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St. Louis Top Prospect Games Upperclass: Quick Hits

June 27, 2022
By: Diego Solares
Area Scout, Illinois & Missouri

On Tuesday, June 21st, the PBR Missouri staff traveled to Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri, to host the St. Louis Top Prospect Games: Upperclass event. This invite-only event featured 40+ noteworthy uncommitted 2023 and 2024 prospects from the state, and it’s been a staple on our summer calendar since 2017.

For more information from this event, including a full look at all the player’s in attendance, click HERE.

Now, at the event’s conclusion, we’ll highlight some of the day’s standouts inside these ‘Quick Hits’. Read below to learn about the top performers from this year’s St. Louis Top Prospect Games: Upperclass event.

QUICK HITS

+ C Xander Schmitt (Lafayette, 2024) displayed explosive athleticism and wiry strength in multiple areas of his game, emerging Tuesday as arguably the day’s biggest winner. At 5-foot-11, 173-pounds, Schmitt ran one of the day’s fastest 60-yard dash times (6.68), which is especially impressive given his position. He blasted the day’s hardest (101.5 mph) and furthest (386 ft.) balls in BP, respectively, averaging 90.8 mph off the barrel with repeated juice to the pull-side. His loud tools translated to the field, where Schmitt exploded out of the crouch for 1.86-to-1.94 pops and an 80 mph high to the bag. Schmitt’s an arrow-up prospect in Missouri’s incoming junior class that’ll certainly generate buzz throughout the summer.

+ A nationally-ranked name, left-handed hitting OF Brady Picarelli (Eureka) continued to prove why he’s one of Missouri’s top prospects in the state’s 2024 class at this event. Picarelli’s physical stature at the plate is noteworthy, as he stands at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds with room for added strength and development. He ran a 6.76 60-yard dash at that size and clobbered baseballs in BP, peaking at 96.9 mph and 343 feet, per TrackMan. Picarelli smashed a baseball over the right field fence in his first at-bat during the gameplay portion of the event, translating the pull-side power we had seen two hours earlier almost immediately. Picarelli’s upside at the plate is a middle-of-the-order type masher at the next level.


+ C/INF Brodie Short (Lutheran St. Charles, 2024) was another name that took an eye-popping round of BP from the left side. Short, who stands at 6-foot, 202-pounds, generated easy juice off his left-handed barrel, averaging the day’s furthest batted distance (303 ft.), peaking at 341 feet. Short’s hardest batted ball (96.9 mph) and his average exit velocity (88.1 mph) both finished second amongst all hitters at this event. He showed his physicality in-game by punishing a hanging slider with authority the other way for a standup double. Short’s certainly capable of slotting into the middle of an order at the next level and hitting for impact.

+ One of the more impressive arms at this event was LHP Christopher Pelligreen (Chaminade College Prep, 2023). At 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, Pelligreen showed plenty of upside with a lanky frame and loose, whippy arm action. Pelligreen’s hardest bullet topped at 87.8 mph, averaging 84.8 to 87.2 mph throughout his two innings. He swept a slider in the low-70s at a 2,200+ RPM averaging, peaking at 15 inches of horizontal movement. Pelligreen also turned over a few high-70s changeup with fade. Pelligreen is an intriguing follow on the mound throughout this year’s summer circuit that’s still uncommitted.


+ INF/RHP Mason Beno (Parkway West, 2024) showed real two-way intrigue at this event, looking the part on both sides of the ball. Beno’s left-handed stroke repeated line drive contact across the yard and the ease in which he operates suggests there’s more untapped juice in his bat. He’s always looked the part defensively too and was up to 89 mph across the diamond with clean, sure-handed actions. Beno was the first arm to toe the rubber during gameplay and didn’t disappoint, pumping his fastball up to 88 mph with a firm 74-76 mph tightly spun slider that averaged 2,469 RPM.


+ OF Trevor Lovall (Holt, 2024) was arguably the day’s most impressive in-game performer, tallying two loud extra-base hits. Lovall, who stands at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds, recorded some of the day’s most impressive Blast Motion metrics in BP, averaging 25.9 mph of hand speed and 75.2 mph of bat speed throughout his round - both of which are highly advanced for his age. He flashed easy whip off the barrel, smashing his hardest hit ball at 94.7 mph and reaching a peak batted distance of 355 feet. Lovall also ran a 7.17 60-yard dash and was up to 83 mph from the outfield.

+ We had heard buzz that OF Jackson Carter (Fort Zumwalt East, 2024) was going to dart his way to a state-high 60-yard dash entering the event and the 5-foot-11, 158-pound incoming junior delivered. Carter ran one of the fastest 60s we’ve seen to date, darting his way to a lightning quick 6.41 time on our lasers. It's a game-changing type of speed that, coupled with a short quick right-handed stroke, elevates Carter’s floor and ceiling in one. Defensively, Carter worked swiftly around the baseball to release and his hardest bullet registered at 88 mph.


+ RHP Connor McCaleb (Timberland, 2023) brought a strong, sturdy 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame to the rubber at Tuesday’s event and threw two clean innings, flashing plenty of intrigue throughout. The uncommitted incoming senior pumped his fastball in at 84-86 mph, reaching highs of 2,400+ RPM and 23+ inches of vertical carry on the pitch. He turned to a tight slider at times as a change-of-pace, landing it to the arm-side of the plate at 74-76 mph. McCaleb’s easy operation and physical stature should garner plenty of attention as the summer rolls on.


+ McCaleb’s brother, switch-hitting C Carson McCaleb (Timberland, 2023) was also a winner from this event. Built at 5-foot-9, 190-pounds with compact strength, McCaleb repeated a short, level swing from both sides of the plate in BP, averaging 85.3 mph off the barrel throughout. He brought a ‘hitterish’ look to the box, staying direct to the baseball without much added movement. Defensively, McCaleb popped 1.88-to-2.01 to the bag and topped at 75 mph from the crouch.

+ Another physical right-handed hitting backstop that impressed at this event: C Logan Winkleman (Christian Brothers College, 2024). Winkleman, who popped at the GBA Scout Day late last month, continued to show physicality at the plate from the right side. He repeatedly barreled baseballs up to the loudest parts of the park with a short, direct path to contact and above-average hand strength to pair. Winklema looked the part defensively as well, topping at 79 mph from the crouch while averaging 1.83-to-2.03 pops with accuracy to the bag.


+ Hailing from a family that oozes baseball pedigree, INF Michael Politte (Linbergh) looked every bit the part of a follow prospect in Missouri’s 2024 group at this event. At 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, Politte generated easy loft from the right side and flashed pull-side power at times that should grow into more consistent juice as he continues to physically mature. Politte moved well on the infield and fired one of the day’s hardest bullets, topping at 85 mph across the diamond during his workout.


+ OF Dylan Hayman (Jackson, 2023) stands at a strong, well-proportioned 6-foot, 185-pound athlete that took a loud round of BP at last week’s event. A 7.02 runner in the 60-yard dash, Hayman flashed bat speed and barreled baseballs consistently from the right side. His hardest batted ball jumped off his barrel at 93.3 mph, one of the day’s highest marks, and traveled 348 feet, per TrackMan.

+ C John Nisbet (Eureka, 2024) repeated line drive contact from a simple, level right-handed stroke throughout his round of BP. Nisbet regularly popped in the 1.97-to-2.01 range throughout his workout, reaching a 77 mph high from the crouch.

+ OF Cade Manner (Timberland, 2023) is a highly projectable athlete, standing at 6-foot-2, 160-pounds with thin whippy levers. Manner consistently worked line drives to his pull-side at the plate from an upside right-handed swing.

+ 3B Hayden Bates (Festus, 2024) helped lead the Tigers to the 5A state playoffs and showed advanced bat strength in BP at Tuesday’s workout. Bates, who stands at 6-foot, 205-pounds, backspun baseballs with intent to the pull-side, averaging 87.5 mph off the barrel. He reached a 92.5 mph high and translated his juice to the gameplay portion by smacking a loud triple. Bates ran a 7.13 60-yard dash, an impressive mark given his size and strength.

+ INF Grant Fallert (Valle Catholic, 2024) is an athletic top-of-the-order type bat that caught our attention at this event. Fallert’s athleticism was evident early, he ran a 6.91 60-yard dash, and it aided him in maintaining hand control at the plate from a loose, level right-handed swing. He showed all fields feel, spraying line drives throughout his round.


+ A 6-foot-1, 192-pound athlete, INF Edward Uschold (Parkway South, 2023) was another prospect that showed advanced bat strength at the plate in BP. He generated easy juice off his barrel and backspun baseballs into the pull-side gap, peaking at 94.9 mph with a 322 foot max. Uschold ran a 7.08 60-yard dash at his size and topped at 82 mph, one of the day’s highest marks. 

+ One of the day’s final arms, RHP Caden Carroll (St Francis Borgia, 2024) intrigued our staff on the mound. Standing at a thin, lanky 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame that oozes projection, Carroll was up to 84 mph on the mound, pitching in the low-80s with relatively low effort. He landed both of his breaking balls for strikes and sunk a changeup at 73-74 mph.

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