Preseason All-State: TrackMan Files

There were 12 pitchers who reached a max fastball velocity of at least 90 mph, five of at least 91. We touched on each of those arms in Monday’s Quick Hits story, but it’s worth noting those among them that were also able to impress our TrackMan unit on a more granular level.

• RHP/INF Owen Murphy (Riverside-Brookfield; Notre Dame commit) produces excellent spin and carry on his 90-92 mph fastball. Spinning at an average rate of 2,337 rpm, his fastball also carries through the zone at 18.7 inches of induced vertical break on average, suggesting it’s capable of missing bats on its own. These metrics, when coupled with Murphy’s premium athleticism, strike-throwing capabilities, and low-effort arm strength, underscore his status as one of the top players in the Midwest’s 2022 class.

• RHP Alex Alberico’s (Providence Catholic; uncommitted) fastball is similarly impressive on its own. It hit 91 mph a couple times on Sunday with even greater spin, averaging 2,371 rpm, and over 20 inches of induced vertical break on average.

• RHP Braden Thelander (Prairie Ridge; uncommitted) can really spin it, and on more than just the fastball you see above. His fastball averaged the highest spin rate of any arm in attendance (2,415 rpm) while also featuring big carry. So while he wasn’t on the velo leaderboard, his high spin allows his mid-80s fastball to play up substantially.

• RHP Matthew Cuzco (St. Ignatius; uncommitted) has a really heavy run/sink fastball that averaged the most horizontal action of any other pitcher at 17.6 inches, and a 21.6 max (also the most). He has a loose arm from a ¾ slot attached to a sturdy 6-foot-3, 215-pound build, and his splitter is a complementary secondary that should make for plenty of groundball outs at the next level.

• The Oklahoma-committed southpaw Julien Hachem (Mount Carmel) has an imposing, workhorse 6-foot-8, 230-pound stature, and he sat 88-89 mph in his ‘pen at 2,369 rpm on average, with large horizontal action measured at -16.1 inches on average.

• RHP Wes Hunt (Peoria Christian; uncommitted) is another tall, long-levered pitcher who utilizes a heavy-type fastball with arm-side run, at 14.5 inches on average. His loose arm creates a fastball that jumps with low spin that appears as if it’ll entice batters to ground into outs.

• RHP Adam Guazzo (Huntley; uncommitted) can really spin a breaking ball, both a slider and curve. The slider features tighter spin, at 2,618 rpm on average, that works off a more horizontal plane. He has a quality feel mix, also up to 89 mph on Saturday, and has been one of the winter winners these past couple months.

• RHP/INF Casey Hintz (St. Viator; uncommitted) is a lanky, athletic 5-foot-11 who reached 90 mph a couple times, and also demonstrated the feel to spin a slider that flashed biting action and depth at a 2,507 rpm average.

• RHP/INF Luka Radicevich (Joliet Catholic; uncommitted) is a quick-armed athlete with an aptitude to spin a breaking ball. His short action slider has swing-and-miss potential, spinning at an average of 2,471 rpm. Radicevich was another one of the day’s uncommitted juniors to reach the 90 mph mark.

• RHP Larnce White (Kenwood; uncommitted) is a sturdy/strong 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, with upside. He sat 82-84 mph, touching 85, with a downhill fastball complemented by a sharp, downer 12/6 slider that averaged 2,391 rpm.

• RHP Sebastian Gutierrez (Nazareth Academy; uncommitted) threw a quality, complete ‘pen on Saturday, sitting 87-88 mph for strikes while spinning a swing-and-miss breaking ball that averaged the highest spin of the day, at 2,604 rpm.

• RHP/C Matthew Tarr (West Aurora; uncommitted) was one of the day’s statistical winners, as we’ll continue to see throughout the week’s post-event coverage. While up to 91 mph, Tarr can also spin a sharp, biting curveball that he landed consistently under the zone.

• RHP C.J. Byrdak (Lockport; uncommitted) sat at a highly effective 83-85 mph with the feel to snap off sharp, high-spin curveballs where he wants – and conversely, he can also stifle the spin on a feel knuckleball that dances its way to the plate.

• C Will Plattner (Glenwood; uncommitted) is a strong 6-foot, 195-pound right-handed hitter who averaged the highest exit speed of any other batter in attendance by a couple of ticks, at 96.7 mph. He repeated line-drive contact up the middle of the field well, and reached a 100.3 max – one of only four batters to reach that triple-digit threshold.

• Tarr’s physicality is not limited to the mound, as he recorded the hardest throws from the crouch (84 mph) while also slugging some of the day’s hardest and farthest hit balls.

• Like Tarr, OF/RHP Evan Jones (Normal University; uncommitted) is another big statistical winner from Saturday. His physical 6-foot-3, 185-pound stature supplies premium bat and arm strength, and he averaged one of the top exit speeds at this event.

• C Kyle Odeshoo (Prospect; uncommitted) repeats a loose right-handed bat well that flashed some pull-side pop while using the whole field well, averaging some of the hardest-hit contact of any batter.

• OF Brendan Summerhill (Whitney Young; Kentucky) generated arguably the most quality left-handed contact of the day, averaging an exit speed of 91.5 mph with a 98.5 max. He gets to that bat strength with ease, too.

• OF Luke Adams (Hinsdale Central; Michigan State) is another highly physical right-handed hitter with surprising athleticism, which turned him into a statistical stand-out on Saturday. He averaged an exit speed of nearly 91 mph and hit the day’s single hardest ball (101.1) – and this was after running a 6.66 and before reaching a 93 mph max throw to home.

• OF Lucas Pajeau (Lockport; uncommitted) was one of this event’s biggest winners, as referenced in Monday’s Quick Hits. He averaged an exit speed over 90 mph, with a 99.8 max, and he crushed the farthest ball of the day, one that travelled an estimated 376 feet. He’ll be heavily featured throughout the rest of the week, too.

• C Ivan Dahlberg (Minooka; uncommitted) uses the whole field well from the right-handed batter’s box, and he recorded one of the day’s hardest and farthest hit balls, at 97.7 mph and 374 feet.

• INF Logan Wagner (Homeschool; Louisville) made the most of his first-ever PBR event, showcasing a repeat switch-hit bat from both boxes that generates a real impactful batted-ball profile. His hardest-hit ball left the bat at 100.0 mph, and was measured at a max distance of 369 feet, estimated.