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PBR IL - Kaskaskia CC Scout Day: Takeaways

October 11, 2021
David Seifert
Director of College Scouting

On Wednesday, October 6, the PBR Illinois staff traveled to Belleville to host the Kaskaskia Scout Day on the campus of Southwestern Illinois CC. The event featured over 55 uncommitted prospects, a majority of them hailing from Illinois.

We’ve already published a handful of post-event content pieces, such as a Statistical Analysis, TrackMan Files, and Blast Motion Board.

And, today we'll conclude this event's coverage by looking at which players stood out during the workout.


KASKASKIA PITCHING STANDOUTS:

+ Donnie Canchela: 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete. Freshman righty who was up to 90 with his high-spin fastball (2697 rpm max). Effective velocity of 93.01 mph. Athletic delivery with a short arm action. Spun his 71-73 mph breaking ball well. Low-70s change of pace was a work in progress.

+ Alex Elsing: 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-handed pitcher. Sophomore with low ¾ slot was up to 88 mph on his sinker. Horizontal movement average of 10” HB with 9” of sinking IVB. Good feel for a mid-70s sweeping slider. Different look pen arm at the college level. Struck out 26 in 22.2 IP last spring for the Blue Devils.

+ Stephen Moraski: 6-foot, 160-pound right-handed pitcher that also worked out in the outfield. Projectable, athletic freshman right-hander with room to grow in frame. Ran a 6.87 sixty and was up to 90 from the outfield with a clean exchange. Attacked the ball defensively. Good juice in stick with 100.78 mph EV and a 366’ max distance. Some stiffness to swing, but a max hand speed of 27.0 mph. On the mound showed an athletic delivery to a high ¾ release point. Up to 87 with his high-spin fastball (2594 max rpm) with a good feel to spin his slider. Also showed a low-spin (1300 rpm) changeup down in the zone.


KASKASKIA POSITIONAL STANDOUTS:

+ In total, the Blue Devils rolled out six hitters who registered a max exit velocity of 100 mph or better, including James Denten (105.2), Mason Byrns (103.81), Garrett Esposito (103.31), Bronx Lewis (101.08), Stephen Moraski (100.78) and Brandon Valdez (100.08).

+ Hunter Bilek: 5-foot-10, 170-pounds. Sophomore center fielder and toolsy talent. After blazing to a 6.43 sixty on wet grass, Bilek topped at 89 mph from the outfield showing a clean exchange and a soft glove. He’s a top of the order hitter with a gap to gap swing. EV max was 96.91 mph with a 76.9% hard hit rate and 69.1% line drive rate. The right handed hitter finished 4th on the team last spring with a .314 batting average and also swiped 15 bags in 18 attempts.

+ James Denten: 6-foot-1, 205-pound athlete. Two-way talent. Sophomore infielder topped the charts with a 105.2 max EV and a 86.7% hard hit rate during BP. With a balanced swing and good use of his entire body during, the ball was jumping off his bat. Middle of the order hitter with left handed pop. Led Kaskaskia with eight HR and 41 RBI last spring. Defensively, he was up to 86 mph with good carry from a high slot across the infield and 87 from the mound during his 15-pitch bullpen. Fair actions at 3B, profiles best to 1B and as a back of the bullpen arm.

+ Bronx Lewis: 6-foot-2, 185-pounds. Left/left toolsy freshman. Ran a 6.68 sixty and was up to 90 with good carry from the OF. Attacked the ball defensively with sure hands. Profiles best to CF or RF with his speed and arm strength. Recorded a max EV of 101.08 mph with quick hands (25.9 mph Blast hand speed) and a whippy path. Pull approach, hands floated. 60% hard hit rate. Max distance of 376’ to his pullside. Further improvement to overall body strength will help his game continue to progress.

+ Tyler McClure: 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. Another toolsy, athletic freshman bat for the Blue Devils, McClure ran a 6.67 sixty and was up to 89 from the OF. Throws showed good carry and accuracy. At the plate he showed below average balance, hitting off his front foot with a ground ball/line drive swing path. The right handed hitter recorded a max EV of 97.54 mph and a 80% hard hit rate.

+ Dylan Perry: 5-foot-11, 180-pound. Talented freshman middle infielder ran a 6.75 sixty and was up to 89 with a clean exchange and good carry from the OF, as well as across the IF from SS. Perry is athletic with sure, soft hands and good feet. Showed easy range during I/O. At the plate the right handed hitter produced a max EV of 98.9 mph and max distance of 354’ with easy rhythm and good balance in his swing. He’s the current frontrunner to become the everyday shortstop for the Blue Devils this spring.

+ Brandon Valdez: 6-foot-3, 215-pounds. Strong and physical-bodied, the sophomore infielder is likely to return as the everyday third baseman. Valdez ran a 6.79 sixty and threw 82 across the infield. From a crouched setup he showed a smooth swing with good rhythm at the plate. The righty batter recorded a max EV of 100.08 mph with good balance and a level swing path. There is some stiffness in his hips, but his hands are strong and his swing is short. Produced a 85.8% hard hit rate. As a freshman last season Valdez batted .313 with 4 HR and 31 RBI.

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