PBR ProCase - Midwest: Preview Story

Brayden Bakes OF / Huntley, IL / 2023

From 5/5/22: "Wichita State commit, currently ranked No. 15 in the Illinois 2023 class. Strong, compact 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame, wide shoulders with a physically developed lower-half. Started in centerfield and impressed with an athletic round of IO; cruising to balls with ease and showing off a strong arm that plays with carry to bases. At the plate, the left-handed hitter found multiple barrels throughout his at-bats, working with quick/strong hands through the zone with an uphill path, demonstrating a clear understanding of the zone and letting the ball travel deep. Highly-talented 2023 prospect."

Adam Behrens RHP / Warren Township, IL / 2023

From 5/11/22: "Arizona State commit. Currently ranked No. 12 in the Illinois’ 2023 rankings. Well-proportioned 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame, room to tack strength onto a durable body with prototypical starter’s size. Started for Warren Township on a cold windy sub-35 degree day, punched out five batters in two innings of work. Works with little effort downhill, repeating a simple tall/fall type delivery consistently while maintaining direction to front footstrike. Transfers weight onto a stable lead leg, does drift slightly towards the first base side following release. Got in a rhythm early from the first batter of the game and maintained it, quick worker, calm and collected presence on the mound. Arm plays with length on the backside and finishes from a high ¾ slot. Fastball touched 91 mph, sitting at 88-90 mph, played straight while primarily working east-to-west. Turned to the curveball often, confidence to spin it to get ahead in counts and when behind, played at 72-73 mph with gradual action off an 11/5 plane; profiles more as a strike pitch at the next level. Minimal changeup usage in game, did throw it in warmups at 75-76 mph with tumble, hand shows early prior to pronation. Continues to solidify his status as a high-follow prospect at the next level."

Josh McDevitt RHP / Effingham , IL / 2023

From 3/25/22: "Missouri commit. Athletic right-hander that stands at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds. Works down the mound with a fluid-moving operation, remaining in-line to the plate with an athletic finish. His arm works quick to release from a ¾ slot, producing a fastball that sat 90-92 mph; jumping out of the hand with ride/run through the zone. McDevitt also showcased a sharp breaking ball with slurve tendencies, sitting 75-78 mph with depth. He also went to a heavy fading changeup at 80-82 mph to keep hitters off-balance. Stock should continue to rise as he continues to polish up his arsenal."

Alex Stanwich OF / Lincoln-Way East, IL / 2022

From 4/26/22: "Tennessee Commit and recent Super 60 participant, currently ranked No, 8 in Illinois. 6-foot-2, 200lb, strong, athletic frame. Started in centerfield and hit out of the two-hole for Lincoln-Way East. Showed off his easy bat speed and strength at the plate, squaring up two doubles into the gap in left-center field. Finished the night going 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs. Athleticism and range was on display in the outfield, making a few tough catches on a gusty night."

Brenden Stressler OF / New Trier, IL / 2023

From 3/25/22: "St. Louis commit. 6-foot-2, 190-pound, wide-shouldered build with well-proportioned strength. Has seen his stock steadily climb over the past year and there is no slowing down. Is arguably one of, if not the best, pure left-handed hitters in the class. Advanced approach and polish at the plate. Sees the ball extremely deep into the zone, easy, quiet takes and minimal wasted effort. Flashes explosive hand speed, loose swing, stays inside the baseball and sprays hard line-drive, lifted contact to all parts of the field. Hit in the two-hole and finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Scorched one of his doubles off the very top of the left-field wall. Poised for a big offensive spring for the Trevians."

Jarron Thompson RHP / Waubonsie Valley, IL / 2023

From 4/26/22: "6-foot, 180-pound, athletically-built, right-handed pitcher with lean strength throughout and whippy levers. Got the start on the mound against a talented Naperville Central lineup and took the hard-fought loss going five innings, scattering four hits, three earned runs, walking three and striking out eight. Thompson flashed dynamic stuff at times in his outing sitting comfortably at 87-89 mph (2300+ rpm) throughout while mixing in a slurvy breaking ball at 71-73 mph. Stretch-only delivery, slightly coiled at balance point, lands square down the mound and finishes towards the first base side. Arm works loose and quick from a ¾ slot; projects for more velocity gains down the road. High-upside 2023 arm."

Dominic Voegele RHP / Columbia , IL / 2023

From 6/1/22: "Voegele continues to make waves down in Southern Illinois, rising into the top 50 in our most recent 2023 rankings update after impressing early on in this year’s circuit. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound multi-sport athlete took his arsenal to a whole new level in Columbia’s Super Sectional victory, holding an uptick in velocity. Voegele ran his fastball up to 93 mph in the first, sitting at a low-effort 89-92 mph throughout his six innings of work and firing a 92 mph fastball for a strikeout in his final inning. There’s more untapped velocity in the tank for Voegele, especially with the ease and fluidity that he showed. Voegele comfortably turned to a 77-80 mph sweeping slider whenever he wanted, landing it for a strike or placing it out of the zone for whiffs. He primarily pitched backwards the second and third time through the order with this slider, playing his fastball off it to the arm-side corner while also landing a mid-70s curveball for strikes."

Jake Zitella 3B / St. Charles East, IL / 2023

From 4/22/22: “Zitella swung with controlled aggression throughout his entire BP round, displaying explosive bat speed and consistent loud contact to all fields. It’s clear that he wields one of the state’s most potent right-handed strokes as the Illinois commit recorded a max exit velocity of 103.9 mph and peak distance of 365 feet while averaging 94 mph off the bat, too. Zitella flashed sure-handed actions on the infield as well and the arm strength to pair, reaching an 87 mph high during his defensive workout. He definitely created some positive momentum heading into the IHSA season as a high follow right-handed hitter in the state’s current junior class.”

Trevor Lee RHP / East Ridge , MN / 2023

From 3/20/22:

Positional Profile: RHP/OF - Ranked 3rd in MN - Wichita State commit
Body: 6-5, 225-pounds. Good frame
Hit: LHH. Balanced stance. Small stride and load. SHort and aggressive swing. Mid/pull approach with line drive and fly ball contact. Flashed pull pop and hard contact
Power: 94.1 max exit velocity, averaged 87.4 mph. 362’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 89 mph. Carry
Defense: Clean clove and fields through. Average footwork, good movements for size
Run: 7.11 runner in the 60.

Delivery: Balanced, small side step. Controlled lag lift and lands across the body
Arm Action: RH. Short quick arm path, ¾ slot
FB: T89.9, 88.4-89.6 mph. T2084, 1997 average rpm.
SL: 78.4-79.5 mph. T2320, 2207 average rpm.
CH: 78.9-81.2 mph. T1981, 1848 average rpm.

Michael Miller RHP / Saint Thomas Academy, MN / 2023

From 6/6/22: "Miller who is verbally committed to attend Ohio State University was good early and then struggled some  with command in the middle innings. The right-hander’s fastball had good velocity at 87-88 mph and showed arm side run/sink. Using mainly a two-pitch mix the breaking ball was 77-78 mph, tight at times with average break."

Isaac Morton RHP / Spring Lake Park, MN / 2023

From 10/22/21: "...threw during a LOADED time slot as I was bouncing around from field to field, and while what looked like 80+ coaches jammed together behind the backstop to see him, I only got a quick glance at the highly projectable right-hander. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound right-hander was easily one of the most projectable arms at the event with present eye-opening velocity (92 mph, 2411 RPM) that comes via a short/efficient arm stroke with even more likely in the tank. Adding to his allure and future potential, Morton spun both a slider (#9) and curveball (#14) that stood out at the event. The video review combined with the advanced metrics including stellar Hammer+ scores already have me eyeing a spring trip to the Twin Cities, and I am sure that I won’t be alone as college coaches will likely also prioritize Morton’s outings."

Alexander Alicea SS / St. Thomas More, WI / 2023

From 3/8/22: "...started his day by burning a 6.52 with great short range acceleration. In the box, he showed us his typical display of barrel accuracy. With minimal movement, and a knob-to-ball entry, he grooved backspin liners around the field. Also, notably adjusting to lower pitches from both sides with ease. In the field, his elite defense was on display, traveling low to the ball with a keen sense for setting up hops, and capturing right to left momentum with consistency. Alicea possesses the quickest transition speed from fielding to throwing by an impressive margin, and firing accurate bullets with carry across the diamond. Alicea has a professional skill set on defense and many in Wisconsin should make a point of studying him."

Thomas Burns RHP / Hortonville , WI / 2023

From 5/24/22: "Viewed 6.2 IP, 5H, 0 BB, 10K. Dominant performance from XL framed over-the-top RHP. Power fastball 87-90 mph with life and finish at the top. Strikes with the fastball and can drive it through areas. Can land a slurve-y breaking ball 73-75 mph with 10/4 shape and break, and can get it below the zone. Fierce competitor, relentless attack of the zone getting ahead and putting hitters away. Stepped up to the challenge in a big game against a talented Kimberly lineup. Arizona State will get a power armed RHP’er who can serve in multiple roles for the team."

Thomas Curry C / Arrowhead, WI / 2023

Max Exit Velocity: 100 mph
Average Exit Velocity: 92.4 mph
Peak Batted Distance: 374 ft.
Average Hand Speed: 26.5 mph
Average Bat Speed: 79.5 mph
Top Catcher Velo: 84 mph
Top Pop Times: 1.95-2.04

JT Kelenic OF / Catholic Memorial , WI / 2023

From 3/6/22: "Kelenic is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound long-limbed athlete running a 6.52 in the 60-yard dash. His batting practice round was reflective of his growth this winter, showing easier pop than ever with simple, controlled swing actions. He utilizes strong hands to deliver the barrel with violence and now, more than ever, produces consistent contact quality with easy elevation. His outfield round displayed more of his athleticism while throwing 90 mph on his max bullet with carry through the target and not dipping below 88 on any of his five throws. His stock is trending up and moving in a promising direction."

Dominic Kibler C / New Berlin West, WI / 2023

From 2/19/22: "Kibler maintained his lengthy track record of making impact contact on Saturday of the ball, reaching a 98.1 mph max exit velocity while averaging 92 mph off the barrel. He improved defensively as well, popping a 2.00 at his best to the bag with a 76 mph high. Kibler looks like he’s well on his way to being an all-league bat at the college level."

Keenan Mork RHP / River Falls, WI / 2023

High School stats: 46.1 IP, 5-0, 1.36 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 85 K; 27 hits allowed, 9 earned runs, 2 complete game shutouts. 16K in 2 separate games; BRC Pitcher of the Year