2023 PBR All-American Game, Spotlight: Ryan Sloan
August 20, 2023
On Saturday, Sept. 23, Prep Baseball Report is hosting its inaugural High School All-American Game at American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. The unique event will feature the nation’s top high school seniors who are set to battle against a roster of the country’s best juniors in Class of 2024 vs. Class of 2025 action, giving pro scouts a unique look at current and future draft classes.
We’ve begun to unveil the event’s participants on our social media channels, and we’ll spotlight those players more closely on our site, too, highlighting past performances and scouting reports from the live looks we’ve gathered on this gifted group throughout the years.
We're highlighting senior right-hander Ryan Sloan, a Wake Forest recruit from York HS in Illinois' Chicagoland area. Sloan is his state's top-ranked '24 prospect, and he punctuated that status at the Area Code Games recently, where he sat 94-96 mph on a flat fastball that leaves a lower release height (approx. 4.9 feet avg.) and runs substantially arm-side. Meanwhile, Sloan spins a sweeping slider that projects nicely alongside that running fastball, working in the 81-85 mph range. The progression of Sloan's changeup this summer has boosted his stock headed into the fall, as the pitch fits the Demon Deacons' mold already.
Here's an excerpt from a scouting report in mid-May, published by PBR Illinois on its spring Scout Blog:
"Wake Forest commit and the top-ranked prospect in the Illinois’ 2024 class, currently slotted at No. 41 overall on the PBR National Rankings. Picked up the win in relief in this look, punching out seven across 4 â…” innings of work and surrendering a pair of earned runs. Works exclusively from the stretch, stacks onto his backside and gets down the mound in line to his target. Polished finish without much effort, stays in rhythm and repeats. Loose, clean, and fast arm that finishes from a ¾ slot. Fastball flashed life and heavy arm-side action to both sides of the plate, pitching in the low-90s, and touching 94 mph in this look. Slider showed as the primary secondary, sweeping off a 10/4 plane at 80-82 mph, and he turned over a changeup in the low-80s with sink, too. A premier prospect in the Midwest’s 2024 draft cycle that should garner plenty of attention throughout the summer circuit and into next year, too."