On Wednesday, September 25th, the Prep Baseball Illinois Staff hosted the Chicagoland Fall ID at Ozinga Field in Crestwood, IL. This event, though smaller in number, was very talented and gave our staff a good look at some prospects in the area. 

Today, we will be highlighting some of the standouts from the event, followed by scouting reports on every player that was in attendance and some of the data we collected thanks to our tech partners. 

A couple uncommitted seniors to know from the day are 1B Danny Mackey III (Lincoln-Way East) and OF Monroe Evans (Morgan Park).

Mackey is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound right-handed hitting first baseman with his best days still ahead of him. He has a loose, easy swing that can lift the ball with ease to his pull-side, staying balanced throughout his operation and through impact. Throughout his round of BP, he reached up to 90.1 mph for his max EV while also reaching up to 344’ for his max distance. Steady defender at first, soft hands with confident actions. 

Evans put up some highly intriguing metrics throughout his round of BP, and he’s a twitchy prospect to know moving forward. The right-handed hitter’s BLAST metrics were off the charts for his age, averaging 24.6 mph for his hand-speed, 82.2 mph for his bat-speed and 28.4 Gs for his rotational acceleration. He took intentful swings throughout his round of BP while looking to elevate mostly to his pull-side, was on the barrel with loud contact throughout, reaching up to 98.2 mph for his max EV with an average of 90 mph, also maxing out at 377’ for his distance. He’s a clean mover in the outfield with steady actions, topping out at 84 mph from a crow hop. Corner outfield profile, 7.37 runner. 

SS Brady Holland (Mount Carmel, 2026) looked to be one of the top prospects in attendance. Listed at 5-foot-11, 162-pounds, Holland is an above-average defender on the dirt with athletic actions and soft hands, boasting a clean glove with feel for the position (T84 mph INF). The right-handed hitter has a quick, direct swing that works to stay on top of the baseball, compact operation that stays balanced throughout, uses the whole field and showed the ability to drive the ball to the opposite field gap. 7.09 runner in the 60. 

INF Howie Porath (Minooka, 2027) is a young left-handed hitter that stood out with a polished round of BP. Listed at 5-foot-10, 171-pounds, he has a proportionate and athletic frame that should continue to trend upwards in the coming years. He has an easy, simple swing that works on top of the baseball, uses the whole field with ease and can also lift to his pull-side, maxing out at 92.5 mph for his max EV. 

INF Matthew Saliers (Lane Tech, 2027) was another sophomore that showed well from the day. The right-handed hitter displayed a flat path through the zone with some bat-speed, driving the ball the other way and taking pitches on the inner-half to his pull-side, covering the plate with ease. He was on the barrel with authority throughout his round, topping out at 94.6 mph for his EV. Steady defender on the infield with a one-hand gather, confident in his hands, plays with some rhythm. 

TOP PROSPECTS (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY)

Monroe Evans, Morgan Park (IL), 2025
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 190-pounds. Athletic, strong frame, well-proportioned.
Hit: RHH. Balanced slightly crouched setup, active hands pre-pitch, strong lower-half. Creates clear bat-speed, intentful swings, looks to elevate pull-side, on the barrel with authority to the whole field, loud round. 82.2 mph bat speed with 28 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 98 max exit velocity, averaged 90 mph. 377’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 84 mph. Loose, strong, high 3/4 slot. Accurate.
Defense: Clean mover, fields off front foot, clean transfers.
Run: 7.37 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Stretch only, medium balance point, slightly up-tempo, drop/drive lower-half, stride works in-line, closed toe landing.
Arm Action: RH. Long draw out of the glove, over the top slot.
FB: T81, 78-80 mph. Clean out of the hand, plays with sink and arm-side run. T2150, 1961 average rpm.
CB: 68-70 mph. Short 12/6 bite, developing feel for the pitch. T1978, 1874 average rpm.
SL: 72-74 mph. Maintains armspeed, thrown with intent, plays with hard sinking action at the bottom of the zone. T2035, 1990 average rpm. 

Brady Holland, Mount Carmel (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-11, 165-pounds. Athletic high-waisted frame with projection.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, quiet hands load back, short leg kick trigger, utilizes lower-half. Quick, direct hands, works to stay on top of the baseball, compact operation with a balanced finish, uses the whole field and can drive the ball the other way. 69.1 mph bat speed with 16 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 91 max exit velocity, averaged 83.5 mph. 315’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 84 mph. Arm plays loose and accurately from multiple angles, flashes life.
Defense: Plays low to the ground, athletic actions, soft hands, shuffles towards target. Clean glove round.
Run: 7.09 runner in the 60. 

Cooper Kasdin, Highland Park (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 5-11, 160-pounds. Trim, high-waisted frame with room to fill out.
Delivery: Controlled mover, short/medium balance point, tall/fall lower-half, works slightly across his body with stride.
Arm Action: LH. Short draw out of the glove, compact, high 3/4 release.
FB: T78, 78-78 mph. Clean out of the hand with carry, plays with arm-side run. T1927, 1801 average rpm.
CB: 66-69 mph. Slurve-action, 1/7 shape, tight. Strikes. T2182, 2128 average rpm.
SL: 69-71 mph. Maintains armspeed, occasional 2/8 shape, developing. T2124, 2081 average rpm.
CH: 74-75 mph. Maintains armspeed, similar profile to the fastball. T1839, 1800 average rpm.

Aaron Katz, Hinsdale Central (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 6-2, 187-pounds. Wide-shouldered, high-waisted frame.
Hit: RHH. Open crouched setup, leg kick stride works back to even, linear lower-half. Compact through the zone with a flat path, on the barrel with authority to pull-side, showed ability to drive the ball the other way, quick hands and can see the ball deep. 76.9 mph bat speed with 8 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 99 max exit velocity, averaged 88.4 mph. 354’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 87 mph. Long, deliberate arm action, 3/4 slot, has life out of the hand.
Defense: Plays low through the ball, deliverate footwork, awereness around the bag.
Run: 7.51 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Stretch only, medium/high balance point, tall/fall lower-half, easy stride that works in-line, slightly closed toe landing.
Arm Action: RH. Long draw out of the glove, loose, high 3/4 release.
FB: T82, 80-82 mph. Lively out of the hand, 4-seam characteristics, locates at the bottom of the zone. T2069, 1998 average rpm.
CB: 64-67 mph. Throws with intent, hard 12/6 bite at times, locates. T2164, 2090 average rpm.
SL: 67-68 mph. Short 10/4 bite, got better as the 'pen went on. T2109, 2047 average rpm.
CH: 74-76 mph. Throws with intent, plays with sink, developing feel for the zone, flashes out-pitch qualities. T1553, 1443 average rpm.

David Klein, Nazareth Academy (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 6-2, 215-pounds. Mature, sturdy frame with present strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Open slightly crouched setup, simple trigger, quiet hands load, linear lower-half. Loose hands, longer flat path that works to stay on top of the ball, works to stay middle/pull-side. 63.3 mph bat speed with 12 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 87 max exit velocity, averaged 68.7 mph. 237’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 66 mph. INF - 69 mph. C: Compact, releases by the ear. Accurate around the bag. INF: Whippy, compact, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.27-2.34 pop times. C: One-knee receiver, comfortable receiving actions. Steady transfers, feet work inline toward target, flashes athleticism out of the crouch. INF: Steady, deliberate actions, sure-handed.
Run: 7.89 runner in the 60. 

Danny Mackey III, Lincoln-Way East (IL), 2025
Positional Profile: 1B/RHP
Body: 6-5, 190-pounds. Trim, high-waisted frame with long levers.
Hit: RHH. Wider setup, quiet hands load back, short stride, utilizes lower-half. Loose swing, easy effort, works to stay on top of the ball, uses levers to loft the ball to pull-side with ease, balanced finish, plenty more power to come. 64.5 mph bat speed with 7 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 90 max exit velocity, averaged 82.3 mph. 344’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 84 mph. Quick, compact arm action, high 3/4 release.
Defense: Plays with leverage, soft hands, confident in his hands, has some feel for the position, fluid footwork.
Run: 7.54 runner in the 60. 

Howie Porath, Minooka (IL), 2027
Positional Profile: 3B/SS
Body: 5-11, 170-pounds. High-waisted, sturdy, athletic frame.
Hit: LHH. Balanced slightly open setup, quiet hands pre-pitch, loads onto backside, short step-back stride, utilizes lower-half. Easy, simple swing, looks to stay on top of the ball, uses the whole field, can lift to his pull-side, balanced finish, polished round. 59 mph bat speed with 14 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 79 mph. 325’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 79 mph. Long, loose, has some life to it from a 3/4 slot. Intentful.
Defense: Deliberate two-hand gather out front, secures the ball into his body, clean transfers.
Run: 7.37 runner in the 60. 

Matthew Saliers, Lane Tech (IL), 2027
Positional Profile: 3B/2B
Body: 5-9, 180-pounds. Well-proportioned, sturdy frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, minimal hands load, short stride, aggressive lower-half. Flat path, creates some bat-speed through the zone, can drive the ball the other way and cover the plate, gets the head out to balls on the inner-half. 70.5 mph bat speed with 8 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 95 max exit velocity, averaged 82.9 mph. 302’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 75 mph. Compact, low 3/4 release.
Defense: One hand gather that works out front, confident hands, plays with some rhythm.
Run: 7.74 runner in the 60. 

POSITIONAL TOOLS

TOP 60-TIMES

MAX INF VELOCITY

MAX OF VELOCITY

MAX C VELOCITY

TOP POP-TIMES

TRACKMAN

We'll continue to roll out the data we gathered from this event, starting with the analytics we have at our disposal from our TrackMan units.

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY & AVERAGE SPIN RATE

Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.

Spin Rate: This metric calculates the rate of spin on the baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Historical data shows that high-spin fastballs lessen the impact of gravity, allowing for more ‘rise’ (or less fall, in other words) as it carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate the pitch has greater horizontal action, often making it tougher to square up, but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls, while high-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.

AVERAGE FASTBALL HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Horizontal Break: Outlined on TrackMan’s own website: “... horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release. A positive number means the break was to the right from the pitcher’s perspective, while a negative number means the break was to the left from the pitcher’s perspective.”

AVERAGE CURVEBALL & SLIDER SPIN RATE

AVERAGE CHANGEUP HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

MAX & AVERAGE EXIT VELOCITY

MAX DISTANCE

SWEET SPOT %

Sweet Spot percentage: This metric is determined by how often the player produces a batted ball during the session with a launch angle between 8 to 32 degrees. Sweet spot percentage can be used in concert with hard-hit rate -- the percentage of a player's batted balls that have an exit velocity of 90 mph or higher. Per MLB glossary.

BLAST MOTION

With the help of our Blast Motion sensors, we're analyzing the swing metrics measured at this event.

HAND SPEED (PEAK & AVERAGE)

Hand Speed: The observed speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.

BAT SPEED (PEAK & AVERAGE)

Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.

ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION (AVERAGE)

Body Rotation: A swing that has the appropriate relative contributions of body and bat rotations is an efficient and Powerful swing that maintains proper sequencing. An efficient baseball swing is one in which the body creates the initial movements, which is then transferred to the arms and out to the bat, thereby maximizing Bat Speed through this proximal-to-distal kinematic sequencing movement pattern.

ON-PLANE EFFICIENCY %

On-Plane Efficiency %:measures the percentage of your swing where the bat is on the swing plane. Your Vertical Bat Angle (VBA) at contact establishes the plane for that specific swing. A high % is a great indicator of making consistent contact and barreling balls. Blast recommends an average of 70% or higher, with a range in the 65% to 85%.

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