On Wednesday, the PBR Illinois team hosted its first ever Joliet Open event at DuPage Medical Group Field, where over 30 prospects representing the 2021-to-2025 high school graduating classes showed off their skills in front of our staff.

Shortly after the event’s conclusion we provided you with some hard-hitting analysis from the day's top performers in our Quick Hits post. We’ll continue our post-event coverage today by diving into several standout performers from a statistical standpoint, including a handful of names we mentioned yesterday.

TOP 60-YARD DASH

Headlining this group is OF/RHP Jake Mackowiak (Lincoln Way Central, 2022), who’s name you’ll find again towards the top of other statistical categories from this event. A two-way propsect, Mackowiak showed well in all aspects of the event. Right behind him was one of the day’s top all-around performers: SS Easton Harris (Washington Community, 2022). We’ve seen him multiple times already and this was his most impressive statistical look as he set personal records in several categories. OF Luke Doty (Metamora Township, 2022) is a wiry athlete with a projectable 6-foot-1, 150-pound frame and loose actions to pair both at the plate and in the field.

MAX EXIT VELOCITY

C Joshua Cunniff (Plainfield Central, 2021) is a physical 6-foot-1, 190-pound backstop with a well-rounded skill-set that’ll play at the next level. Cunniff ran a 6.94 60-yard dash, has a plus arm, and boasted the event’s top exit velocity, showcasing some raw power both off the tee and in batting practice. Cunniff is still looking for a place to call home at the collegiate level and enters the fall as a toolsy uncommitted backstop in the Illinois’ 2021 class.

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY

A name-to-know in the 2023 class is RHP Matt Sauser (Normal University, 2023). A lanky, long-levered 6-foot-2, 157-pound righty, Sauser already has advanced velocity for his age and there’s plenty more left in the tank. He touched 85 mph in his bullpen, but the most impressive thing about his fastball is the spin characteristics it possesses - an average of 2,500 rpm, a number well advanced for an incoming sophomore. His ability to spin a tight breaking ball at 2,600 rpm makes him a high-upside follow on the hill. Unsigned senior RHP Parker Swanson (Prairie Ridge, 2021) is a strong 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander that filled up the zone with his fastball, touching 84 mph and complimented it with two solid off-speed pitches. LHP Conner Hogan (Joliet West, 2023) does’t have eye-popping velocity right now, but his imposing 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame gives him an edge on the mound. His fastball topped at 78 mph, but plays up from the 6-foot-7-inch extension he gets downhill. Hogan is still refining his craft on the bump, but there’s certainly some upside there given the pure physicality he brings to the table.

MAX INFIELD VELOCITY

Harris paced this infield crop by a handful of ticks, improving his throwing velocity by four mph since the last time we saw him. He compliments this premium arm strength with controlled and athletic infield actions that assure he’ll stick up the middle moving forward. The most notable takeaway from this event could end up being SS/OF Ryan Kotara (Lincoln Way Central, 2024), who cemented himself as a high-follow prospect in the incoming freshman class. His arm might end up translating best to the mound in the near future, but it plays across the diamond, registering the second highest infield velocity despite being one of the youngest athletes in attendance.

MAX OUTFIELD VELOCITY

OF Troy Vosburgh (Oswego, 2023) is a wiry 6-foot, 165-pound athlete with intriguing upside on both sides of the ball. He launched a ball 341 feet during batting practice, which was an event high according to our TrackMan unit. Vosburgh translated that wiry strength to the outfield, showing off advanced arm strength for his age, topping at 89 mph on his throws to home. Both Mackowiak and Doty, who we mentioned earlier, found themselves tied for the second highest outfield number, a few ticks below Vosburgh.

MAX CATCHER VELOCITY

Cunniff has one of the strongest arms we’ve seen from a catcher all summer, topping at 83 mph from the crouch on his throws to second base. C Danny Nuccio (Plainfield North, 2021) is another senior backstop that has loud tools and remains uncommitted. He made a lot of hard contact in batting practice and compliments this innate barrel feel with easy bat speed, registering the day’s fastest bat at 72.6 mph, according to Blast Motion. Nuccio’s 6.98 60-yard dash and above-average arm strength complete an impressive athletic profile that is still on the market.

TOP POP TIMES

The arm strength of both Cunniff and Nuccio play up because of their athleticism and quickness to release behind the plate, allowing them to lead this statistical category as well. C/3B Kaleb Wilkey (Lincoln-Way West, 2023) doesn’t have the arm strength of those two, but finishes a few ticks behind them, thanks to a quick release.

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