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Kenosha Preseason I.D.: Quick Hits

February 16, 2021
By Andy Sroka
Illinois and Wisconsin Assistant Director

On Feb. 14, the PBR Wisconsin team hosted its first event of 2021, the Kenosha Preseason I.D., at Puma Baseball Academy within the Fielder’s Choice Training Facility in Kenosha, Wis. This was an open event for all high school classes (2021-24), and gave our staff an ample look at the area's top players.

Today, in our first post-event piece from this event, we’ll publish our biggest takeaways and highlights from Sunday’s showcase within this Quick Hits story. Throughout the rest of this week, we’ll be taking diving deeper into all of the data we collected, too, with the help of our Blast Motion and TrackMan devices.

For now, check out our notes and findings from Sunday’s event in Kenosha; all of the prospects below are currently uncommitted.

QUICK HITS

CLASS OF 2022

+ While currently unranked and uncommitted, C Joseph Lagina (Freedom Project Academy) turned in a highly productive all-around performance on Sunday, which should land him on the state rankings inside our next update, following the winter. Lagina looked stronger, fitting the catcher’s physical mold, and it made his round of batting practice pop. He swings a right-handed bat with twitchy speed, and it helps craft some applicable in-game power potential long-term. His batted-ball metrics were arguably the day’s most impressive, too, as Lagina was responsible for both the farthest (363 feet) and hardest (98.0 mph) hit balls of the day. Defensively, the sturdy 5-foot-11, 200-pound backstop moves fluidly with above-average actions, and his throws to second were efficient and consistently on target.

+ OF Ethan Clark (Lakes Community, IL) is a follow prospect from Illinois who we’ve become familiar with at this event, in particular, each year. At this latest showing, Clark impressed our staff on offense, as he made impactful contact from the right side, getting the utmost out of his wiry 6-foot-2, 165-pound build. Clark averaged the highest exit speed at the event (88.9 mph), while landing barrel after barrel. Despite his long levers, Clark demonstrates complete control and athleticism of his lanky frame, promoting some physical projection as he continues to develop and mature. Clark’s shown really well from the mound in the past, too, so his 89 mph high to home from the outfield was no surprise to see. He’s increasingly an intriguing member of Illinois’ junior class to know ahead of a big spring and summer.

Ethan Clark (2/14/21)

+ From Brookfield Central, OF Luke Wenzel appears to have taken some strides in between looks. The junior is listed at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, so there’s room to fill out still and he was still able to flash some upside strength from the left-handed batter’s box. Wenzel’s best batted ball travelled over 340 feet and left the barrel at 90.4 mph, and he created above-average bat and hand speed too, per the Blast Motion sensor. Wenzel also ranges around the outfield with fluid actions and a loose arm that reached an 83 mph high to home.

+ INF/RHP Bowen Smith (Hononegah, IL) made a strong first impression at his first-ever PBR event on Sunday. Listed at an especially projectable 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, Smith showed athletic hands and actions from both the batter’s box and on defense. He repeats a simple, stable right-handed swing well and he made consistent on-the-barrel contact, producing upside batted-ball metrics, and a max exit speed of 91.3 mph in batting practice. Smith has raw, but projectable actions on defense, worth keeping tabs on as he continues on into his junior spring – and he was also up to 82 mph on the mound while flashing the ability to spin a breaking ball.

+ 3B/C Joey Appino (Boylan Catholic, IL) is yet another Illinois native who showed well in Kenosha. His 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame can support useful strength, and he has some raw arm strength, too, that topped 84 mph across the infield.

+ OF/C Seth Thomas (Wauwatosa West) is a raw athlete with intriguing potential, especially on offense. From the right-handed batter’s box, Thomas generates notable bat and hand speed, and that twitchy strength helps him produce occasional pop. He recorded a 93.9 mph max exit speed and struck one ball nearly an estimated 350 feet, according to our TrackMan device.

CLASS OF 2023

+ Among the day’s most prominent takeaways was the aggressive, dynamic bat speed and strength that INF Marco Falletti (Wilmot) produced during his round of batting practice. Falletti recorded substantial bat speed, measured at 76.0 mph on average, which is excellent regardless of age. As only a sophomore, Falletti’s strength and athleticism on offense helped him generate huge power potential for his age, and his max exit speed was recorded at 97.0 mph.

+ From just over the border in Antioch, Ill., INF Vincent Sacchetti is a middle infielder we’ll report back to our Illinois staff. A wiry 5-foot-11 athlete, Sacchetti took a strong round of batting practice, demonstrating barrel accuracy and physical projection as he matures. His fluid feet on defense helped him resemble a next-level middle infielder on defense, too, and he topped 81 mph across.

+ RHP Jake Catalano (Brookfield East) was responsible for one of the day’s best performances from the mound. With some strength already present in his 6-foot-1, 175-pound build, Catalano reached an 83.7 mph high with the fastball, from a steep angle with a shorter arm action. His curveball flashed bite and late downer action, and the straight change looks like capable of becoming a quality third pitch. It was a good look at a rising sophomore in the state.

+ 1B Cameron Prickett (Tremper) swings a follow right-handed bat with innate strength, that produced noteworthy batted-ball metrics, especially for a player his age. He averaged an exit speed of 83.6 mph, with a 90.9 high, and he produced fast bat and hand speed marks, per Blast Motion. Prickett also defends first base like an asset, too, responsible for a number of quality scoops during infield defense, and he defended his position well during his portion of the round, when he was the focal point.

CLASS OF 2024

+ As we begin to fully collect intel on Wisconsin’s budding 2024 class, 3B/RHP Marshall Loch (Union Grove) has propelled himself into a group of the best we’ve seen to date. In Kenosha on Sunday, Loch’s round of BP was among the best in attendance, and his swing and batted-ball metrics resembled a player much more mature and older than the Union Grove freshman. Loch’s fast, loose right-handed bat made loud, impactful contact, producing a 94.2 mph max exit speed in BP. He projects to grow into a corner spot well, with the arm strength to accommodate third more than capably, which also translated seamlessly onto the mound. There, Loch touched 82 mph with complementary spin rates and a projectable breaking ball and change. It remains to be seen where Loch projects best – but that can only be seen as a good thing.

+ C Hayden Jamison (Union Grove) is built at a sturdy, strong 5-foot-9, 170 pounds – and he’s become a freshman follow in the process. Jamison’s swing features some advanced traits, per Blast Motion, with fast bat and hand speed and powerful rotational acceleration. These signal power projection down the road, which we’ll get into later within our Blast-centric story later this week.

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