Thu February 17, 2022
On Feb. 12, the PBR Illinois team hosted its second Preseason ID event of the new year: the McHenry Preseason ID. For the past six years, this event has provided our staff with an opportunity to evaluate high school-aged prospects from northern Illinois, primarily. The McHenry event has historically revealed to us some of the area’s top talent, and this year was no different.
Earlier this week we published Quick Hits highlighting the top prospects of the event by class. We also rolled out a Statistical Analysis, bringing you a quick statistical analysis of those that participated in the event. We then dove deep into the data, looking at the pitch metrics and batted ball numbers from this event inside our TrackMan Files piece.
Today, with the help of our Blast Motion sensors, we're analyzing the swing metrics measured on Saturday at this high-caliber showcase.
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Hand Speed (max) |
| 1 | Austin Leonard | IL | Hampshire | 2023 | C | 26.4 mph |
| 2 | Caden Monti | IL | Woodstock | 2023 | CF | 25.1 mph |
| 3 | Mason Willis | IL | Antioch | 2025 | C | 25.0 mph |
| 4 | Tyler Vasey | IL | Prairie Ridge | 2023 | MIF | 24.9 mph |
| 5 | Sheppard Graf | IL | Lake Forest | 2023 | 3B | 24.8 mph |
| 6 | Charlie Meister | IL | Hersey | 2025 | C | 24.7 mph |
Rank
Name
State
School
Class
Pos
Hand Speed (avg)
1
Caden Monti
IL
Woodstock
2023
CF
24.4 mph
2
Austin Leonard
IL
Hampshire
2023
C
24.3 mph
3
Sheppard Graf
IL
Lake Forest
2023
3B
24.1 mph
4
Charlie Taczy
IL
Cary-Grove
2025
RHP
24.1 mph
5
Tyler Vasey
IL
Prairie Ridge
2023
MIF
23.7 mph
Peak Hand Speed: The observed maximum speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.
Rank
Name
State
School
Class
Pos
Bat Speed (avg)
1
AJ Putty
IL
Huntley
2025
1B
78.1 mph
2
Christian Graves
IL
Jacobs
2023
3B
77.6 mph
3
Blake Binkowski
IL
Lincoln-Way East
2023
1B
76.5 mph
4
Charlie Meister
IL
Hersey
2025
C
75.4 mph
5
Ryan Quinlan
IL
Huntley
2023
2B
75.4 mph
6
Sheppard Graf
IL
Lake Forest
2023
3B
73.8 mph
7
Charlie Taczy
IL
Cary-Grove
2025
RHP
73.7 mph
Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.
Rank
Name
State
School
Class
Pos
Rot. Acc (max)
1
Owen Micklinghoff
IL
McHenry
2024
RHP
31.0 g
2
Mason Willis
IL
Antioch
2025
C
27.5 g
3
Sean Kempf
IL
Crystal Lake Central
2024
C
26.8 g
4
Kyle Boelkens
IL
McHenry
2024
OF
26.2 g
^
Caden Monti
IL
Woodstock
2023
CF
26.2 g
5
Liam Arnold
IL
Palatine
2024
RHP
25.9 g
^
Austin Leonard
IL
Hampshire
2023
C
25.9 g
6
Aiden Zimmerman
IL
Huntley
2023
C
25.6 g
7
Mason Mckim
IL
Prairie Ridge
2023
1B
24.9 g
Rank
Name
State
School
Class
Pos
Rot. Acc (avg)
1
Liam Arnold
IL
Palatine
2024
RHP
23.6 g
2
Owen Micklinghoff
IL
McHenry
2024
RHP
23.4 g
3
Mason Willis
IL
Antioch
2025
C
23.1 g
4
Sean Kempf
IL
Crystal Lake Central
2024
C
22.8 g
5
Caden Monti
IL
Woodstock
2023
CF
22.6 g
6
Austin Leonard
IL
Hampshire
2023
C
21.8 g
7
Mason Mckim
IL
Prairie Ridge
2023
1B
21.7 g
8
Aiden Zimmerman
IL
Huntley
2023
C
21.6 g
9
Tyler Vasey
IL
Prairie Ridge
2023
MIF
20.3 g
Body Rotation: A swing that has the appropriate relative contributions of body and bat rotations is an efficient and Powerful swing that maintains proper sequencing. An efficient baseball swing is one in which the body creates the initial movements, which is then transferred to the arms and out to the bat, thereby maximizing Bat Speed through this proximal-to-distal kinematic sequencing movement pattern.
For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.
