On Wednesday, June 22, the PBR Illinois staff hosted the Illinois Travel Baseball Club Scout Day at Harper College in Palatine, IL. The event consisted of just over 30 players from the ITB organization, and provided our staff an in-depth look at players from all high school levels throughout their program.

Below are some of the standout performers from the event.

PITCHERS

+ RHP Carl Moland-Kovash (Rolling Meadows, 2023) is a physical presence, standing 6-foot-5, 200-pounds. The right-hander works with a smooth tempo on the mound, controlling his limbs well throughout; he coils slightly into balance point before moving into a tall/fall lower-half, remaining in-line to the plate before transitioning into a high ¾ slot. His fastball plays with some ride and ASR through the zone, coming out at 80-83 mph. He showed feel for his breaking ball at 68-70 mph, playing off a sharp 11/5 plane, kept mostly down. His final offering was a fading changeup at 71-75 mph, thrown for strikes with similar arm-speed to his fastball. 

TWO-WAYs

+ OF/LHP Jack Cozzi (St. Edward Central Catholic, 2024) gave an intriguing look on both sides of the ball. The L/L 5-foot-11, 165-pound two-way started off his day with an impressive round of BP; staying long/loose through the zone with an uphill path, intent to lift the baseball with power to his pull-side, reaching up to 94.6 mph for his top exit velocity with a max distance of 369’. In the outfield, Cozzi moves with athletic actions, playing through the ball to pair with his strong arm, moving with low perceived effort and backspin (T82 mph). On the mound, the southpaw works with a drop/drive lower-half, striding slightly across his body while landing closed. His arm plays with a long stab out of the glove before transitioning into a high ¾ slot. His fastball sat in the 79-80 mph range with some ride through the zone. He showed two promising off-speed offerings; the first being a 2/8 breaking ball with sweeping action, 67-70 mph. His second offering was a changeup at 73-76 mph, coming out mostly straight but fading slightly at times to his arm-side. 

POSITION PLAYERS

+ C Henry Saul (Batavia, 2023) had one of the best all-around showings on the entire day. The right-handed hitter has strong hands through the zone, working with an uphill path and controlled aggression to lift the baseball, favoring the pull-side and staying on the barrel throughout his round while reaching up to 96 mph for his exit velocity - max distance of 340’. Behind the plate, Saul has steady hands with a quick/clean transfer, also moving well into blocks while deadening the ball out front. His arm plays with easy life and carry out of the hand, topping out at 76 mph and reaching as low as 1.94 on his pop-time.

+ C Meyer Rogoff (Niles West, 2023) was yet another catcher that showed well throughout the day. The right-handed hitter works with a simple stroke at the plate, repeating with ease while spraying line-drives to the whole field, reaching up to 88 mph for his exit velocity with a 45% line drive rate. He showed reliable hands behind the plate, working with a clean transfer to produce some pop-times in the 2.20s. 

+ INF Keenan Oldani (South Elgin, 2024) was a standout from last week’s event, starting his day off strong by cruising to a 6.93 60-time. At the plate, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-handed hitter showed some high-level pop off the bat, reaching up to 101 mph for his max exit velocity; he stays flat through the zone with advanced bat-speed, pull-side approach with a middle of the order profile. Defensively, his arm plays with carry across the diamond, reaching up to 80 mph with a third-base profile. 

+ INF Benjamin Conte (St. Francis, 2024) took one of the better rounds of defense on the day; moving athletically with fluid footwork, moving well side-to-side while also showing soft/steady hands. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has a smooth/repeatable stroke, staying on the barrel throughout his round while keeping the ball on a line, reaching up to 90.2 mph for his max exit velocity. Also a 7.09 runner in the 60-Yard Dash. 

+ INF Payton Diaz (Buffalo Grove, 2024) is a projectable 6-foot-1, 170-pound infielder with steady hands. At the plate, the right-hander has long/loose levers that remains simple throughout his operation; staying on top of the ball with feel for the barrel, using the whole field throughout his round. 

+ OF Antonio Alanis (Streamwood, 2024) was yet another right-handed hitter with a quality round of BP on the day; staying up the middle and to the opposite field with long/loose arms through the zone, seeing the ball deep and staying through the zone with his barrel. Defensively, he showed to have fluid feet up to the ball, working with steady hands and a short/clean arm.

+ OF Matthew Jackson (Prospect, 2026) was one of the biggest winners from the event. Standing at a lean 6-foot-, 160-pounds, Jackson has plenty of upside to dream on in the coming years. The right-handed hitter showed to have some bat-speed while staying long through the zone, his bat stays on plane while creating easy pop, reaching up to 92.7 mph for his max exit velocity with a max distance of 338’. In the outfield, Jackson plays aggressively through the ball with steady hands. His arm plays with carry to his target, reaching up to 82 mph from a crow-hop. He also ran to a 7.19 60-Yard Dash. 

+ INF Charlie Letzig (Prospect, 2026) stands at a lean/wiry 6-foot, 155-pounds with plenty of room to add on strength and fill out. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has long/loose levers that stay through the zone well, also showing to have power to his pull-side; reaching up to 89.7 mph for his top exit velocity with a max distance of 312’. Defensively, Letzig moves well with active feet, changing direction quickly and pairing with steady/reliable hands. 

For a complete look at the event page, CLICK HERE.

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