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PBR IL: Morton JC Scout Day: Takeaways

October 17, 2022
By: Peter Hamot
Area Scout, Staff Writer

On Oct. 13, PBR Illinois hosted the Morton JC Scout Day at Goss Field in Cicero, Ill Despite some unfavorable weather conditions, a number of the Panthers still showed very well for themselves. 

Coming off a 32-win season, the Panthers are looking to piece together another quality year, and a number of the players that will help do so can be found below. 

Position Players  

+ Alex Brodie, C, Plainfield North (IL), 2021
Sophomore. One of the top returners for the Panthers this season, Brodie put up some impressive numbers last year that earned him All-Conference and All-Region recognition; turning in a .382 batting average with a .566 slugging percentage, five home runs, three triples, 11 doubles, 51 RBIs and 40 runs scored. The right-handed hitter has a simple and fluid stroke at the plate; staying level through the zone and looking to put the ball on a line to the whole field (98.5 max EV; 55% line-drives). 6.95 runner in the 60-yard dash. 

+ Quinton Schwartz, OF, Jacobs (IL), 2021
Sophomore. Listed at 6-foot-1, 195-pounds with an athletic build. The right-handed hitter put multiple balls over the wall during BP, reaching up to 93.7 mph for his max exit velocity (89.4 mph avg EV) and producing an average hand-speed of 22.9 mph. Athletic defender in the outfield, reaching up to 79 mph from a crow-hop.  

+ Brian Donlea, UTIL, Barrington (IL), 2021
Sophomore. Listed at a physical 6-foot-1, 215-pounds. Donlea took his reps all around the field and showed above-average arm strength from each position; reaching up to 90 mph from the outfield, 88 mph from the infield and 76 mph from behind the plate (2.02 pop-time). At the plate, Donlea has a strong right-handed swing; reaching up to 99.7 mph for his max exit velocity (91.6 mph avg EV) with a max distance of 347’.  

+ Ryan Jenkins, OF, Barrington (IL), 2021
Listed at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds with an athletic build and room to fill out. The left-handed hitter took an impressive round of BP; working with a short path to the ball and quick hands, using the whole field and reaching up to 99.8 mph for his max exit velocity (350’ max distance).  

+ Michael Wanhala, OF, Huntley (IL), 2022
Freshman. Built athletically at 5-foot-9, 180-pounds. The right-handed hitter has a simple/repeatable swing, moving with a minimal hand load into an efficient path to the ball (76.8 avg according to Blast), also reaching up to 95.1 for his max exit velocity. Defensively, his actions are steady, reaching up to 81 mph from a crow hop. 7.10 runner in the 60.  

+ Luke Ulbert, OF, Hersey (IL), 2021
Sophomore. Listed at 6-foot-1, 210-pounds with a strong build. The right-handed hitter led the Panthers in home runs last year, leaving the yard six times over the course of the season. His round of BP took off on a similar trajectory, launching balls over the fence multiple times with a max exit velocity of 92.6 mph and 356’ max distance. Defensively, his actions are sound and he reached up to 82 mph from a crow hop. 7.20 runner in the 60.  

+ Some of the easiest pop on the day came from right-handed hitter and infielder Alex Brito (Dominican Republic). The Freshman left the yard multiple times with effortless power to all fields, reaching up to 94.5 mph for his max exit velocity. His Blast Motion numbers were above-average as well; with his max hand speed reaching up to 25.1 and his average bat-speed sitting right at 75.2 mph.  

Two-Ways 

+ Nick Tampa, OF/LHP, Dundee Crown (IL), 2021
Sophomore. Listed at 6-foot, 180-pounds. Tampa is a top returner for the Panthers this season after turning in a .341 batting average in 135 at-bats last season with three home runs, one triple, 11 doubles, 30 RBIs and 22 runs scored. His left-handed stroke is fluid and looks to lift the baseball to his pull-side and middle of the field, reaching up to 95.3 mph for his max exit velocity with a max distance of 355’. He’s an athletic defender in the outfield, moving with steady hands and active footwork through the ball, reaching up to 83 mph from a crow-hop. On the mound, Tampa ran his fastball up to 82 mph with a max IVB of 26.9, sitting mostly 79-81 mph throughout his ‘pen and landing the fastball for strikes. He showed feel for both his off-speed offerings; going to a tight 2/8 slider at 70-72 mph and heavy fading changeup, 71-74 mph (T-23.3 HM; T22.3 IVB).

+ Trent Lawrence, INF/RHP, York (IL), 2021
Sophomore. Listed at a strong-bodied 6-foot-4, 220-pounds. The right-handed hitter moves with a quiet load into a medium stride before transitioning into a flat path with extension through contact (98.5 mph max exit velocity; 366’ max distance). He also put up above-average Blast numbers; with an average bat-speed of 75.2 mph, average hand-speed of 22.6 and average on-plane efficiency of 82.9. He’s an above-average runner for his size, cruising to a 7.02 in the 60-yard dash. On the mound, the right-hander topped his fastball out at 82.8 mph, sitting mostly 80-82 mph throughout his ‘pen with life through the zone and a max IVB of 26.7. He also featured a gradual 11/5 curveball at 66-67 mph and straight changeup at 73-75 mph, developing feel for both offerings.  

Pitchers 

+ Ludovic Messier, RHP, Cole Secondaire de Mortagne (QC), 2020
Sophomore. Listed at 6-foot, 200-pounds, strong lower-half with round shoulders. The right-hander showed the ability to repeat his delivery and clean high ¾ slot consistently. He worked his fastball up to 86 mph, sitting 84-85 mph with a max IVB of 21 (T2422 RPM). His cutter paired effectively with his fastball, coming in at 80-83 mph with short horizontal action and a max IVB of 18.1 (T2436 RPM). His curveball was another quality offering, playing off fastballs at the top of the zone and finishing with 11/5 depth, 68-72 mph (T2590 RPM). His final offering was a changeup that sat right around 78 mph, fading heavily to the arm-side with up to 16” of run.  

+ Jeremy Fox, RHP, Riverside-Brookfield (IL), 2021
Listed at 5-foot-9, 165-pounds with an athletic build. Fox is a fluid mover down the mound with a loose/whippy arm and low 3/4 slot. He displayed two fastballs throughout his ‘pen, a four-seam with ride (T85 mph; T18.4 IVB) and a sinker that sat around 85-86 mph with up to 22” of horizontal movement. Both his breaking balls play with above-average sweeping action, with the slider coming in at 69-70 mph (-29.8 max HM) and his curveball coming in at 66-70 mph (T-29.5 max HM. His final offering was a changeup at 69-70 mph, thrown for strikes and reaching up to 28.6” of horizontal run.  

+ Nick Humbracht, RHP, Illinois Valley Central (IL), 2022
Freshman. The right-hander worked his fastball up to 83 mph with a max spin rate of 2,353 RPM and max IVB of 18.8. His slider also spun at an above-average rate, reaching over 2,500 RPM with over 18” of sweep at times, 72-75 mph with feel for the zone. His next offering was a cutter that sat right around 78 mph, playing with short 10/4 action (T2371 RPM). His last offering was changeup at 78-79 mph, reaching up to 12” of run at times.  

+ Marc Black, RHP, Springfield (IL), 2021
Listed at 5-foot-11, 159-pounds with a wiry and projectable frame. The right-hander has a high-spinning fastball, averaging over 2,400 RPM and sitting 83-84 mph (T27.7 IVB). His changeup sat 69-74 mph, fading over 15” to his arm-side with a max IVB of 21.9. His final offering was a splitter at 68-71 mph, killing spin and fading to the bottom of the zone with some feel.

+ Tyler Kott, RHP, Williams Field (AZ), 2019
Redshirt-sophomore. Kott is an athletic and efficient mover down the mound, moving with a controlled tempo into a coiled leg-lift before moving quickly down the mound with his stride. His fastball sat 78-80 mph, playing with life through the zone and a max IVB of 22.5. His curveball played effectively off fastballs at the top of the zone, 68-69 mph with sharp 11/5 action (T2672 RPM). His final offering was a fading changeup at 74-76 mph, reaching up to 15” of horizontal movement.  

+ Osvaldo Peinado, RHP, Morton West (IL), 2020
Sophomore. The right-hander showed a knack for spinning the baseball throughout his bullpen, starting with his fastball which reached up to 81 mph and over 2,300 RPM. Both his breaking balls spun over 2,300 RPM as well, with the curveball playing with tight 11/5 action at 71-72 mph and the slider playing with more 10/4 shape, 72-73 mph. His final offering was a changeup that came in at 77-78 mph, fading slightly to his arm-side and reaching a max IVB of 20.7.  

+ Hunter McCaw, RHP, Peoria Heights (IL), 2022
Freshman. Listed at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds. The right-hander displayed one of the best breaking balls on the entire day, averaging over 2,600 RPM and reaching up to 2,721 RPM, 69-73 mph. His fastball cruised at 79-80 mph, running slightly to his arm-side with a max IVB of 19.6. His final offering was a changeup at 72-75 mph, fading heavily to his arm-side at times with up to 19” of run.

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