On Aug. 11, the PBR Illinois team gathered once again at the end of the summer to host this annual uncommitted event, the Senior Games. The summer’s sixth annual uncommitted senior showcase invited select members of the state’s 2021 class to Ozinga Field in Crestwood to participate in a workout and simulated gameplay, and it was streamed digitally in an effort to showcase these players to a larger audience.

In the days following this event, our team produced immediate analysis inside of our Quick Hits post, and published insight gathered by TrackMan and Blast Motion technologies inside of this Statistical Analysis. Starting today, we’re publishing position-by-position scouting reports on each of the players in attendance, beginning with the catchers.

One of the day’s biggest winners overall, regardless of position, proved to be Hunter Ryan (Minooka), who’s since committed to Wabash Valley JC. His noteworthy athleticism works especially well behind the plate, where he produced some of the day’s lowest pop times, aided by his big arm strength. Ryan was also responsible for one of the showcase’s best rounds of batting practice, making consistently aggressive contact from the right-handed batter’s box.

This was arguably the most well-rounded positional group of the event, as the now-committed Sebastian Cabeza (Kaneland; Black Hawk JC) also showed especially well here. He has a fast, strong righty bat that barreled loud contact to all fields, and he was efficient and quick out of the chute.

Check out the rest of these reports, as there are still a number of interesting, uncommitted talents among them.

TOP CATCHER PROSPECTS

1. Hunter Ryan, Minooka (IL), 2021; Wabash Valley JC commit
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-9, 170-pounds. Proportionally strong, athletic frame.
Hit: RHH. Quiet in the box, balanced setup, wide base, hands slot into a strong hitting position, minimal load.  Strong athletic hands with some bat speed, long and level bat path, elevates through contact, pull-side approach. Loud on the barrel; average exit speed of 87.2 mph in BP, per TrackMan. 
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee. Showed easy pull-side power; max exit speed of 94.5 mph with a max fly ball distance of 340 feet.
Arm: RH. C - 82 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot. Advanced arm strength for age, throws play true to the bag with accuracy.
Defense: 1.97-2.04 pop times. Loose comfortable setup, agile hips, nimble on his feet, soft hands, clean hand transfer, advanced catch-and-throw skills.
Run: 6.91 runner in the 60. 

2. Daniel Contreras, Boylan Catholic (IL), 2021; Iowa Western JC commit
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-11, 195-pounds. Stout, physical frame; strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, hands start high, quick bat waggle at load, short stride to even.  Quick hands with strength; maxed at 77 mph of bat speed per Blast Motion. Short and uphill bat path, gap-to-gap approach, loose pull-side power. Consistently hits everything hard on the barrel; average exit speed of 91.4 mph in BP according to TrackMan.
Power: 93 mph exit velocity from the tee. Max exit speed of 96.4 mph in BP, per TrackMan, with a max exit speed of 366 feet. Clear power potential, middle-of-the-order thumper profile.
Arm: RH. C - 77 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.04-2.11 pop times. Athletic base with balance, feet work on a line to target, clean hand transfer with a quick exchange. Adept blocker, strong target behind the dish.
Run: 7.43 runner in the 60. 

3. Sebastian Cabeza, Kaneland (IL), 2021; Black Hawk JC commit
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 195-pounds. Athletic, broad-shouldered build.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, narrow base, slight pre-pitch hand movement, short stride to even, controlled balance through contact. Strong hands with bat speed, short and uphill path, natural lift to his pull-side, knack for the barrel. Smooth rhythm through contact.
Power: 94 mph exit velocity from the tee. Flashed barrel feel to the pull-side. Max exit speed of 91.5 mph with a max distance of 331 feet in BP, per TrackMan.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Arm travels on a short path, comes out of an over-the-top slot. Quick arm, some accuracy on throws to the bag.
Defense: 1.97-2.08 pop times. Quiet setup, athletic out of the chute, feet gain ground towards the bag. Receives around the baseball, quick hand transfer, clean to release.
Run: 7.16 runner in the 60. 

4. Noah Jouras, Lyons Township (IL), 2021; Triton JC commit
Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-0, 190-pounds. Athletic frame, sturdy lower half.
Hit: RHH. Quiet in the box, tall setup, smooth bat tip at load, short stride. Strong wrists, short and simple stroke, bat travels on an uphill plane, pull-side approach.
Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee. Average exit speed of 86.1 mph in BP with a max exit speed of 91.2 mph, per TrackMan.
Arm: RH. C - 78 mph. Short, quick arm action works from a high 3/4 slot. Accurate throws around the bag.
Defense: 1.96-2.04 pop times. Staggered base, feet shuffle in line with the bag, clean exchange, plays through the baseball.
Run: Did not run at this event.

5. Aaron Barrera, Lakeview (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 188-pounds. Athletic, well-proportioned frame. Strong lower half; looks the part.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, open base, bat rests over back shoulder, smooth load, leg lift trigger.  Strong hands with some bat speed, level bat path, middle-in approach, steady line drive contact.
Power: 90 mph exit velocity from the tee. Flashed some pull-side pop; max exit speed of 90.4 mph and max distance of 339 feet in BP, per TrackMan.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Short and loose arm action, high 3/4 slot. Above-average arm speed for age.
Defense: 2.08-2.14 pop times. Advanced actions behind the plate. Flexible hips, quick out the crouch, athletic feet that work direct to target, smooth hand transfer leads to a quick release.
Run: 7.46 runner in the 60.

BEST OF THE REST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY)

Lucas Bolender, St. Charles North (IL), 2021 Concordia University (WI)
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-11, 188-pounds. Strong, compact frame.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, smooth bat tip load, short stride.  Quick hands, long and level bat path with an elevated attack angle at times, middle-in approach. Present raw bat strength and juice; max exit speed of 93.2 mph with a max distance traveled of 330 feet in BP, per TrackMan.
Power: 90 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 73 mph. Short arm path comes out of a high 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.12-2.22 pop times. Balanced base, sits into hips, feet shuffle in line to the bag, quick hand transfer to release. 
Run: 7.82 runner in the 60. 

Owen Burns, Morris Community (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-8, 140-pounds. Slender frame, room to add strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Crouched setup with an open stance, slight weight shift onto back leg pre-pitch, bat starts over back shoulder, smooth load with a short stride.  Level bat path, line drive approach, pull-side tendency.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Short arm circle comes out of an over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.14-2.28 pop times. Upright stance, feet gain ground in line with the bag, steady hand transfer, clean to release.
Run: 7.68 runner in the 60. 

Brian Daker, Hinsdale Central (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 170-pounds. Wiry, athletic frame.
Hit: RHH. Quiet in the box, hands load into a strong hitting position, strong hip/shoulder separation at footstrike, short stride.  Long and uphill bat path, contact-oriented approach, sprays line drives to all fields, controls the barrel well.
Power: 81 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 75 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.10-2.14 pop times. Wide stance, loose hips, feet gain ground toward the bag, quick transfer, clean to release.
Run: 7.38 runner in the 60. 

Luke Lawrence, Brother Rice (IL), 2021; Webster University commit
Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-0, 180-pounds. Wiry frame that projects; room to add strength.
Hit: LHH. Balanced setup, rhythmic pre-pitch movement throughout, smooth load, tempoed leg kick trigger.  Long and uphill bat path, creates extension through contact, pull-side approach, hits out front at times.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 75 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot. Some accuracy on throws to second base.
Defense: 2.19-2.26 pop times. Upright stance, feet shuffle in line to the bag, smooth hand transfer, fluid to release.
Run: 7.1 runner in the 60. 

Jack Ryan, Ridgewood (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-9, 170-pounds. Compact frame with quick-twitch.
Hit: LHH. Balanced setup, hands start straight back as bat wraps around head, minimal load, leg kick trigger.  Long and uphill bat path, natural lift through contact, pull-side approach with some juice.
Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 77 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.01-2.08 pop times. Athletic behind the plate, works quick out of the chute, feet gain ground towards the bag, clean hand transfer to release.
Run: 7.35 runner in the 60. 

Jake Rybka, Providence Catholic (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-0, 210-pounds. Strong, well-proportioned makeup.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, rhythmic pre-pitch hand movement, smooth load, short stride to even. Loose hands, short and level bat path, line drive approach, pull-side tendency.
Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot. Precise throws to the bag.
Defense: 2.07-2.15 pop times. Balanced setup, moves well behind the plate, feet shuffle in line to the bag quickly, clean transfer, quick to release.
Run: 7.87 runner in the 60. 

Marco Torres, St. Charles North (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-9, 175-pounds. Twitchy, athletic build.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, rhythmic pre-pitch hand movement, quick leg kick trigger.  Athletic hands with noticeable twitch; max bat speed of 85.80 mph and an average bat speed of 75.72 mph, per Blast Motion. Short bat path, steady line drive approach, favors pull-side. Feel for the barrel, consistently makes hard contact; average exit speed of 89.2 mph in BP, per TrackMan.
Power: 89 mph exit velocity from the tee. Sneaky juice comes from twitch in hands. Max exit speed of 94.7 mph with a max fly ball distance of 325 feet during batting practice, per TrackMan.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Short arm action comes out of a tight high 3/4 window.
Defense: 2.03-2.16 pop times. Athletic setup, staggered base, comes out quick from the chute, secure exchange, plays through the baseball.
Run: 7.23 runner in the 60.

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