Prep Baseball Report

Lockport Preseason I.D.: Quick Hits


By Illinois Scouting Staff

On Feb. 15, the PBR Illinois team hosted the Lockport Preseason I.D. The event featured over 160 uncommitted prospects from across Illinois, and a few neighboring states. If you missed us in Lockport, check out our showcase page to see when we’re in the neighborhood next.

Today, our staff collaborated to highlight the biggest takeaways and highlights from Monday's showcase, and we’re publishing them within this Quick Hits piece. Over the next couple of days we’ll be diving deeper into all of the data we collected, too, with the help of our Blast Motion and TrackMan devices.

For now, check out our notes and findings from Monday's event in Lockport.

QUICK HITS

CLASS OF 2022

+ OF Jake Collins (Lockport, 2022) is a strong, muscle-bound right-handed hitter who showed well in the box with a repeated awareness for the barrel out of a compact stroke. He topped out at just over 100 mph exit velocity, and his obvious physicality led him to the highest average exit velocity of the entire event.

+ One of the biggest winners from Monday's event on the mound was RHP Max Hansmann (York, 2022). Built at a proportionally athletic, 6-foot, 173-pound frame, Hansmann strung together an all-around impressive bullpen, with notable TrackMan metrics to pair. He pumped his fastball in at 82-85 mph, topping 86 (up from 79-81 this past October) with a 2,364 rpm average and life as it entered the hitting zone. The separator for Hansmann was his curveball – a true swing-and-miss offering with sharp, late biting action that averaged a spin rate of 2,792 rpm, reaching a 2,856 high. Hansmann emerged as a high-follow with more velocity likely to come.

+ Another winner from yesterday’s event from a pitching standpoint: RHP Matthew Cuzco (St. Ignatius, 2022). The 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander brings a competitive, physically imposing presence to the mound. He routinely attacked the zone with an aggressive 83-86 mph fastball that topped at 87 mph, the second hardest bullet in the entire event. Cuzco complemented his fastball with both a slider and splitter, the former being the more presently advanced offering of the two - a tight spinning offering that flashed late, cutter-like action off a 10/4 plane. 

+ Kicking our day off with one of the louder BP rounds we saw was left-handed hitting 3B/SS Kyle Peterson (Sandburg, 2022). Peterson, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound infielder, repeated hard pull-side gap contact throughout his round. His average exit speed of 89.51 mph was among the event leaders and he hit the farthest ball of the entire event at 371 feet.

+ OF Michael Gladden (St. Ignatius, 2022). A confident swagger in the box, Gladden shows clear athleticism with an early load and repeatable on time swing. He jumps on the baseball with some conviction creating hard pull side contact in BP. Pair his 6.80 speed with his bat and Gladden looks to be a well above-average outfield bat.

+ C/OF Dawson Bochenek (Lockport, 2022) is solidly built at 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, and  brought one of the top outfield arms to Lockport on Monday. Bochenek topped at 87 mph from the outfield and flashed some raw hard contact from the right side of the plate. 

+ Lincoln-Way East RHP Ryan Ball (2022) made a strong first impression on the mound in his PBR debut. Built at a physical 6-foot-3, 215-pound broad-shouldered frame, Ball routinely attacked the zone with his 85-87 mph fastball that played straight with some occasional downhill tilt to it. He showed the ability to confidently spot up a fading changeup on the arm-side of the plate and also landed several curveballs with 12/6 spin for strikes. 

+ INF/RHP Randy Seymour (Lincoln-Way East, 2022) is an athletic right/right two-way player with some upside both on the mound and with the bat. He showed a loose easy swing and an athletic arm and actions on the infield which also topped at 86 mph on the mound. 

+ 1B Sam Ruchala (Andrew, 2022). A physical 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Ruchala provides a receptive target at first base, with above average footwork that shows natural feel and actions around the bag. More importantly he showed off some gap to gap pop with a swing that created some natural lift. 

+ INF Matthew Morsovillo (Sandburg, 2022) shaved almost 0.4 off his 60 time since last summer, now running a 7.17. At the plate, he continues to show a repeatable line drive/gap-to-gap approach, staying short to the baseball with some of the more consistent barrel contact of the day. He’s a long and rangy prospect who projects well at 6-foot-4, 180-pounds, likely destined for a corner infield position, his bat will certainly carry the load.

CLASS OF 2023

+ C Colin Barczi (Naperville Central, 2023) seems to get better with every look. Ranked inside the state’s top-30 for the sophomore class, Barczi further cemented himself as a top prospect after this recent showing. Standing at a proportionally strong and athletic 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame, Barczi started his event off by running a 6.75 in the 60-yard dash, a well above-average time for someone of his size and age. He then took a strong, polished round of batting practice, showing off easy gap-to-gap power and advanced bat strength that’s harnessed within his short right-handed stroke. His hardest hit ball left his barrel at 100.80 mph and traveled 358 feet, per TrackMan, further reiterating the level of raw power he possesses. Barczi also showed off improved arm strength behind the plate, topping at 80 mph with a low pop time of 2.00. One of the top uncommitted right-handed bats we have seen in Illinois.

+ LHP Tore Indomenico (St. Ignatius, 2023) delivered one of the more eye-opening performances on the day and emerged as a high-follow uncommitted arm to know in the 2023 class. The 6-foot, 190-pound left-hander has an uptempo delivery, pitches with intent and showed a lively fastball that jumped out of the hand at 87-88 mph, touching 89 (2,335 max rpm). Indomenico also showed the makings of a three-pitch mix with a low-70s curveball (2,041 max rpm) and an upper-70s changeup. One of the top uncommitted left-handed arms that we have seen to date in Illinois.

+ OF/RHP Kamrin Cox (Homewood-Flossmoor, 2023) is a natural athlete, running the top 60 of the day at 6.61. He moves in the outfield like a natural and his speed would dictate his ability to close gaps from centerfield. He shows similar athleticism in the right-handed batters box where he brings a short compact swing that works slightly uphill. Cox also hopped on the mound and ran his fastball up to 85 mph. Athletic 2023 to follow moving forward.

+ INF Anthony Martinez (Lockport, 2023) was one of the more confident hitters of the day. The ball jumped off his bat with a relative ease about his swing, he’s relaxed in the box and creates advanced bat speed leading to some premium exit velocity numbers for his age. 

+ Another impressive right-handed hitter was Jonny Carrera (Bolingbrook, 2023). Carrera generated well above average bat speed that was dominated mostly by his hands. It's a long fluid path that repeated mostly line drive contact while using the big part of the field. 

+ OF Ryan Drumm (Madison Edgewood, WI, 2023) made the trip to Lockport from Wisconsin and put together arguably the most impressive BP round of the day in terms of consistency. Drumm repeatedly barreled up baseballs off the back wall with authority. He generates a simple, repeatable stroke that has the ability to backspin the baseball and generate well-above-average pop for his size, at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. He’s a solidly built athlete who ran a sub-7.00 time in the 60-yard dash, and showed an 85 mph arm from the outfield.

+ OF Michael Cafagna (Andrew, 2023) put together an intriguing round of BP from the left side of the plate. The 6-foot, 155-pound outfielder showed an easy swing, staying through the zone for a long time, making consistent hard, loud contact. As he continues to add weight to his wiry frame, pull-side power should follow.

+ One of the top catch and throw backstops of the event was C/INF Kaleb Wilkey (Lincoln-Way West, 2023). Wilkey is listed at a strong, muscle-bound 5-foot-10, 185-pounds and his arm plays like a traditional catcher's arm action; short, over-the-top with a quick release. His throws played true and with carry, making his max throw from the crouch of 77 mph, play up. Wilkey was also consistently on the bag with pop times ranging from 2.00-2.04. Offensively, he flashed occasional pull-side power and registered a max exit velocity of 93 mph during BP.

+ OF/LHP Alexander Vinci (Providence Catholic, 2023) is a left/left two-way prospect with a long-limbed, upside frame at 6-foot, 140-pounds. Vinci showed quick, twitchy hands at the plate, working short and uphill to the baseball with a gap-to-gap approach. Defensively, he roams around the outfield with fluid footwork and a long arm action that plays over-the-top, topping at 84 mph from the outfield. On the mound, he sat in the low-80s and his curveball will be one to keep an eye on, as it topped at 75 mph with a max spin rate of 2,523 rpm (2,475 on average). Given the upside frame, arm action and the way he spins the baseball, it would not be shocking to see Vinci make a big jump in velocity at some point in the near future.

+ INF Ryan Nelson (Plainfield North, 2023) is another wiry, lean, left-handed hitter to keep an eye on moving forward. The bat profiles as a potential top-of-the order type; he stays within himself, sees the ball deep into the zone and stays short, compact and level through the baseball. Nelson was consistently on the barrel, spraying line-drives to all fields. Defensively, he showed the actions and hands to stick on the dirt for the time being. Follow left-handed hitter who should continue to boost his stock as he adds strength to his frame.

+ INF Josh Wenz (Neuqua Valley, 2023) appears to have added some significant strength since we last saw him at our Underclass Games last July. He’s now built at an athletic 6-foot-2, 182-pounds with clear proportional strength attached throughout his frame. The left-handed hitting Wenz took an impressive round of batting practice, showing off gap-to-gap power with multiple batted balls that left his bat at 90-plus mph, including one at 95.5 mph off the bat that traveled an estimated 360 feet, per TrackMan. On the infield, Wenz is a steady defender, playing from the ground up with soft hands and he also showcased a smooth double play turn. Emerging left-handed hitting infielder to follow moving forward.

+ INF/RHP Braden Smith (Byron, 2023) is an athletic, 6-foot, 175-pound, two-way follow who continues to impress on the mound. He has a calm, confident demeanor on the mound with an advanced feel for pitching. Smith’s fastball comes out of the hand clean and easy and sat 83-85 mph (up from 79-82 last summer) with an average spin rate of 2,154 rpm. He also showed the makings of a three-pitch mix with his changeup playing at 69-70 mph with an average spin rate of 1,118 rpm. As a position player, Smith is a 6.94 runner with a repeatable right-handed swing and steady hands on the infield.

+ Sophomore C Sean Ryniec (Downers Grove North) is a 6-foot, 170-pound, right-handed hitter who took an aggressive round of BP. Ryniec showed present bat speed (max of 72 mph, via Blast Motion) with a short and uphill path to the baseball and fluid rhythm throughout. Ryniec topped at 74 mph from the crouch with a low pop time of 2.03. 

+ 6-foot, 170-pound OF Clay Schrader (Naperville Central, 2023) put together his best performance we have seen to date. Schrader started his day running a 6.95 in the 60, down from a 7.48 last summer. Offensively, he has a simple right-handed swing with minimal effort and above-average bat strength for his age. Schrader recorded a max exit velocity of 92.1 mph off the bat during BP with a max distance of 347 feet. He also showed a max bat speed of 72 mph, via Blast. Defensively, he has potential to profile at all three spots thanks to his 6.95 foot speed and an arm that played at 87 mph (topped at 78 mph last summer). He's an on-the-rise follow in Illinois’ 2023 class.

+ INF Carter Storti (Lemont, 2023) is a smooth, athletic infielder who showed off above-average hands and natural actions when moving left and right on defense, and his arm played athletically on the infield, making the double play and slow roller look easy. Storti’s bat plays too, flashing hard line-drive contact throughout his round. Storti also got on the mound and ran his fastball up to 82 mph.

+ Patrick Keating (Andrew, 2023) is another slick fielding infielder in the 2023 class. Like Storti, Keating made all the plays on the move look easy ranging well up the middle with athletic feet and hands. His arm plays like a true infielder from multiple angles and with a quick release.

CLASS OF 2024

+ When talking about underclassmen, INF James Love (Joliet West, 2024) was one of the more polished bats in attendance. The 6-foot, 166-pound, athletically-built, right-handed hitter, is relaxed and calm in the box with loose hands, direct path while consistently working the middle of the field. He is also a smooth infield defender with soft, sure hands and his arm played at 80 mph across. High-follow 2024 infield prospect.

+ 1B/LHP Justyn Hart (Marian Catholic, 2024) is another prospect who showed above-average two-way ability at Lockport. Hart is physically advanced at 6-foot-1, 218-pounds and features a strong, easy right-handed swing. Hart registered a 94 mph max exit velocity during BP while driving a ball 333 feet. His bat speed was recorded at 72.1 mph, via Blast, which is well above-average for his age. On the mound he topped at 84 mph and throws his slider at 73 mph. A Class of 2024 two-way follow moving forward.

+ OF Jevan Andrews (Hobart, IN, 2024) will be a 2024 to know in Indiana. The 5-foot-8, 150-pound right-handed hitter showed a simple, repeatable swing that stays short and level to the baseball. He routinely found the barrel, registering an average exit velocity of 82.9 mph, second highest of the day among 2024s. Defensively, he is an action-y outfielder who plays through the baseball with an athletic crow hop and a 77 mph arm.

+ INF Jaime Luna (Mount Carmel, 2024) is a switch-hitting infielder who looks the part from both sides of the plate. Luna gets his hands in a strong position to hit, there is fluidity throughout and he gets extension through contact at times. Defensively, he has confident infield actions and trusts his hands, looking natural on the move. Luna is far from a finished product and one to keep close tabs on moving forward.

+ RHP/1B Casey Giemzik (Brother Rice, 2024) is one to keep an eye on on the mound. Touching 83 mph at just a freshman, he has plenty of upside with a 6-foot-2, 191-pound frame and showed the makings of an above-average 11/5 curveball. 

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