On Tuesday, June 29, the PBR Illinois staff hosted the All-State Games at The MAX in LaGrange, IL. The invite-only event featured over 50 of the top 2023s from Illinois and Wisconsin, with several high-follow prospects emerging after strong showings from the day. 

Shortly after the event’s conclusion our staff rolled out multiple post-event content pieces, which you can find by clicking HERE.

We began rolling the position-by-position analysis from this event, starting with the catching group. We’ll continue to work our way around the diamond today with the outfielders. Here are a few names that stood out: 

+ Caleb Karll (Madison West, WI), a recent Ohio commit, who we highlighted as one of the top catchers of the event, showed equally as well in the outfield at the event. Karll has a strong arm that topped at 90 mph from the outfield but it is his strong, impactful right-handed bat that is his calling card.

+ Another outfielder who showed well was switch-hitter Nicholas Gottfried (Jacobs). Gottfried is similar from both sides of the plate, swinging with controlled intent, feel for the barrel and natural loft throughout. Gottfried led the entire event with an 84.2% sweet spot percentage during BP, according to TrackMan. 

Read on below for a look at all the outfielders from the event. 

TOP OUTFIELD PROSPECTS

Owen Duffy, Marist (IL), 2023
Positional Profile: OF/3B
Body: 5-foot-11, 175-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, short stride, barrel tip in load. Short, repeatable swing, simple, level bat path, loose, consistent hard contact, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 95.3 max exit velocity, averaged 89.21 mph. 335’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 85 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top arm slot, works downhill, online to target.
Defense: Flashes athletic actions, steady hands, clean exchanges, plays through the baseball.
Run: 7.29 runner in the 60. 

Nicholas Gottfried, Jacobs (IL), 2023
Positional Profile: OF/LHP
Body: 5-foot-9, 160-pounds.
Hit: SH. Slightly narrow setup, balanced, sets hands low, quiet pre-pitch load, similar setups from both sides of plate Short, loose swing, level bat path, consistently on the barrel, gap-to-gap approach, line drives, flashed ability to use opposite field, athletic swing from both sides.
Power: 91.47 max exit velocity, averaged 81.75 mph. 326’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 86 mph. Over-the-top arm slot, slight carry, loose arm action.
Defense: Athletic outfield actions, quick, fluid feet, clean exchange, steady hands.
Run: 7.11 runner in the 60. 

Cole Kardatzke, Downers Grove South (IL), 2023
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 6-foot-0, 175-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Wide, balanced setup, slightly open, short stride, simple pre-pitch actions. Simple swing, fluid at times, path works slightly uphill, gap-to-gap approach, line drives.
Power: 91.38 max exit velocity, averaged 84.59 mph. 341’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 81 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 arm slot
Defense: Fluid footwork, steady hands, clean exchanges, plays through the ball with athleticism.
Run: 7.04 runner in the 60. 

Caleb Karll, Madison West (WI), 2023; Ohio commit.
Positional Profile: OF/C
Body: 6-foot-1, 190-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Slightly open setup, toe-tap trigger, long stride. Short, strong swing with intent, ball jumps off barrel at times, line drives, gap-to-gap approach, pull-side tendencies.
Power: 96.09 max exit velocity, averaged 89.83 mph. 298’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 78 mph. OF - 90 mph. Over-the-top arm slot, throws downhill from outfield, best outfield velocity at event.
Defense: Catcher: fluid feet, clean exchanges, quick release. Outfield: corner outfield type, plays aggressively through the ball.
Run: 7.37 runner in the 60. 

Jack Novak, Lincoln-Way Central (IL), 2023
Positional Profile: OF/C
Body: 6-foot-0, 180-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Slightly open setup, short stride, displays balance. Short, repeatable swing, level bat path, attacks inside of ball, consistently used middle of the field, line drives.
Power: 90.85 max exit velocity, averaged 82.14 mph. 310’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 82 mph. Long arm action, 3/4 to high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Steady hands, clean exchanges, plays through baseball with small crow hop.
Run: 7.23 runner in the 60. 

RELATED CONTENT