By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor – Illinois/Wisconsin

The fall Underclass Showcase is in the books, all of the positional analysis was rolled out last week and can be viewed in the news archives HERE. Leading off the holiday week we will take a look at the top 2019’s and 2018’s from this event, a preview of what may come with the updated 2018 state rankings and the future release of the 2019 rankings.

Today we take a peek at the top 2019’s, check back tomorrow for more on the 2018’s.

Top 2019 Prospects

1. Grant Leader, RHP/C, Lyons, 2019
5-foot-8, 130-pound, right-handed hitting RHP/C. Works from an over the top arm angle with a short, quick arm action. Smooth rhythm with an open landing and athletic finish. Tends to leak out front early. Threw fastball for strikes with slight running action at 85-86 mph. Curveball showed 12-6 shape with sharp action at 67-69 mph. Slider showed 10-4 shape at 75 mph. Showed feel for changeup while maintaining arm speed at 71-72 mph. One of the top arms in the 2019 class. Defensively has a short arm action from a high ¾ arm slot. Accurate throws showed carry popping 2.11-2.19 and throwing 81 mph from the crouch. At the plate hits from a balanced setup, preloaded to backside, with a short linear stride. Line drive hitter with a short, level swing path. 81 mph exit velocity from a tee. Ran the 60 at 7.27.