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Super 60: Illinois Recap

February 4, 2019
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

On Sunday, seven of Illinois’ top prospects participated in the 17th annual PBR Super 60 pro showcase in front of over 100 scouts, both from the Major League and collegiate scouting communities.

In the fallout of one of the PBR calendar’s most prestigious annual events, the PBR Illinois staff wanted to provide some instant analysis on the state’s seven attendees. We’ve broken down each Illinois prospect below and provided their measured statistics along yesterday’s showcase.

Keep checking back over the next couple of weeks for input from our national team as well as further analysis at a local level, as we continue to break down the high-profile showcase in complete detail.

POSITION PLAYER ANALYSIS

Name School Position 60-Yard Dash Pos. Velocity Exit Velocity
Kendal Ewell Marist OF 6.53 94 102
Jalen Greer St. Rita SS 6.65 88 94
Jason Hodges Marist OF 6.80 87 103
Matt McCormick St. Laurence C 7.07 82 102
Dylan Post Lincoln-Way Central C 6.90 84 91

+ Catchers: Left-handed hitters Matt McCormick (St. Laurence) and Dylan Post (Lincoln-Way Central) were the two Illinois catchers who earned invites to the Super 60. McCormick, a West Virginia commit, has long been known as one of the top bats in the Midwest and continued to show why at the event. McCormick has loose, strong hands and routinely backspun the baseball to all fields. McCormick also put up personal bests in a number of different statistical areas, including a 7.07 run in the laser-timed 60, topped 82 mph from the crouch, and registered a 102 mph exit velocity, with a wood bat, off of a tee.

Post, a Houston commit, has been one of the biggest buzz guys over the past year in Illinois. The physical 6-foot-2, 190-pound backstop has continued to hone his overall game and looked in midseason form at the Super 60. At the plate, Post flashed strong hands and potential power in the bat. Defensively, he is clean and athletic out of the crouch with a strong true arm. Post registered a personal best velocity from the crouch, 84 mph, and his pop times were consistently 2.00 or better.


+ Infielders: Missouri commit Jalen Greer (St. Rita) was the lone Illinois infielder in attendance yesterday. Greer, one of the toolsiest prospects in the state, had a strong all-around day. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound, long, athletic, projectable infielder ran a 6.65 laser-timed 60 and took one of the top defensive rounds of the day. Greer has loose, smooth actions, soft hands, plays on the move with body control and has a strong, accurate arm (88 mph). Offensively, the right-handed hitter, routinely found the barrel and worked the middle of the field with ease. Greer warranted some added attention this spring with his performance on Sunday.

+ Outfielders: Two of the more intriguing position players from the entire event, Jason Hodges and Kendal Ewell, not only are from Illinois, they hail from the same high school. The Marist products have advanced frames and strength in their bats. Hodges, an Arkansas commit, may be the more “now” ready prospect of the two but still has plenty of upside to dream on. He has been one of the biggest buzz names since the fall and re-confirmed why at the Super 60. Hodges, who is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, ran a 6.80 in the 60, registered a 103 mph exit velocity from a tee, and swings the bat with aggression. In his first round of BP, Hodges made some of the hardest contact of the day, routinely hammering baseballs to the pull-side gap.


Ewell, listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, is a long, projectable outfielder who may have as much upside as any position player at the event. The Eastern Kentucky commit ran a PBR personal best 6.53 laser-timed 60, was 94 mph from the outfield, and registered a 102 mph exit velocity from a tee, with wood. Ewell has a simple swing with extremely easy power in his bat. He stays short to the ball, has quick-twitch in his hands, and the ball jumps off the bat to all fields.


PITCHER ANALYSIS
Name School Position Top FB FB Range CH Range SL Range CB Range
Grant Leader Lyons Township RHP 93 91-92 77-81 79-80 73-75
Zack Lee Effingham RHP 93 90-92 86-87 79-80 77-79


The two Illinois pitchers in attendance were Zachary Lee (Effingham) and Grant Leader (Lyons Township). Both arms sat 90-92 mph, touching 93 but have very different profiles and stuff. Lee stands 6-foot-4, 210-pounds with plenty of room for continued physical development. The high-ceiling right-hander, has a loose quick arm from a ¾ slot with seemingly a lot more in the tank. At the Super 60, Lee, a Kentucky commit, flashed a power changeup, at 86-87 mph, with late run and sink. He also mixed in a curveball and a slider, with the slider looking like more of the go-to-pitch in the future.


Leader, stands 5-foot-9, 165-pounds and his frame is full of explosiveness and quick-twitch. The dynamic Illinois commit, has a short, quick arm action and the ball jumps out of his hand. Leader paired his low-90’s fastball with one of the more complete four-pitch repertoires in attendance. All four of Leader’s pitches have swing-and-miss potential with his changeup leading the way on this day. Leader’s slider and curveball have distinct shapes and both feature tight spin and late bite.


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