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PBR IL - Harper JC Scout Day: Takeaways

September 30, 2021
By: Peter Hamot and Diego Solares

On Wednesday, September 22, the PBR Illinois staff traveled to Palatine to host the Harper JC Scout Day at the college’s baseball field. The event featured over 30 uncommitted prospects, a number of them hailing from Illinois. 

Shortly following the event we began our coverage with a Statistical Analysis, TrackMan Files, and Blast Motion Board. Today we conclude the coverage with an in-depth look at some of the top overall performances from the day. 

Below are some of the standouts from the event. 

+ Joey Fitzgerald Jr, INF, Marian Central Catholic HS (IL), 2019
Fitzgerald impressed with one of the best rounds of BP on the day. He’s an athletic left-handed bat with quick hands, loose arms, and easy bat strength generated from a muscular 6-foot, 190-pound frame. Fitzgerald roped line-drives all over the yard favoring the gaps, squaring one up at 97 mph for his best barrel. Defensively, Fitzgerald moves well side-to-side with athletic infield actions and soft hands, paired with a strong, accurate arm across the diamond. He certainly looked like a potential impact piece for Harper this upcoming spring. 

+ Ehinger Adrianza, INF, Felix Varela Senior HS (FL), 2021
Adrianza will be a key player for Harper this coming season. He showed highly athletic actions at both the plate and on the infield, showing well on both sides of the plate, too. Offensively, the left-hander possesses a short and compact swing with lightning quick hands and a simple, controlled line drive approach to all fields. On the infield, Adrianza floated around the infield and continued to show that impact-type athleticism with soft hands and a strong arm across the diamond. Adrianza looks the part of an everyday shortstop at the collegiate level with a quality offensive skill-set, too. 

+ Julio Cajigas, UTL, Romeoville HS (IL), 2019
A ranked prospect in his high school grad class, Cajigas strung together an impressive, multi-faceted performance throughout his workout. He boasts a sturdy 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame with compact strength attached and it translates to the field, too. He showed easy power to the pull-side in BP, backspining the baseball with ease. His average exit velocity of 93.2 mph was the event’s best and his hardest hit ball traveled 366 ft., leaving his barrel at 98.6 mph. Cajigas spent time both behind the plate and in the outfield and performed well at both positions. Behind the plate, Cajigas has soft hands with a clean transfer and the arm strength to pair, topping at 81 mph from the crouch with an event-best 1.93 pop time. He moved well in the outfield too and his arm played accurately to home plate, reaching back for an 85 mph max throwing velocity. Cajigas figures to be an integral middle-of-the-order type offensive threat for Harper this spring.

+ Justin Rohde, RHP, Marian Central HS (IL), 2020
Standing at 5-foot-9 170-pounds, Rohde impressed with one of the best bullpens of the day. He worked from a high intensity, drop-and-drive delivery down the mound and his arm played quick from an over-the-top slot. Rohde featured a jumping fastball at 85-86 mph, that touched 87 mph on his last bullet, entering the zone with life and carry. His best secondary offering this day was a sharp 11/5 breaking ball in the 68-70 mph range with a max spin rate of 2521 RPM. He also featured a changeup thrown with fastball intent in the 77-79 mph range.

+ Aidan Teahan,  LHP, Maine South HS (IL), 2020
Boasting a strong and sturdy, prototypical pitcher’s 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame, Teahan looked the part on the mound duStrong 6-foot-3 205 pound frame, durable pitcher’s build, Teahan had a strong showing on the bump during the Harper CC Scout Day. The left-hander works from a loose over-the-top slot with a short/clean arm action. The southpaw filled up the zone with his fastball, which sat in the 79-81 range, topping out at 82 mph. He also showed feel for two breaking balls; a slider in the 67-68 mph range and a curveball in the 64-66 mph range, both with feel for the zone and distinguishable differences in the break. Teahan also flashed a changeup in the 73-75 mph range thrown with fastball intent. 

+ Jermaine Salcedo, RHP, Rolling Meadows HS (IL), 2020
One of the most intriguing arms of the day was Salcedo, who’s another big-bodied 6-foot-3, 207-pound arm on this Harper staff. Salcedo’s arm played from a loose, clean high ¾ slot that creates some deception on the backside from a slight crossfire delivery. His fastball showed natural cutting action at 80-81 mph. Salcedo’s most impressive weapons are his breaking balls; his curveball sat in the 72-72 mph range while his slider was in the 72-74 mph range, as they both max spin rates of 2500+ RPMs and late biting action. He also flashed a changeup at 77-78 which flashed cutting action as well. 

+ Shawn Lacy, RHP, Centennial HS (IL), 2021
Lacy showed some of the highest upside in the entire event. He’s a highly athletic 6-foot-3 185-pound athlete that’s also a 6.76 60 runner. His arm works from a loose ¾ slot with an athletic delivery down the mound and has the potential to gain a substantial amount of velocity in the coming years given the size and athleticism. During the event, his fastball sat 79-81 mph with feel for the zone. Lacy featured a developing breaking ball with 10/4 shape in the 62-64 mph range as well as a changeup in the 76-79 mph range. With Lacy’s premier athleticism, it would be no surprise to see him throwing much harder in the years to come. 

For a full look at the event’s roster, click HERE. 

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