Unsigned Senior Showcase: Quick Hits
January 14, 2019
The uncommitted prospects of the 2019 class participated in our final Unsigned Senior Showcase of 2019 on Sunday, Jan. 13, at The MAX in McCook, Ill. There were 50 participating prospects at the event performing in front of 25 colleges who made it out to the event. Today marks the start of our event coverage where we take an abbreviated look at the players who captured our attention at first glance on Sunday.
Of the positional groups at the showcase, the catchers represented the smallest in number. There were just a handful of backstops at The MAX but there was no shortage of talent among them. Several members of the group stood out defensively during both their sessions catching bullpens during pitcher/catcher evaluations, as well as their catch-and-throw reps later on in the day. New Trier’s Donald Stricklin, for example, proved to be one of more advanced backstops at the event.
Elsewhere at the event, there were a few stand-out players with two-way potential, including a prospect we spotlighted last week: Grant Baker (South Elgin).
Keep on reading below to learn a few of the other items that stood out to our staff on Sunday, including two infielders with arguably the highest ceilings on the roster. Tomorrow, Tuesday, we’ll break down and share with you a Statistical Analysis from the event based on all of the measured data we gathered on Sunday.
CATCHERS
+ Catcher Nathan Sanchez (Lake View) was the only left-handed bat amongst receivers, and handled it well. It's a simple swing that favors the opposite field with line drive contact and showed to be one of the more confident receivers of the day. Sanchez showed soft hands and strong ability to block the baseball, along with a strong arm (75 mph).
+ Sterling’s Camden Bailey displayed the strongest arm of the day, a borderline plus tool, his arm carried well and accurate out of the crouch, topping at 79. His wiry 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame compliments his loose easy arm and could turn into a big asset at the next level.
+ Donald Stricklin (New Trier) proved to be one of the more polished backstops of the event. His all-around defensive game stood out as he handled pitchers well, showed an accurate arm and worked quick and consistent out of the chute, while posting the best pop time of the event.
TWO-WAY FOLLOWS
+ Logan Ryan (Glenbard West) showed two way abilities as an RHP/INF. His future may have projected best on the mound but still athleticism and actions on the infield. As an arm, Ryan works from a low ¾ slot and sat 85-86 mph with feel and run to his arm side. His breaking ball plays like a slider with sweep action and played as hard as 76 mph out of the windup.
+ 6-foot-2, 195-pound, Jackson Nance (Yorkville) is a projectable, athletically-built, two-way prospect who showed well on the mound and as an outfielder. Nance ran a 7.28, was 85 from the outfield and registered a 91 mph exit velocity. On the mound, he ran his fastball up to 82 mph with downhill tilt.
+ OF/RHP Grant Baker (South Elgin) was yet another prospect who showed potential two-way abilities. Baker has a smooth left-handed swing with natural lift and a feel for the barrel. On the mound, the right-hander topped at 82 and showed feel for a three-pitch mix, including a curveball thrown with conviction.
INFIELDERS
+ Zachary Vrbancic showed as one of the better infielders of the day. Vrbancic started for Stagg as a junior and proved he can make plenty of hard contact to his pull side. His arm played well at 83 mph, and can likely stick on the left side of the infield with above average hands and actions.
+ Peter Turelli ended the day as arguably the highest ceiling prospect. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder out of Lake Forest has a highly projectable frame and swing a confident left-handed bat that topped out at 94 mph exit velocity from the tee. He’s a smooth and easy defender that will like project at third base at the next level, but has the present skill set to play shortstop this spring. His arm played at 83 mph across the diamond and ran a 7.33.
ARMS
+ RHP Carter Nowak (Prairie Central) showed a well rounded arsenal starting with a sneaky fastball at 80-82 mph, topping at 83 mph and a breaking ball that flashed sharp action at 68-70 mph on a 12/6 plane. His changeup showed the best feel with good sinking action at 72-74 mph.
+ Ethan Peterson (Grayslake Central) has easy pitchability with feel for three pitches. His arm is long and loose and worked with minimal effort, posting an 84-85 mph fastball that appeared heavy at times and the ability to command it. His breaking ball also has feel for the zone, although light on action, dropped for strikes at will. His changeup complimented the fastball well with deceptive arm speed, and feel running 8-10 mph off of his fastball.
OUTFIELDERS
+ Left/left Kyle Labedz (Lincoln-Way Central) is natural in the outfield, played aggressive through the baseball and has a long, loose arm action and throws topped at 83 mph. Offensively, he sprayed line-drives to the opposite field.
+ OF Joseph Selvaggio (Lincoln-Way East) had one of the top exit velocities of the event, 97 mph and also made a lot of hard contact in his round of BP. The wiry-strong, 6-foot-1, 165-pounder was also 84 mph from the outfield and ran a 7.04 laser-timed 60.