IL/WI Preseason ProCase: Quick Hits
January 31, 2022
On Saturday, Jan. 29, the PBR Illinois and PBR Wisconsin staffs met in Chicago to host the inaugural Preseason ProCase at the Pullman Community Center, featuring 15 of the area’s top seniors, representing both states. Today, we’ll be publishing our instant analysis from the event with scouting reports on each of the event’s attendees.
Stay tuned throughout the week as we continue to break down the in-depth metrics measured at this event, with the help of our tech partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, and Vizual Edge.
POSITION PLAYERS
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Jackson Bessette C / South Elgin, IL / 20226-foot-1, 205-pound, athletic frame with defined strength throughout. Frame and athleticism continue to tick up. Ran one of the top 60 times of the event; 6.76. Defensively, he looks the part of a true No.1 catcher at the next level that has the potential to stifle an opponent's running game. Bessette showed quick, efficient actions out of the crouch and a plus arm that topped at 84 mph from behind the plate. Beyond the sheer arm strength, the repeatability, carry and accuracy of his throws was what separated him from the rest. Bessette consistently put his throws on the second base bag while staying under control and without exerting much effort. His pop times ranged from 1.86-1.92. During the bullpen sessions, Bessette routinely caught velocity with ease. He stays quiet and square with receptive hands and the ability to stick pitches in and around the zone. He noticeably was able to get underneath pitches at the bottom of the zone, presenting the pitch for a strike. Offensively, his right-handed bat continues to improve as well. He stayed much more quiet and simple than we have seen in the past, working to control the barrel and driving balls back up the middle of the field on a regular basis. Bessette has present bat speed (averaged 69.6 mph) and stays on plane (83% on plane efficiency) throughout his swing. Came away from the ProCase with a big arrow up. |
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Christian Holmes SS / 2B / Brother Rice, IL / 20226-foot-2, 190-pounds; athletic, well-proportioned, high-level frame; has grown a few inches since we last saw him. Quiet in the box, tall setup, controlled load and stays in sync, excellent balance and rhythm throughout. Loose athletic hands, level path to contact with gap-to-gap leverage and repeats. Natural feel for the barrel, consistently made hard contact. Looks to be even more power to tap into given projectability in frame, ability to elevate, and barrel feel. Defensively, impressed despite still not being 100% coming off a leg injury that he dealt with throughout 2021. Showed the same instincts on the infield that we’ve seen from him for some time now. Athletic feet with present body control, soft hands that work out front of body, smooth glove-to-hand funnels, comfortable on the move. Short loose arm action that works out of a high ¾ slot and topped at 90 across the infield. Easily one of the day’s biggest winners and a name-to-know heading into the spring season for the Crusaders.
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Victor Izquierdo 1B / Lockport, IL / 20226-foot-2, 210-pounds; broad-shouldered ultra-physical frame. The right-handed hitter turned in perhaps the most eye-opening round of BP on the day; starting in an open setup, slight knee-knock at times into a coiled upper-half, creating hand-separation at foot-strike while keeping a consistent rhythm. Utilizes controlled aggression through his swing with a max bat speed of 78.6 according to BLAST, uphill path through the zone with intent to lift baseball, produced backspin while routinely making loud contact (71.4 hard-hit percentage according to BLAST; 102 mph max exit velocity and 92.6 mph average exit velocity). Profiles as a true middle-of-the-order power bat with feel to hit. On the other side of the ball, Izquierdo shows natural actions with impressive athleticism, especially given his physical frame; demonstrating the ability to handle errant throws with ease and picking balls in the dirt consistently throughout the event. The Navy commit also showed athletic feet around the base with impressive flexibility on low throws, showing body control throughout all infield-actions. By far one of the day’s biggest winners and is a definite name to know for this coming spring.
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Ben Karpowicz OF / South Elgin, IL / 20226-foot, 205-pounds; strong, physical frame with evenly distributed strength. Confident presence in the box, exaggerated leg-lift timing trigger, quick bat with an uphill path while showing a feel for the barrel; recorded a max on-plane efficiency of 97 according to BLAST. Hands are strong through contact, produced hard lifted contact to the whole field, ball occasionally jumps off the barrel to the pull side. Recorded a 96 mph max exit velocity, with a 55.2 hard-hit percentage. Sneaky athleticism given his thick, strong frame; 6.95 runner in the 60-yard dash. Profiles as a corner outfielder defensively. Showed clean footwork while playing through the ball, transitioning into an athletic crow-hop and reaching a max outfield velocity of 88 mph. In his first ever PBR event, Karpowicz came away as a highly intriguing outfielder to know for this coming spring. |
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Bryce Nevils C / Brother Rice, IL / 2023Uncommitted, 6-foot-1, 188-pound, athletic frame with advanced strength in his lower half. Worked out behind the plate and in the outfield. Possesses some of the softest, receptive hands from behind the plate, in the class. Highly-advanced receiver with clean, athletic actions and plays directional out of the crouch. Arm played over the top from the crouch and topped at 74 mph with a low pop time of 1.95. Caught our attention with his round of outfield defense. Active, quick feet, proper routes, got behind the baseball and looked natural despite being fairly new to the position. Played through the baseball athletically and showed off a quicker, stronger arm than he did behind the plate. From the outfield, his arm played quick and quick while his throws played with true four-seam carry, were consistently on the target and topped at 86 mph. At the plate, right-handed hitter has quick, strong hands and keeps the barrel flat and through the hitting zone a long time. Nevils was on the barrel with authority (65% sweet spot percentage) of his swings which was fourth-best of the event. Nevils averaged 82.7 mph off the bat and his furthest batted ball travelled 342 feet. One of the top uncommitted prospects in the Illinois’ 2023 class. |
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Will Plattner C / 1B / Glenwood, IL / 20226-foot-1, 205-pound, broad-shouldered, durable, right-handed hitting catcher. Has long been one of the more polished right-handed bats in the class and continued to showcase that at the ProCase. Starts in a wide, spread out stance with quiet, smooth rhythm pre-pitch. Repeatable swing and movement patterns, bat stays extremely flat, gets long through the hitting zone and he is able to cover both sides of the plate and all corners of the strike zone. Plattner looked most comfortable when he was able to get his arms extended routinely back spinning baseballs with natural lift to the big part of the diamond. Plattner averaged 89.2 mph, T98.1 mph off the bat and his furthest batted ball travelled 344 feet. Defensively, continues to improve his skill set behind the plate. Sure hands, clean and repeatable out of the crouch and arm plays best when he is controlled and balanced throughout transfer. Short arm action, over-the-top slot and throws flashed carry, topping at 80 mph with a low pop time of 1.94. Yet another strong showing from the Central Illinois product. |
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Shai Robinson SS / Homewood-Flossmoor , IL / 20226-foot, 175-pound, high-waisted frame with plenty of more physical development to tap into down the road. Arguably the top defensive shortstop in the state. Plays with extreme ease, especially on the move with the ability to throw from any platform and do so accurately. Smooth, gliding range with advanced body control and high-level hands that play with supreme confidence and comfort. Arm plays naturally from a high ¾ slot and gets easy carry to his throws when he wants to show it off; topped at 88 mph across the diamond. Offensively, impressed the fall with more impactful contact and jump off the barrel. Showed much of the same at the ProCase. Loose, athletic right-handed swing, was consistently on time and peppered the middle of the field throughout most of his BP rounds. Line-drive oriented swing that flashes sneaky power to the pull-side. High-ceiling prospect who continues to improve every time we see him. |
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Brandon Rogers OF / Mount Carmel, IL / 20225-foot-11, 195-pound, muscular, defined frame. Has added noticeable strength throughout his frame but especially in the lower half. Dynamic two-sport athlete who is coming off a knee injury that sidelined him in 2021. One of the top athletes in the class; has run a 6.55 laser-timed 60 in the past. Right-handed hitter, stands in the box with extreme confidence and moxy. Loose, athletic swing that works uphill through the zone while getting extension through contact. High-upside swing with fluid movement patterns and aggressive intent. Rogers led the event with the furthest batted ball at 384 feet off the bat. Defensively, glides and plays light on his feet in the outfield. Quick, easy first step and athletic overall actions. Arm plays quick and throws jump out of his hand, topping at 92 mph. Should draw plenty of attention from pro scouts moving forward, given his overall athleticism and skill set. |
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Jack Scheri SS / 2B / LaSalle-Peru, IL / 20225-foot-11, 201-pound, muscle-bound, defined frame; continues to add strength and muscle to his frame. Dynamic athlete, has run a 6.48 laser-timed 60 in the past. Defensively, continues to make strides at shortstop. Moved with ease, quick feet, advanced range and body control. Soft hands, clean glove-to-hand exchanges and played through the baseball in rhythm while flashing flashed easy arm strength; topped at 91 mph across the diamond. Has the ability to throw accurately from multiple slots. Offensively, right-handed hitter, advanced forearm and wrist strength. Led the event in average hand speed at 23.3 mph. Also, led the event by a wide margin in average rotational acceleration; 19.2 g. Stays short to the baseball and on-plane throughout. Feel for the barrel, loud off the bat and line-drive oriented swing. Profiles at the top of an order. Yet another good look at one of the top athletes in the class. |
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Brady Small OF / Lemont, IL / 20226-foot-2, 210-pound, broad-shouldered, strong, left-handed hitting outfielder. Has some of the top bat speed and power potential in the class. Led the event in average bat speed; 78.4 mph. Also, registered the top max exit velocity (102 mph) and average exit velocity (93.8 mph) of the event. Simple, efficient swing that stays direct to the baseball with natural lift throughout and present pull-side power. Occasionally back spins the baseball and ball jumps off the bat when he is on time. Fits the mold of a middle-of-the-order impact left-handed bat. Defensively, still new to the outfield should be able to profile at one of the corners. Above-average foot speed (6.80 60 in the past) for his size, and his arm plays quick and strong with his best throw coming in at 92 mph from the outfield. Still developing confidence in his routes and aggressiveness. Left-handed bat should draw plenty of interest moving forward. |
PITCHERS
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Alex Alberico RHP / Providence Catholic , IL / 20226-foot, 208-pounds; strong, athletic frame. Possesses a clean, uninterrupted arm path, short out of the glove and plays from a high ¾ arm slot. Moves into a drop/drive lower-half down the mound, striding in-line into a strong lead-leg block, some effort throughout the delivery. Fastball sat 89-90 mph with ride through the zone and an average spin rate of 2,246 rpm, plays at the top portion of the zone. Showed off a newly-polished breaking ball, spinning at an average of 2,397 rpm with sharp downward action, sitting in the 75-76 mph range and playing well off his fastball, landing for a strike 75% of the time. Curveball worked at 70-73 mph with short 11/5 shape, spinning at an average of 2,189 rpm, kept primarily down in the zone. The right-hander uses a firm changeup at 82-83 mph to complete his repertoire, maintaining fastball arm-speed with some arm-side fade at times. Perhaps one of Alberico’s most impressive attributes is that all four of his pitches come from almost the same arm-slot, never differentiating more than one inch from each-other. |
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Caden Capomaccio RHP / Notre Dame Academy, WI / 2022Athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. Strung together an impressive ‘pen with an improved four-pitch mix. Rhythmic drop/drive type delivery, athletic lower half downhill, rotates well onto a strong lead leg block at footstrike. Maintains direction to target, controlled finish. Fastball sat 91-92 mph with life into the upper quadrant of the zone, strikes. Continues to display advanced feel for a sharp 81-83 mph slider with tight spin off an 11/5 plane that’s thrown at arm speed and played in the zone; peaked at 2,600-plus rpm. Added a 76-78 mph knuckle curveball with 12/6 shape and depth that enhances arsenal, allowing Capomaccio to spin vertically and laterally. Completes his mix with a firm 83-87 mph changeup, kills spin and works from a similar slot to fastball, peaked at 16.3 inches of horizontal movement. Continues to solidify himself as a top-tier arm in Wisconsin’s senior class.
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Nathan Chapman RHP / Jacobs, IL / 20226-foot-3, 192-pounds; long-limbed with room for added strength. Stretch-only delivery, starts with front foot closer to first-base, utilizes a drop/drive lower-half down the mound, reaching balance point and then moving into an up-tempo stride down the mound while remaining in-line. Arm works quick from a short, over-the-top slot, creating a tough downhill angle for hitters. Fastball sat 86-88 mph with running action into right-handed hitters (20.7 inches of max IVB; 15.9 inches of average IVB). The right-hander showed off a tight slider with an average spin rate of 2,317 rpm (T2407 rpm) that sat in the 76-78 mph range, showing short 10/4 shape and thrown with fastball arm-speed. He utilized a tumbling 11/5 curveball in the 74-76 mph range with depth and advanced feel for the zone, landing it for a strike 75% of the time. He rounds out his four-pitch mix with a firm changeup in the 80-82 mph range, diving to his arm side and killing spin, landing it for a strike 40% of the time while routinely keeping it low in the zone. |
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Tyler Deleskiewicz RHP / Lake Geneva Badger, WI / 20226-foot-5, 215-pound frame; long-limbed frame with room for additional strength. Works from a long/loose, low ¾ slot, quick arm. Utilizes a drop/drive lower-half down the mound with some deception in this delivery, whippy follow-through, tough on righties in particular. Fastball worked 90-92 mph (T2480 rpm) with heavy sink and running action towards his arm-side, averaging 11.2 inches of IVB and 15.5 inches of horizontal movement while playing at the bottom of the zone. Curveball was thrown in the 77-80 mph range, thrown with intent and showing sharp 10/4 shape, spinning at an average of 2,295 rpm (T2391 rpm). The right-hander featured a firm changeup, thrown at 80-83 mph with some arm-side life, diving low-and-in to right-handed hitters and killing spin. Deleskiewicz showed the ability to repeat his arm-slot on all his pitches which is typically more difficult for long limbed pitchers, keeping his release point within two inches of each-other on all of his offerings. |
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Brayden Marks RHP / Elkhorn Area, WI / 20226-foot-6, 225-pounds; more physically defined since our last look, added strength and trimmed out. Showed an advanced four-pitch mix and starter profile moving forward. In tempo drop/drive type delivery, rides the backside, open-toed landing and finishes with intent with adept body control for size. Long and loose arm path that finishes out of a slightly elevated ¾ slot. Fastball sat 90-91 mph throughout, spun at an average rate of 2,457 rpm and did flash above-average vertical traits, too. Mixed in a hard-running sinker that he spotted down in the zone with late action and life. Lowers slot on changeup, played best to the arm-side of the plate off the sinker at 83-85 mph. Spun two breaking balls at a near 2,600 rpm average. Slider was thrown with clear conviction and intent from a lower arm slot at 77-80 mph, bullet-type spin and tighter shape. Curveball played at 75-77 mph, spun off an 11/5 plane with occasional sharp spin and more depth than slider. Size, ceiling, and polish equate to an intriguing draft follow both now and in the future.
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Matthew Tarr RHP / C / West Aurora, IL / 2022Added strength onto a 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame since our previous look, clear physicality in the lower half. Athletic drop-and-drive downhill pattern, repeats and finishes in a controlled posture. Shorter, compact arm action that works from a clean high ¾ slot, above-average arm speed, loose shoulder. Fastball sat 91-93 mph, averaged 2,398 rpm, mostly straight action and some feel for the zone; ball jumps out of the hand with late finish through the zone. Breaking ball is the separator. Played at 75-78 mph with sharp late break, downer action, averaged nearly 2,800 rpm and showed feel to locate it around the zone/for strikes. Also mixed in a changeup at 84-87 mph that played from a slightly lower release slot and averaged 16.4 inches of horizontal movement. Emerged as one of the event’s biggest winners as an area draft follow moving into the spring.
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