Preseason All-State, Upperclass: Preview

Jimmy Anderson SS / RHP / Joliet West, IL / 2024

From the Aurora Preseason ID, 2/4/23: "... continues to show well every time we see him. Anderson is an athletic, two-way prospect, who led the event with a 31.7 inch vertical and is an easy mover with everything he does on the diamond, especially at the plate. The 6-foot, 180-pound, 7.15 runner showed off an easy right-handed stroke that flashes whip through the zone and works on an uphill path through the zone. He registered a max exit velocity of 95.2 mph, 88.7 average with his furthest batted ball traveling 335 feet. Defensively, he has fluid, athletic actions and topped at 87 mph (up from 83 mph in the past). Follow two-way prospect in the 2024 class."

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INF/RHP Jimmy Anderson (@jtwestbaseball, 2024)

95.2 mph max EV, 334' max distance. T87 mph across the infield.

Hopped on the mound and T85.6 mph with feel for three pitches.

? https://t.co/1c1FxHSOvx@PBR_Uncommitted | @jimmya0907 pic.twitter.com/475hdqgyI4

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) February 6, 2023

Eric De Costa 3B / Wheaton Academy, IL / 2024

From the Illinois Summer Championships, 6/23/22: "... a 6-foot-4, 205-pound with all kinds of upside and power potential at the plate. It's a loose swing from both sides of the plate with more jump off the barrel and loud contact coming from the right-side of the plate. The swing stays on-plane working with natural loft throughout and controlled intent. High-follow bat and frame in the 2024 class."

Tom Ford RHP / Lisle, IL / 2024

From the Illinois Summer Championships, 6/23/22: "The biggest winner on the mound from last Tuesday’s event was [Ford]. Standing at a lanky 6-foot-6, 185-pounds, Ford has plenty of room to fill out his high-waisted and projectable frame. His delivery is simple, pitching exclusively out of the stretch with a drop/drive lower-half, remaining in-line to the plate throughout his stride. His arm works loose and quick with a long arm circle out of the glove, transitioning into a high ¾ slot. The tall right-hander worked primarily in the 86-89 mph range, but reached back for 90-91 mph on his last couple bullets while playing with life at the top of the zone. His curveball looked to be his best off-speed offering on this day, playing with sharp 11/5 shape and downward action, also tunneling off his fastballs effectively while locating down under the zone, 68-70 mph. He went to a slider for his third offering, pulling off to his glove-side at times but flashing sharp 10/4 bullet action, 73-76 mph. Having seen Ford up to 88 mph this past winter, his three mph jump is no surprise as he has started to control his body down the mound more consistently."

Kyle Hartmann C / Sycamore, IL / 2024

From Preseason All-State, 2/26/22: "Hartmann, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound catcher, was one of the first hitters of the event and made a statement right out of the gate. The right-handed hitter swings with serious intent, aggression and looks to elevate the balls into both gaps with authority. With that said, Hartmann stays flat and long through the zone with the ability to create backspin to the pull-side gap. Hartmann’s hardest barrel came off the bat at 94.3 mph with his furthest batted ball traveling 334 feet. Hartmann also tied the event-high to second base (80 mph), with a low pop time of 1.96. Follow 2024 catcher with a potent right-handed bat."

Seth Impson C / RHP / Springfield, IL / 2024

From the Battle for The Arch, 9/27/22: "The lone two-way prospect on Team Illinois, [Impson] continues to impress every time we get our eyes on him and came away a winner once again. Impson has a lean, athletic, 6-foot, 165-pound frame with more physicality to come and athleticism to all parts of his game. At the plate he stayed loose and easy, lining hard contact back up the middle with fluid rhythm throughout BP, flashing sneaky juice with his furthest batted ball traveling 356’. He finished game play 2-for-2 with a double and HBP. Behind the plate, he is an active, bouncy defender and his arm plays clean and quick with accuracy and a 2.02 low pop time. He also hopped on the mound and struck out four, walked one and did not give up a hit in two innings of work, running his fastball up to 84.5 mph with a three-pitch repertoire."

Luke Jurack OF / 2B / Hinsdale Central, IL / 2024

From the IHSA season, 5/2/22: "Lean, athletic-looking build, standing 5-foot-10, 170-pounds. The right-handed hitter impresses throughout the day with multiple quality at-bats, including two singles and a walk. Jurack moves with a simple operation through contact, starting with more weight on the back leg and moving with a short/repeatable stride; his hands work short and direct to the ball, displaying a clear intent to hit line-drives. Jurack roamed centerfield for the Red Devils and showed off some easy range and athletic jumps, reading the ball well off the bat and cruising the outfield with confidence. His arm is an asset as well, delivering strong accurate strikes to his target with some carry."

Ethan Eberle LHP / Normal Community, IL / 2024

From the Illinois State Games, 8/10/22: "... has been dominant on the PBR circuit all summer long, coming off a strong showing at the PBR Future Games. The southpaw dominated once again at the State Games, working his sinking fastball in the 84-86 mph range from a tough slot for opposing hitters. His curveball had tight spin and late breaking action, coming from a similar fastball slot at 69-70 mph. Eberle struck out four over his three-inning stint."

Alec Marchetto RHP / Edwardsville, IL / 2024

From the IHSA season, 5/17/22: "Strong, durable 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame with strength attached throughout; dual-sport athlete for Edwardsville. Entered the game for the Tigers in relief and punched out five batters throughout his stint. Arm plays long on the backside, finishes out of a high ¾ slot. Side-step initiates a tempo’d delivery, stacks the backside with a heavy quad load, drives downhill from balance point and throws with aggression after footstrike. Front side stays closed throughout, maintains direction to target, drifts towards the first base side through release. Fastball jumps out the hand, four-seam type that played straight with occasional cutting action. Attacked the zone at 85-87 mph, touching 88 mph multiple times throughout his outing. Displayed plenty of confidence in a sharp 11/5 curveball at 74-76 mph, turned to it often as a putaway pitch, flashed feel to land it for strikes - tunnels well off a fastball located on the arm-side of the plate. Marchetto emerged as a high-follow uncommitted prospect in the state’s sophomore class."

Jaden Obaldo 2B / 3B / Crystal Lake Central, IL / 2024

From the Illinois State Games, 8/10/22: "... was an all-around winner offensively from the Illinois State Games, finding the barrel for a few extra-base hits across the event. Obaldo’s a physical right-handed hitter with compact strength attached to a 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame, finding the barrel with gap-to-gap feel."

Luke Oblen RHP / DePaul College Prep, IL / 2024

Recently de-committed from Louisville, now back on the market as one of the top uncommitted pitchers in the region, and currently highest ranked on-the-market prospect in the state. Oblen's a strong 6-foot-2 right-hander who's previously been into the low-90s on a projectable fastball.

Jack Olson RHP / OF / Antioch, IL / 2024

From the Kenosha Preseason ID, 2/4/23: "Olson looks to have gained some muscle mass to his athletic 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame, which seems to have helped him across many aspects of the game, starting offensively. Olson kicked off the event with a bang during the BP portion as he registered two 100+ mph EVs, with his hardest coming off at 101.6 mph and he averaged 92.8 mph. In the left-handed box, Olson works with rhythm, calmly toe-tapping into his load before delivering the barrel with controlled aggression. He then moved over to the outfield defense portion where his innate arm strength and athleticism were on full display as he topped at 89 mph on his hardest bullet from the outfield. This arm strength definitely transfers over to the mound as he recorded the highest fastball velocity of the event at 90.9 mph, which was roughly seven mph harder than he threw at this same event last year. On the mound, Olson is an athletic and clean mover, working downhill with tempo. As for his offspeeds, he was able to land all three secondaries for strikes... " 

Loud showing from OF/RHP Jack Olson (Antioch, @PBRIllinois, 2024) today.

Athletic 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame.

All over the barrel during BP with a max EV of 101.6 mph. Also up to 89 mph from the OF. #KenoshaID pic.twitter.com/EWj7PSkkCY

— PBR Wisconsin (@PBRWisconsin) February 4, 2023

Trevor Rehnstrom RHP / Glenbard East, IL / 2024

From the Illinois State Games, 8/10/22: "... provided an intriguing look on the mound, particularly should he fill out a 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. Working from a relatively low-effort operation throughout, Rehnstrom’s fastball played at 82-85 mph with more left in the tank. He mixed in a 72-75 mph breaking ball with depth at 2,300+ RPM and also threw a mid-to-high-70s changeup that averaged 15.5 inches of horizontal movement."

Jack Swaney 1B / OF / Rochester, IL / 2024

From the IHSA season, 5/4/22: "Strong-bodied, 6-foot-1, 225-pounds, trimmed up a bit since our last look. Left/left prospect, started in left-field and hit out of the four-hole for Springfield. At the plate, Swaney is noticeably comfortable in the box, taking healthy swings and putting a charge into the ball whenever he makes contact; loading his hands in pre-pitch and throwing them through the zone with natural lift, easy bat-speed. In the outfield, Swaney’s jumps and reads seemed to have improved since our look last year, tracking down some balls that were in the gap and holding his own with sneaky speed."