On Saturday, February 18th, the PBR Missouri staff traveled to Fenton, MO, to host the Pirates Scout Day with the St. Louis Pirates organization. Roughly 30 players representing the 2023-to-2026 grad classes from both Illinois and Missouri participated in a pro-style workout, collecting up-to-date statistics and advanced data with the help of our unrivaled tech partners.

To see the players that attended this event, click HERE. For all of the statistics collected from the day’s workout, click HERE.

Today, after compiling our notes and digesting the day as a whole, we’ve put together these ‘Quick Hits’ to shine some light on some of the day’s top performers. Below you’ll learn more about which players stood out to our staff from Saturday’s event.

QUICK HITS

+ Perhaps the day’s biggest winner was INF/RHP CJ Lake (Oakville, 2026), who emerged as a name-to-know prospect with loud tools attached to a 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame in the state’s freshman class. Lake squared up several baseballs with authority in BP from a twitchy right-handed swing, reaching a 99.1 mph max exit velocity while averaging 90.3 mph per batted ball. His furthest ball traveled 339 feet, the fourth furthest number of the entire event. After standing out with the bat, Lake hopped on the mound and ran his fastball up to 86.7 mph, the day’s firmest bullet, while holding 84-86 mph throughout. Lake also spun a high-60s slider with heavy horizontal action (15.8 inches) and created natural run on his changeup (21.3 inches) at 70-72 mph as well. Set to start his high school career shortly, Lake’s raw talent and future upside left a positive mark on our staff.

+ A member of Team Missouri at the PBR Future Games last summer, INF Eric Williams (Fort Zumwalt East, 2024) continues to prove he’s one of the top right-handed bats in the St. Louis’ area. Williams, who’s a muscular 5-foot-9, 187-pound with plenty of inherent physicality, led the event in average exit velocity (94.7 mph) and nearly finished towards the top with his peak (97.4 mph) too. He generates easy bat speed and repeats consistently, whipping his barrel through the zone for hard contact on repeat. Williams slashed .404/.516/.626 for a Fort Zumwalt East team that made it to the 5A state playoffs last spring, and he’ll look to help his team repeat with an equally impressive season in 2023.

+ At 6-foot-3, 180-pounds with lean, lanky levers, OF Jack Twenhafel (O’Fallon, IL, 2024) is another uncommitted junior from Illinois to follow from this event. Twenhafel’s polish at the plate stood out in BP, as he consistently barreled up line drives back up the middle from a short, simple right-handed swing. His hand speed is evident, and his ability to control his long limbs while staying inside the baseball consistently is noteworthy, too. Twenhafel’s firmest barrel checked in at 92.8 mph, a number that should climb as he continues to get stronger and add mass.

+ OF/LHP Bryce Lemp (Collinsville, IL, 2024) was one of this event’s biggest two-way standouts. A strong 5-foot-11, 185-pound left/left athlete, Kemp’s inherent strength helped him generate plenty of bat speed at the plate, and he attacked the right-center gap throughout his round with elevated contact. He launched his furthest barrel 345 feet at 93.5 mph, and his ability to regularly drive the baseball (261 ft. average) stood out amongst his peers. Lemp topped at 87 mph from the outfield and hopped on the mound afterwards, pumping his fastball at 83-85 mph with 18+ inches of vertical break on average. His best secondary pitch in this look was a tight 74-76 mph slider spun at 2200+ RPM, though he also flashed feel for the zone with his curveball and changeup. Lemp’s another piece for a talented Collinsville squad that’s gearing up for a big season in 2023, and he’s an uncommitted junior to follow in southern Illinois.

+ UTL Mason Taylor (O’Fallon, IL, 2024) offers plenty of projection on a 5-foot-9, 145-pound high-waisted frame. The left-handed hitting junior showed balance and polish in BP, working line drives to all fields from a slightly uphill bat path, and he’ll add more thump as his body continues to fill out. Taylor’s actions defensively on the infield are worth highlighting, as he ranged well with athletic feet and soft hands to pair

+ OF Elliot Moore (St. Louis University HS, 2024) pounded the pull-side gap with hard, elevated contact on repeat. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound strong, sturdy uncommitted junior paced this event in average batted distance (272 ft.) and his peak mark (340 ft.) checked in at third overall on our leaderboard. Moore’s bat strength showed in BP too, as he averaged 88.4 mph per barrel, topping at 93.9 mph. His ability to impact the baseball at that level while also consistently elevating it is noteworthy, and it equates to real middle-of-the-order type raw power. Moore completed his workout by topping at 85 mph from the outfield, which finished only two ticks behind the event’s leader.

+ One of the day’s first hitters, C Gavin Bradley (Eureka, 2024) started us off on a high note, squaring balls up off his barrel with authority. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound junior generated some of the day’s fastest bat speed from the right side, and his 96.8 mph max exit velocity was one of this event’s highest marks, averaging 89.1 mph per batted ball. Defensively, Bradley showed arm strength behind the plate, pacing his peers with an 80 mph high from the chute.

+ Two uncommitted juniors to highlight on the mound: RHP Alex Tame (O’Fallon, IL, 2024) and RHP Devin Coulter (Westminster Christian, 2024). Tame’s fastball held 82-84 mph throughout his ‘pen, averaging 19+ inches of vertical carry. His best secondary in this look was a tight breaking ball at 69-70 mph that he landed for strikes with noticeable horizontal movement (16.3 inches) at peak. Coulter spun his fastball at 2300+ RPM on average, and sat at 83-84 mph as well. His changeup averaged 18+ inches of horizontal movement at 75-76 mph, and he spun a slider with slight sweep at 71-73 mph too.

+ A pair of uncommitted position players to note from Saturday’s workout: OF Reid Cisel (St. Dominic, 2024) and C Sean McConachie (Vianney, 2024). Cisel, who we saw earlier this month at the Preseason All-State, is an upside 6-foot, 180-pound athlete with loose, whippy levers that show at the plate. He kept his barrel level through the zone, reaching a peak exit velocity of 93.9 mph. McConachie is more compact in stature with strength throughout, particularly in the lower half. His ability to repeat line drive contact directly up the middle from a short, compact right-handed swing was noteworthy, squaring his hardest ball up at 91.1 mph, per TrackMan.

+ A winner from the St. Louis Open last fall, CIF Cash Bailey (Columbia, IL, 2025) improved his quality of contact metrics from that event, taking arguably the day’s loudest round of BP. Bailey, who’s a strong 5-foot-9, 190-pound sophomore, elevated the furthest batted ball of this event (378 ft.), while both his average (94.5 mph) and peak (98.1 mph) exit velocities finished second amongst all hitters. He effortlessly flicked balls to the pull-side from a short, simple right-handed swing with advanced hand speed to pair. Bailey’s capable of providing a positive impact offensively for a Columbia team that made the IHSA 2A state playoffs last spring.

+ OF John Metzler (Christian Brothers College, 2025) was one of the day’s most physical athletes, standing at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds. Metzler stayed on top of the baseball, working flat through the zone and direct to contact. The ball sounded different coming off his barrel, and his average (90.4 mph) and peak (94.2 mph) exit velocity marks are well above average for someone his age.

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