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PBR IL - Region IV JUCO Showcase: Takeaways

October 20, 2021
By Tad Slowik, Kevin Coe and Peter Hamot
PBR Scouting Staff

On Sunday, September 26, the Region IV JUCO Showcase was held at Triton JC and included some of the top prospects at the JUCO level from the respective region. The event featured over 165 players, all of which were uncommitted at the time of the event. 

We previously published several different content pieces from this event, highlighting statistical leaders inside a Stat Story and then further brokedown the advanced analytics inside a TrackMan Files piece and Blast Motion Board, respectively.

Throughout the event, a number of players stood out and impressed with a number of different tools. Below are some of the standouts from the event.

TAKEAWAYS

PITCHERS:

+ LHP Devin Holmes (Highland CC)
Long-limbed, 6-foot-5 185-pound frame, highly projectable. The southpaw possesses one of the highest ceilings in the entire event. Low effort, tall and fall delivery with a loose/high ¾ slot. Holmes’ fastball sat comfortably in the 83-85 mph range presenting a tough angle for opposing hitters. He also featured a developing splitter that flashed wipeout potential with late tumbling action. 

+ RHP William Melby (Triton JC)
Wide-shouldered 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame. The right-hander works from a loose/high ¾ slot. Slight drop and drive action with his lower-half down the mound, works across his body. Melby’s fastball sat at 90 mph throughout his bullpen while touching 91 mph on his best bullet. His best secondary offering is a slurvy breaking ball in the 75-77 mph range with sharp biting action. He also featured a changeup kept primarily down in the zone at 78-81 mph. 

+ RHP Matt Lelito (Kankakee JC)
6-foot-5, 215-pound, strong, durable, pitcher’s build. Lelito worked from a loose high ¾ slot while striding in-line with a drop and drive lower-half. Threw all pitches for strikes and has the feel and stuff to be successful at the next level. Fastball sat 88-89 mph; worked both sides of the plate with command and life. Flashed horizontal movement to his arm-side along with an average of 18.7 inches of induced vertical break. Showed feel for two different breaking balls; curveball has sharp downer break with some bite at 72-75 mph. Slider is tight with deception and late hard diving action at 77-79 mph. Lelito also maintained arm speed on his changeup which he showed above-average feel for at 81-82 mph with sinking action. 

+ RHP Kale Ven Huizen (Black Hawk JC)
Projectable 6-foot-3 185-pound build, long-limbs. Loose arm from an over-the-top slot. Utilizes lower-half well down the mound with a drop and drive delivery, strides in-line. Fastball sat 86-89 mph topping out at 90 mph on his last pitch. His best secondary offering was a 12/6 breaking ball in the 70-72 mph range. He also showcased a changeup at 79-81 mph with horizontal arm-side action, kept primarily down in the zone. 

+ RHP Peyton Olejnik (Triton JC)
Extremely projectable and long-limbed 6-foot-8 170-pound frame. Put together one of the more eye-opening 'pens of the event. Olejnik creates impressive leverage and produces a tough downward plane on hitters with plus arm speed. His fastball sat 89-91 mph with late tail and sink, ball gets on hitters quick with movement on both sides of the plate. Curveball has tight spin with downer break at 67-68 mph. His changeup showed deception with tail and sink to the bottom of the zone in the 82-84 mph range. Olejnik showed the ability to repeat and throw strikes while possessing one of the highest ceilings in the entire event.

+ LHP Grady Gorgen (McHenry JC) LHP 6’1” 165
Recent Troy University commit. Athletic 6-foot-1 165-pound frame that has upside. Impressed with a polished repertoire and the ability to fill up the zone. Loose, easy, quick arm from a 3/4 slot. Fastball gets on hitters quick, worked 85-89 mph with hard sinking action down in the zone. Slider flashed sharpness with late action at 78-79 mph. Showed feel for his changeup, thrown with fastball arm speed, deception and sink at 79-80 mph. Tough for hitters to pick up stuff with late action on all pitches. 

+ RHP Jesus Ramos (Highland CC) RHP 5’10” 200
5-foot-10, 200-pound, strong frame, wide shoulders with a developed lower-half. The right-hander’s arm works quick from a ¾ slot. Drop and drive lower-half down the mound with the ability to repeat. Ramos featured a fastball that sat 84-85 mph (T2338 rpm). He also featured a sharp 11/5 breaking ball in the 73-74 mph range with an event best 2947 rpm’s on his best offering. Ramos also flashed a fading changeup in the 77-78 mph range.

+ RHP Kyle Iwinski (Kankakee JC)
6-foot-2, 205-pound strong frame, durable pitcher's body. Quick arm, ball jumps out of the hand. Fastball sat 92-94 mph with life through zone, flashing late movement. Tight spin on sharp downer curve with late bite at 73-74 mph. Slider is tight; sharp and late with diving action in the 79-80 mph range. Iwinski showed feel for changeup with fastball arm speed at 82-83 mph with deception and sink. The powerful right-hander has feel for pitching and the ability to repeat his delivery, throws strikes. Arm speed will give him more future velocity and action on his pitches in the future. 

+ LHP Ryan Eiermann (Kankakee JC)
6-foot, 180-pound, athletic frame. High ¾ slot with a loose/quick arm. His fastball sat 85-88 mph with late tail and sink. Curveball has a short wrinkle; tight downer with bite in the 72-74 mph range. Split-change has deception and hard late action at 75-76 mph. Lefty with a good feel for pitching, throws to both sides of the plate; all of Eiermann’s pitches change planes and will miss barrels. 

+ RHP Ryan Wilwers (Rock Valley JC)
5-foot-10, 190-pound, strong, defined build. Quick arm action, high 3/4 slot and repeatable delivery with the ability to throw strikes. His fastball sat 87-90 mph with late tail and sink at times. Curveball has tight spin with sharp 11/5 break at 68-70 mph; he also flashed a slider at 75-77 with 10/4 action. Changeup has deception and sink in the 79-81 mph range. 

+ RHP Harrison DuBois (South Suburban College)
6-foot-1, 205-pounds, wide-shouldered, broad-chested, right-handed pitcher showed advanced TrackMan numbers across the board with a fastball that averaged 2551 rpm and slider that averaged 2554 rpm. Dubois works from a 3/4 slot with above-average arm speed. Fastball sat 89-91 mph T92 with late tail and hard sink, throwing quality sinkers down in the zone at times. Tight/sharp slider at 80-81 mph with deceptive late break and hard diving action. Changeup has deception and sink in the 80-83 mph range. Pounds the strike zone with his pitches and is a competitor. Classic sinker/slider profile.

+ RHP Jorden Rauch (Bryant & Stratton CC)
Rauch was yet another power arm with next-level stuff at the event. The 6-foot, 190-pound, right-hander saw his fastball climb to 90 mph, sitting 88-89 mph with an average of 2200 rpm and an average 15.6 inches of horizontal movement. He paired his above-average fastball with a hard slider at 80-82 mph. The slider is thrown with fastball arm speed and spun at an average of 2421 rpm. 

+ RHP Engerlee Brazoban Martinez (Olive-Harvey JC)
Brazoban Martinez, who hails from Puerto Rico, had some of the most impressive TrackMan Traits from the event, as touched on in our TrackMan Files story. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound, long-limbed right-hander topped at 86 mph with his fastball which spun at an average rate of 2539 rpm, which is at the top of the scales from a PBR landscape. He paired it with a sharp slider and curveball, both of which had highly-advanced spin metrics. The slider sat 69-71 mph and spun at an average clip of 2776 rpm. Intriguing, upside arm out of Olive-Harvey JC.

+ RHP’s Panagiotis Rokkas (Triton JC) and Marcus Seguin (Joliet JC) were two other arms towards the top of the charts when it comes to breaking ball spin rate. Rokkas, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound, strong-bodied right-hander, touched 88 mph with his fastball and both his curveball and slider had average spin rates of 2770 rpm or higher. Seguin touched 86 mph with his fastball and spun his low-to-mid-70’s curveball at an average rate of 2560 rpm. 

OUTFIELDERS:

+ OF Joshua Williams (Highland CC)
One of the top performers on the day, Williams showcased elite ability on both sides of the ball.  Offensively his swing is loose and twitchy, generating above average bat speed with a top exit velocity of 100 mph. He is a gap to gap hitter that back spins the ball to all areas of the park.  Defensively he has a loose, athletic arm that produced accurate throws with life and carry from home, peaking at 92 mph.  Williams is also an elite runner with a 6.65 laser-timed 60. 

+ OF Joey Humphrey (Kankakee JC)
One of multiple Kankakee outfielders who showed well on the day, Humphrey has a loose swing with natural lift. He put on a show during batting practice by barreling most of his swings with several leaving the park to the pull side, including a top exit velo of 102 mph. Humphrey uses a small leg kick for timing and rhythm while staying balanced throughout the swing. Defensively he showed above average arm strength and accuracy with throws that have life and carry through the target and registered a top throwing velo of 90 mph.  

+ OF Douglas Loden (Joliet JC)
The athletically built 6-foot-1, 195-pound Loden showed an easy, repeatable swing that is strong, loose and has juice to the pull side. His bat works direct to the ball with a slightly uphill attack angle, producing a max exit velocity of 106 mph. Defensively he has a very strong arm that is loose and plays with life and carry with a top outfield velo of 90 mph. Loden also intrigued on the mound with a live arm touching 90 mph (T2434 rpm) and a fading changeup in the 79-81 mph range with feel for the bottom half of the zone.

+ OF Adam Pottinger (Triton JC)
The big bodied left-handed hitting outfielder has a simple repeatable swing that generated several hard hit baseballs during his round of batting practice. Pottinger has a knee knock trigger that generates rhythm and fluidness with a slightly uphill swing. Defensively he showcased a high end arm with accuracy, life, and carry while also touching 88 mph. He also ran a 6.67 laser-timed 60 on the day.

+ OF Noah Glidden (College of Lake County)
The twitchy/athletic outfielder impressed early on after he ran a 6.63 laser-time 60 yard dash. Glidden possesses a leg-kick timing trigger that glides to landing. He also has an abundance of bat speed within his rotational swing that is direct/uphill to the baseball. His top exit velocity on the day was 99 mph while he also led the event in hand speed according to BLAST (28.80).

+ Owen Queckboerner (Highland CC)
The strong bodied Quickboerner has a loose/whippy uphill swing with natural lift, allowing him to barrel the ball at a high rate during batting practice. He utilized a pull-side approach and reached a max exit velo of 102 mph with a 392 ft. max distance.

+ OF Owen Jackson (Kankakee JC)
Jackson was another standout from Kankakee, as the 6-foot-2, 215-pound left-handed hitter showcased an advanced power profile at the plate. He showed balance in the box, using ground force to generate above average bat speed with an uphill path and extension through the swing. Jackson launched several balls over the right field fence and delivered a top exit velocity of 100 mph. 

+ OF Daniel Llanas (Bryant & Stratton)
The physically built Llanas has an above average arm in the outfield showing carry and accuracy (T92 mph) to go along with agile footwork and athletic actions. Offensively he has a loose swing that includes a leg kick trigger. There is projectable bat speed with his strength being to the pull side, he also produced a top exit velo of 99 mph during BP. 

+ OF Andrew Smart (Oakton JC)
The big bodied outfielder has a cannon for an arm, reaching up to 93 mph from a crow-hop from a quick, loose ¾ slot. Smart also showed athletic actions and moves well for his size. At the plate he uses a toe-tap to start a repeatable, short, loose and balanced swing. He has good rhythm and feel at the plate while using a gap to gap approach to pepper line drives throughout his round of BP, including a top exit velocity of 99 mph.

INFIELDERS:

+ 1B Cameron Hunter (Highland JC)
6-foot, 200-pound, strong, physical frame. The big bodied first baseman had one of the better rounds of batting practice on the day, including a number of home runs throughout his round. Repeatable right-handed swing with a leg-kick timing trigger, short path and a quick/ strong hands. Efficient and generates power/backspin; including a max exit velocity of 102.47 mph and a max distance of 376’. Defensively he has athletic actions and a strong arm that is accurate with carry; topping out at 87 mph. 

+ INF Jeremiah Cangelosi (Triton JC)
6-foot-3, 195-pound, athletically-built, middle infielder. Easy repeatable, polished right-handed swing with natural lift. Gap to gap approach with feel for the barrel, strength is to his pull side of the diamond. Ball has a tendency to jump off the barrel; max exit velocity of 96 mph and 366’ max distance. Defensively, confident infield defender with soft confident hands. Light on his feet, lateral movements are quick and efficient. Cangelosi throws from a natural high ¾ slot and his ball has carry while topping out at 85 mph.  

+ INF Petey Kiefer (Blackhawk JC)
6-foot, 180-pound, athletically-built right-handed hitter took a polished round of BP. Gap to gap approach and consistently barreled baseballs with a loose, easy swing; minimal effort to generate bat speed and a top exit velocity of 91 mph.  

+ INF Jancarlos Colon (Highland CC)
6-foot, 153-pound, athletic infielder; advanced runner, recorded a 6.66 laser-timed 60. Right-handed hitter. Relaxed, confident presence in the box with fluid rhythm and stays on balance throughout. Loose, athletic hands, present quick-twitch and bat stays through the zone a long time with up-the-middle/pull-side tendencies. Defensively, has advanced feel for the infield. Moves with rhythm and flair; feet and hands are lightning quick at times. 

Jancarlos Colon

+ INF Keniel Carrion (Olive Harvey JC)
6-foot, 160-pound, high-waisted, right-handed hitting infielder, started the day off by running a 6.80 laser timed 60. Defensively he has confident/athletic actions with a strong arm that played with carry, topping at 85 mph across the diamond. Offensively; he uses a leg kick for timing and has a short quick swing with strength is to the pull side with a top exit velocity of 98 mph.

+ INF Donavan Noble (South Suburban JC) 
5-foot-10, 180-pound, right-handed hitting infielder has gained notable strength to his frame since high school. Defensively, rhythm and feel for the infield; active feet and athletic infield actions, hands are soft with a quick, clean exchange. Offensively; he profiles as a top of the order hitter while also running a 6.82 laser timed 60. Tall, open setup, relaxed and simple overall swing. Looks to control the barrel, line-drive approach while using the big part of the diamond. 

+ INF Sebastian Parchomenko (Oakton)
6-foot-1, 184-pound, well-proportioned, strong right-handed hitting infielder. Offensively, flashed above-average bat speed with a repeatable swing that is strong at contact with a line-drive and gap-to-gap approach. Barreled several baseballs during his round of batting practice and had a top exit velocity of 95 mph with an average of 87.7 mph.

+ INF Joey Fitzgerald (Harper JC)
6-foot, 190-pound, compact, muscle-bound, left-handed hitting infielder. Uses his strength and athleticism to swing an  impactful bat. Impressive round of BP as he consistently lined balls to all fields. Short/quick and direct to contact with a gap-to-gap approach and top exit velocity of 95 mph. Defensively he has a strong arm and quick actions, feet play fast.

+ INF Thomas Schroeder IV  (Morton JC)
5-foot-11, 180-pound, athletically built infielder ran a 6.67 laser-timed 60 yard dash to start off his day. On the infield, his speed plays as he showed active, quick feet and moves effortlessly. Fundamentally sound, gets around the baseball and plays through with a strong and accurate arm, topping at 87 mph. Offensively, Schroeder has sneaky bat speed and a max exit velocity of 88 mph. Starts tall in the box and uses a slightly uphill bat path to hit line drives to all areas of the field.

+ INF Valentin Cerna (College of Lake County)
5-foot-7, 180-pound, compact left-handed hitting infielder ran a 6.65 laser-timed 60. Offensively; smooth load and pre-pitch actions with minimal wasted movement throughout his swing. Drops the barrel-head into and through the zone; ball jumps off the barrel, pull-side tendencies and max exit velocity of 95 mph during BP. Defensively, profiles as middle infielder with quick feet and the ability to cover ground with minimal effort. Arm topped at 84 mph across the infield.

+ INF Derik Diaz (Olive-Harvey JC)
5-foot-11, 185-pound, strong, compact right-handed hitting infielder. Defensively, slick, sure-handed infielder, plays low to the ground and plays through the baseball. Offensively; easy/polished swing, maintains balance throughout and hands work direct and inside the baseball. Barreled up a number of balls throughout his round with a whole field approach.

CATCHERS:

+ C Ben Peltz (McHenry JC)
 Defensively Ben has a strong, loose arm. His release is quick and short with an over the top slot. His top pop time was 2.00 and recorded a top velocity of 78 mph. Offensively he has a loose, level swing and uses a gap to gap approach with a top exit velo of 96 mph.

+ C Garrett Latoz (Kankakee JC)
Defensively, Garrett has soft hands and a quick exchange. He has a high ¾ release with a strong arm, throws were strong and on the bag. His top pop was 2.03 with a top 77mph velo.  Offensively, he has a loose swing that is slightly uphill, he uses a gap-to-gap approach with strength to the pull side and a top exit velo of 97 mph. 

+ C Ethan Toone (Bryant & Stratton JC)
The athletically gifted Toone ran a 6.88 laser time 60 to start off his day. Toone also showcased an above average arm and quick transfer with a 2.00 pop (T84 mph). Offensively, he has a twitchy/quick swing that is loose and slightly uphill, gap-to-gap line-drive approach and registered a top exit velocity of 106 mph.

+ C Noah Jouras (Triton JC)
Jouras showed elite athleticism and strength on the day, starting off by running a 6.53 laser-timed 60 yard dash. Defensively, he showcased elite catching ability by registering a 1.93 pop and 77mph velocity. Offensively, he has a simple and repeatable swing that is rotational, uses a barrel tip for rhythm and is very handsy throughout the swing. He has a pull approach and registered a top exit velo of 96 mph.

 

***CLICK HERE FOR THE EVENT ROSTER AND STATS***


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