffed him with inside fastballs which he surrounded with his bat head, grounding three balls to the left side with one getting through the six-hole for a single. With an open base he was pitched around for a walk in the fifth and intentionally walked in the seventh inning. Standing 6’5 with a good reach he plays first base for the Illini, but with his athleticism and tools he could play anywhere on the diamond in college other than shortstop or catcher. He’s sure-handed with an above average to plus arm. Moves well and is ordinarily an above average runner, but was hobbled by a bone bruise in his right foot this weekend after being stepped on by a runner at Maryland earlier this month. Ran a 6.89 sixty-yard during Illinois’ scout day this fall. Also is 12-for-18 on stolen bases this spring. May slow in the future due to the additional weight/strength gains that he will make in pro ball, but that’s not really a concern. For me, he profiles best in right field, although I’d love to see him in game action at third base. If he’s just adequate at the hot corner, his draft value would skyrocket even more. Spillane was a very well-known prospect out of an Illinois high school in 2015. Was selected by the Pirates in the 34th round despite his high price tag and his previous Tommy John surgery. Many scouts now consider Spillane to be an around the seventh round selection since his 2018 season (28.1%) and career (28.8%) strikeout rates are concerning. However there are recent examples of college power hitters with similar rates and a lesser batting average who have went high in the draft. Chad Spanberger (Arkansas) sixth round in 2017 is the first who comes to mind. He had a career 26.3% strikeout rate and 23.5% during his draft season with a .305/.389/.619 slash. Spanberger was a dead fastball and pull hitter who was limited to 1B or DH. Spillane is a much better athlete who hits the off speed better and uses all fields with defensive versatility. Look for Spillane to be taken around the third round this June.