Prep Baseball Report

Class of 2020 Showcase: Quick Hits


By Drew Locascio and Adam Panayotovich
Illinois Scouting Staff

The PBR Illinois Class of 2020 Showcase was hosted on July, 18th at Wheaton College (Lee Pfund Stadium) in Carol Stream, IL. The event, a pro-style workout, was conducted in front of the PBR Illinois Scouting Staff and saw nearly 90 prospects from the 2020 class.  

This has served as an identifier for upcoming Juniors in the greater Chicagoland area. Of the players in attendance, many remove the under-the-radar tag from their names showcasing their skills and bringing their names to the forefront.

Below is an early insight to the top performances on the day.

QUICK HITS

HANDFUL OF CATCHERS

+ The overall crop of catchers was arguably the deepest and most talented position at the event and these five names, Matthew Flaherty (Lake Zurich), Logan Delgado (Antioch), Jack Kuchel (Sandburg) and Cole Conn (St. Charles East) and Chase Mason (Washington), may have been the best of the bunch.

+ Flaherty and Kuchel have physical frames and bats to match. Both made consistent hard contact in BP while flashing pull-side power.

+ Delgado has a smooth left-handed bat and athletic actions behind the plate. Conn, is a versatile switch-hitter with a strong arm from behind the plate, 77 mph. Mason is still refining his game behind the plate but has undeniable arm strength at 80 mph from the crouch.

VARIETY OF OUTFIELDERS

+ There was a wide variety to choose from when it came to outfielders; from highly-athletic defenders, to physical bats with potential to hit in the middle of the order and a few players with two-way potential.

+ 6-foot-2, 205-pound, Daniel Clawson (Hersey) showed off advanced bat strength and big power potential in his round of BP. The physically advanced outfielder led the event with a 94 mph exit velocity from a tee and also ran a 7.08 60.

+ Eddie Harvey (New Trier) and Mason Hsieh-Bailey (Oak Park-River Forest) ran a 6.86 and 6.77 laser-timed 60 respectively. Both should be highly-sought after outfielders with a chance to play center field at the next level.

+ OF/RHP’s Andrew Etter (Mount Carmel), Jackson Powell (Normal U-High) and Connor Morrison (Lake Forest) have legitimate two-way abilities. Etter, listed at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds was 88 mph from the outfield and sat 83-84 mph, touching 85 on the mound. Powell comes in at 6-foot-4, 185-pounds, and has a loose, easy right-handed swing. Powell was 86 mph from the outfield, registered an 87 mph exit velocity and was 83-84 mph on the mound. Morrison had some strength in his left-handed bat and sat 83-84 mph on the mound from the left side.

GLUT OF RHP’S

+ Of the numerous arms in attendance, there were a slew of RHP’s that impressed on the mound.

+ Jake Kuntzendorf (Aurora Christian) made a big impression in his first ever PBR event. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound, right-hander has a clean quick arm and firm fastball that sat 85-87 mph with ride through the hitting zone.

+ Lukas Kim and Rohan B Shah are both lanky, athletic right-handers that saw their fastball comfortably sit in the low 80’s. Each utilize a ¾ to high ¾ slot and showcased their loose arm action, respectively.

OTHERS

+ Chris Seropian and Joel Sarver are interesting two-way players to keep an eye on moving forward. Both possess athletic frames that translate to the diamond. Seropian, the southpaw of the two, sat his fastball at 81-82 mph with more than capable abilities in the outfield. Sarver carries a little more strength in his frame, pushing his heater up to 84 mph and clocking a 93 mph exit velocity off a tee.

+ MIF Clay Conn (St. Charles East) made a statement in his first ever PBR event. The switch-hitting middle infielder ran a 6.85 laser-timed 60, showed advanced defensive actions and controls the barrel from both sides of the plate.

+ CIF James Harris (Brooks College Prep) brings plenty of intrigue with his right-handed bat. The 6-foot, 200-pound, strong-bodied prospect stays short to the ball and flashed hard contact to the pull-side with backspin. Harris registered an 89 mph exit velocity and ran a 7.10 60.

There were plenty more prospects not mentioned above that will be touched on in the stat story on Friday and the full event analysis in a few weeks.

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