On Friday, October 8, the PBR Illinois staff traveled to Moline, Illinois, to host the Black Hawk College Scout Day on the school’s campus. Roughly 30 prospects showcased their talents in front of our scouting staff throughout the day’s workout portion.

As the post-event process has rolled out, our staff has compiled several data-related pieces from the event, including a Statistical Analysis, TrackMan Files, and Blast Motion Board.

Today, we’ll cap off the Black Hawk Scout Day by spotlighting some of the standouts from the event. In total, the Braves rolled out 10 hitters who registered a max exit velo of 90 mph or higher, six of which registered a max exit velo of 96 mph or higher. From a pitching standpoint, there were a total of six Black Hawk arms that reached up to 85 mph or higher.

TAKEAWAYS

POSITION PLAYERS

+ Lucas Spence, LHP/OF, Crete-Monee (IL), 2021
Spence is an athletic left/left outfielder that showed extremely well during the scout day. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Spence got his day going by running to a 6.83 laser-timed 60. From the outfield, Spence showed athletic actions and a loose/strong arm, topping out at 94 mph from a crow-hop. Offensively, the left-handed hitter keeps his hands close to his chest during the swing and also possesses an explosive bat, reaching a top exit velo of 97.28 mph and a max distance of 349 feet, per TrackMan. Spence also took reps on the mound, featuring a loose and quick arm with a repeatable delivery that featured room for additional velocity. Spence’s fastball topped out at 86 mph with a max spin rate of 2319 rpm. He also showcased the best spin rate in the entire event on his breaking pitches - his slider worked at 75-79 mph (T2658 rpm), while his curveball spun at 73-76 mph (T2782 rpm). Spence also flashed a fading changeup in the 72-75 mph range. 

+ Brandon Roth, OF, Normal West (IL), 2019
Roth features a strong 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame that impressed with one of the loudest rounds of BP on the day. He displayed easy raw strength with a pull-side approach, leading the event in exit velo with 98.77 mph off the bat and a max distance of 316 feet. Roth showed impressive athleticism for his size, running a 6.75 in the 60-yard dash and his athletic actions stood out during his defensive workout, including a strong, accurate arm that topped at 90 mph. Roth profiles as a middle of the order bat at the next level with the athleticism to play anywhere in the outfield.

+ Chance Resetich, SS, Hall HS (IL), 2019
Athletic 5-foot-10, 180-pound build. Resetich started his day off on a high-note by running a 6.84 laser-timed 60. Resetich displayed his ability to play all over the yard, taking reps on both the infield and the outfield. On the infield, Resetich moves well side-to-side and possesses smooth hands with a quick transfer. His arm also played true with carry and accurate throws across the diamond. From the outfield, Resetich showcased athletic actions with a strong throwing arm, topping out at 88 mph from a crow-hop. Offensively, Resetich uses a compact/repeatable swing with a still head to produce line-drives. He’s a right-handed hitter with his power being to his pull-side, recording a max distance of 372 feet and a top exit velo of 98.01 mph.

+ Charlie Allison, INF, Rock Island (IL), 2019
Strong 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame. Allison was yet another member of Black Hawk JC that took an impressive round of BP. He wields a quick left-handed bat that works directly to the baseball, flashing power to the pull-side and a simple line drive approach. Allison recorded a max exit velocity of 956.1 mph with a peak batted distance of 360 feet. Allison also showed well on the infield with smooth hands and a quick transfer, featuring a loose, effortless arm through release.

+ Vincent Esposito, 1B, Rock Island (IL), 2020
Broad-shouldered 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame. The left-handed hitting Esposito showed well during the workout with a strong round of BP. He attacked the baseball on a loose, uphill path with a line-drive approach, recording a top exit velo of 91.02 mph and a max distance of 333 feet. At first-base, Esposito showed a feel for the position with athletic footwork and smooth hands.

+ Petey Kiefer, MIF, Ledyard (CT), 2019
Athletically built 6-foot, 180-pound frame. Kiefer looked the part and showed well with a polished round of BP, peppering line drives to the pull-side with some raw pop, recording a max exit velocity of 94.69 mph. Kiefer also showcased smooth infield actions with soft hands, a quick transfer and an accurate arm.

PITCHERS

+ Kale Ven Huizen, RHP, Port Byron Riverdale (IL), 2019
Athletic 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame, long-limbs. Loose, over-the-top slot with a repeatable delivery. Ven Huizen impressed with the best fastball of the day and feel for multiple pitches. The right-hander’s fastball sat 88-89, T90 mph on his best bullet with life through the zone and a max spin rate of 2376 rpm. Ven Huizen’s best secondary offering this day was a sharp over-the-top breaking ball thrown at 73-75 mph (T2366 rpm) with feel for the bottom half of the zone. He also flashed a fading changeup in the 81-82 mph range with the ability to locate low in the zone. Ven Huizen profiles to be a starter at the next level and should continue to see gains in velocity with his projectable frame.

+ Payton Lawrence, RHP, Dixon (IL), 2019
Athletic 6-foot-2, 160-pound frame, room for additional strength. Lawrence impressed with a quality four-pitch mix. The right-handers fastball sat 85-86 mph (T2158 rpm) with feel for the corners of the zone. Lawrence featured two distinctly different breaking balls and displayed feel for both; the first being an 11/5 curveball in the 71-73 mph range and the second being a 10/4 slider at 73-74 mph. He also utilized a fading changeup at 79-80 mph to round out his repertoire.

+ Payton Plym, RHP, Hall HS (IL), 2021
Standing at 6-foot-3, 187 pounds, Plym possesses an athletic pitcher’s build with room for additional strength. Plym’s fastball sat comfortably at 84-85 mph T86 with life through the zone. The right-hander showcased a sharp 11/5 curveball at 72-73 mph (T2362 rpm) to offset his fastball, starting them both on similar planes. Plym also featured a changeup at 79-80 mph, killing spin and locating down in the zone.

+ Jack Savitch, RHP, Hall HS (IL), 2021
From his 6-foot, 165-pound frame, Savitch produced a fastball that touched 85 mph while also possessing the highest spin rate on a fastball in the entire event (T2429 rpm). To go along with his fastball, Savitch featured a curveball/changeup combo, showing feel for both pitches. The right-hander looks to still have velocity left in the tank.

Some of the best breaking balls on the day that are not mentioned above were thrown by Grant Baker (T2463 rpm), Alex Heckroth (T2494 rpm), Gavin Sebby (T2450 rpm) and Ever Jens (T2312 rpm).

For a complete look at the roster, and full statistics from the event, click HERE.

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