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PBR IL Scout Day - Parkland JC: Takeaways

September 9, 2021
By Tad Slowik and Peter Hamot
National/Illinois Scouting Staff

The Parkland College Scout Day, the first Junior College Scout Day of the fall in Illinois, was a great success. The Cobras demonstrated why they are a perennial power house at the NJCAA Division II level. They ran out a number of strong arms, some high-end athletes and impressive hitters. 

In total, eight arms were 90+ on the mound while seven hitters registered a max exit velocity of 102 mph or better during BP. Below are some of the standouts from the event. 

POSITION PLAYERS

Cole Evans, OF/SS, Grand Island HS (NE), 2019
Evans, the No. 9 ranked player coming out of Nebraska in 2019, was one of the top position players from the day. 6-foot-1, 195-pound, strong, athletic body. Flashed some high-level tools across the board; 6.70 60 yard dash while topping out at 97 mph from the outfield with a plus/accurate throwing arm producing carry. Showed natural outfield instincts, moved well and should be an above-average defender. Right-handed hitter, athletic approach at the plate with balance throughout contact and a quick/compact swing. Ability to drive the ball to all fields while consistently staying on the barrel. Ball jumps off his bat with plus raw power; 97.3 mph max exit velocity with a max distance of 379’ off the bat in BP. Taylor projects as an everyday outfielder who should be able to slot into the middle of an order at the next level.

Keenan Taylor, 3B, Guerin Catholic HS (IN), 2020
Ranked No. 17 in the Indiana 2020 class. 5-foot-10, 200-pound, strong, physical build. Defensively, at third base, athletic actions with quick first step; strong, accurate arm across the diamond that topped at 87 mph. Offensively, the right-handed hitter was all over the barrel during his round of BP while showing easy power to all fields. Stays compact and quick to the baseball with a knack for loud contact. Taylor concluded his round of BP with four-straight home runs. Registered an eye-popping average exit velocity of 99.3 mph during his round, with a 102.9 mph max. His furthest ball off the bat traveled 407’, with a 90% hard hit percentage (percentage of batted balls with exit velocities over 95 mph). Overall, Taylor showed the ability to be an everyday third baseman at the next level.

Jaron Ward, OF, Dinwiddie HS (VA), 2021
True freshman. 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame; long-limbed, live, athletic body with more room for physical development. Showed an impressive combination of speed and power; ran the fastest 60-yard dash of the event at 6.59 while registering a max exit velocity of 100 mph during BP. Foot speed plays in the outfield; light and quick on his feet, good first step. Accurate arm that topped at 87 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has present bat speed and flashed pull-side power. Ward creates leverage and lift in his swing resulting in him depositing a handful of balls over the left-field wall; his best batted ball traveled 392’ off the bat. High-end athlete with power and upside to all parts of his game. 

PITCHERS

Mitch Mueller, RHP, Brookfield Central (WI), 2020
Ranked No. 50 coming out of Wisconsin in 2020. Has seen his velocity climb from 84-86 mph in the summer of 2019 to 91-92 mph, T93 at the Parkland JC Scout Day. 6-foot-4, 220-pounds, strong, wide-shouldered build with a thick lower half; workhorse type frame. Pitched exclusively from the stretch with a drop-and-drive lower-half. Athletic delivery with the ability to repeat. Showed a four-pitch repertoire with a potential starter profile. Ball comes out of the hand easy from a quick/high ¾ slot. Fastball worked 90-93 mph with tail and sink towards the bottom of the zone. Curveball showed sharp, 11/5 shape with late bite, thrown in the 74-75 mph range. Slider is tight with sharp/late break and diving 10/4 action in the 79-81 mph range. Changeup is thrown with arm speed and late sink at 86-87 mph. Mueller has four quality pitches with some upside and projects to be a starter at the next level.

Tucker Shalley, RHP, Jersey HS (IL), 2020
Ranked No. 26 in the Illinois’ 2020 class. 6-foot-4 180-pound frame; Long-limbed, high-waisted build with room to fill out. Shalley has seen his velocity climb from the mid-80’s in the fall of 2018 to the low-90’s at the Parkland JC Scout Day. Delivery works efficiently down the mound with a drop-and-drive lower-half and the ability to repeat. Loose/extremely quick arm action that plays from a ¾ arm slot. Another arm who showcased a four-pitch mix and starter potential at the next level. Fastball worked 91-92 mph with late tail and life through the zone; averaged 2245 rpm. Slider is currently the best breaking ball; works 78-80 mph with sharp/hard diving action and 10/4 shape. Curveball has slurvy shape with occasional sharp downer break in the 72-77 mph range. Splitter is effective when stays on top with hard diving action in the 77-79 mph range. Highly-projectable arm and with starter potential.

Jay Schueler, RHP, Rock Falls HS (IL), 2019
Schueler is another arm that should play a big role for the Cobra’s this spring. Was up to 92 mph at last year’s Parkland JC Scout Day. 6-foot-3, 190-pound, athletic build with well-proportioned strength and room for more to come. Athletic, tall and fall delivery, was able repeat and pounded the zone throughout his bullpen session. Clean, loose arm action, over-the-top slot. Fastball worked 90-92 mph, worked mostly straight with feel for the zone and occasional ride; T2488 rpm with an average of 2372 rpm. Spins his curveball well on sharp/downer plane with late bite, thrown in the 76-77 mph range; T2544 rpm, 2468 rpm average. Slider is tight with sharp/late action in the 79-80 mph range; 2528 average rpm. Changeup has some deception and fade, thrown at 81-82 mph. Schueler has true feel for four pitches with the possibility of some developing into plus down the road; starter profile projection.

CLICK HERE for the Parkland JC Scout Day event page.

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