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Future Games: Indiana's Czarniecki and Tennessee's Allen earn Most Valuable Player, Pitcher of the event

August 5, 2024
By Andy Sroka
Managing Editor, Scouting

A week removed from the 2024 Future Games, we’re still reminiscing about this year’s event, and that includes our Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher honors awarded to these two 16U players: OF Rob Czarniecki (Chesterton HS, IN, 2026) and RHP Cade Allen (South Gibson County HS, TN, 2026).

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Rob Czarniecki OF / Chesterton, IN / 2026

From Team Indiana’s Recap Story (7/31/24): “Team Indiana's consensus MVP of the weekend – Czarniecki brought infectious energy to the Indiana dugout as one of the ‘captains’ of the squad. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder put together one of the more complete showcase performances of the group, burning a 6.62 in the 60-yard dash before taking a professional round of batting practice where his exit velocities eclipsed the 100 mph mark routinely. Czarniecki brought a hot bat to Atlanta, going 5-for-8 with a triple, a homer, and he showcased his run-producing abilities with five RBIs in three games. Coming into the event, Czarniecki was one of Indiana's more prized uncommitted position players in the class and his dazzling performance at the Future Games, along with showing the mental makeup required to play this game at a high level, did nothing but elevate his stock as we near Aug. 1.”

(16U National Championships; 6/24/24)

It’s been a very successful year for Czarniecki, by all accounts and on all stages, earning the first Future Games MVP for Indiana since RHP Nolan Watson (Lawrence North HS) in 2013. He sprung from the start gate at Prep Baseball Indiana’s Preseason All-State in March, where he was one of the event’s top performers, but he only improved upon his metrics throughout the year.

Czarniecki ran a 6.71 at Preseason All-State, trimmed down to a 6.62 at Future Games; he averaged an exit speed of 83.1 mph in March, and upped it to 90.3 in July, topping his max to 103.5 mph, which was also four-tick improvement from earlier in the year. Even his bat speed improved between events, from a 78.0 mph average to 79.8, and his rotational acceleration average was substantially improved upon, from 15.4g to 23.3g at the Future Games.

The statistical gains are relevant here because Czarniecki has really established a reputation for raking in-game. The evidence comes from the most recent spring in which he earned Prep Baseball Indiana 4A All-State honors after hitting .489 with a 1.540 OPS, collecting 22 extra-base hits (7 HR) and 38 RBIs, which was second most in the IHSAA’s largest class.

“A hard-nosed kid from northwest Indiana, Rob is an ultra competitor that leads with passion and an unmatched energy,” said Cooper Trinkle, the Prep Baseball Indiana Lead Scout. “He plays with a high-motor, as his pulse remains low, allowing him to thrive in the big moment. Rob’s performance at the Future Games stems from a special combination of an excellent overall toolset that only becomes elevated by an elite mental makeup.”

Czarniecki has long been a ‘sleeper’ type prospect for our own Shooter Hunt, Prep Baseball’s VP of scouting, and this was his breakout performance.

“The Future Games felt like a culminating moment in his ascension into a loud national conversation,” said Hunt. “The tools, the effort, and the production stood out for four days as he captivated the 400-plus college coaches in attendance and left no doubt as to who the MVP of the event was, with an emphatic final statement, a home run that blasted off the barrel at 103 mph.”

Cade Allen RHP / 1B / South Gibson County, TN / 2026

From Prep Baseball Tennessee’s Top Prospect Games: Quick Hits (6/4/24): “My favorite right-handed pitcher in the 2026 class came into the Top Prospect Games fresh off leading his team to a 3A state tournament appearance where he helped his club secure their lone victory over eventual state runners-up, Station Camp. Allen would go complete-game against a team that had multiple Division-I hitters in the lineup, surrendering only three hits, no runs, while also being a major factor at the plate… On the mound, Allen maintains hip drive down the slope as he kicks his lead leg across his back leg before jumping out on a linear, direct path. Arm works longer on the hill and creates plenty of shoulder/hip separation with arm lag behind his head as his back hip shoots through to deliver. He was dominant in his two innings at this event where he racked up four Ks while only giving up one hit. Fastball worked in the upper 80s, touching 90 mph with feel for manipulation on two secondary pitches that show potential better than average potential. He goes into the summer with high expectations, and he also presents the mental fortitude to handle anything that comes his way. He’s got Friday night Power Five starter upside…”

(Prep Baseball Tennessee, Top Prospect Games; 5/28/24)

Allen has been gaining momentum throughout the year, rising to a loud spring performance as a sophomore at South Gibson County, in which he earned the honor of his district’s co-pitcher of the year, tallying 56 Ks in 38 innings with a 1.64 ERA having allowed just 21 hits as an underclassman. He gave SGC a win at the state tourney after a stellar complete-game effort in which he punched out 10 batters in seven innings, allowing just one run and one walk. While the Hornets’ state run ended in the game that followed, Allen’s summer looked a lot like his spring, and he ultimately earned an invite to participate at the 2024 Future Games as a member of Team Tennessee.

At LakePoint, Allen came out on the attack, landing five first-pitch strikes against the six batters he faced – helping him secure a perfect two frames against a daunting Team Texas, and with four strikeouts along the way, impressing Shooter Hunt in the process.

“Allen was in full command for two innings,” Hunt said. “Electric out of the hand at 90-92 mph with three pitches for strikes, he looked like he was just getting warmed up while erasing the six hitters that he faced. Whippy arm action with a dynamic delivery, the floor has been set high for the Tennessee native who still shows signs of making considerable jumps in the future.”

PREVIOUS WINNERS

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

  • 2023: Danny Wallace (NE)
  • 2022: Xander Schmitt (MO)
  • 2021: Camden Kozeal (NE)
  • 2020*: Justin Thomas (GA), Gable Mitchell (IA), Thomas White (MA)
  • 2019: Sam Petersen (IA)
  • 2018: Aaron Downs (IA)
  • 2017: Mac Horvath (MN)
  • 2016: Dillon Lifrieri (CT)
  • 2015: Sam Carlson (MN)
  • 2014: Duncan Pence (TN)
  • 2013: Nolan Watson (IN)
  • 2012: Colby Fitch (MO)
  • 2011: Ryne Roper (IL)

MOST VALUABLE PITCHER

  • 2023: Eston Simpson (GA)
  • 2022: Mitch Haythorn (CO)

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