Team Illinois: Pitcher Analysis

August 16, 2019
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

On Wednesday, July 31st, The PBR Future Games, the summer’s premier scouting event began. Taking place in its inaugural year at the state-of-the-art LakePoint sports complex in Emerson, GA, this four-day event pitted some of the country’s top 2021 and 2022 prospects against one another in front of over 300 college coaches.

On Wednesday, Team Illinois - along with every other represented state - participated in a workout day. That was followed by Team Illinois playing one game a day from Thursday-Saturday. This year, Team Illinois took on all surrounding territories in Iowa/Minnesota on Thursday, Wisconsin on Friday and Indiana on Saturday.

Pitchers either threw one inning apiece on Thursday and Saturday or two innings in Friday's game.

Today we breakdown each and every pitcher that participated for Team Illinois at the 2019 event.

TEAM ILLINOIS PITCHERS

Alex Alberico RHP / Providence Catholic , IL / 2022

6-foot, 188-pound, right-handed pitcher, strong lower half, well-proportioned frame. One of the strongest arms in the Illinois’ 2022 class. Was one of two 2022 arms on Team Illinois. Simple delivery, posts into back leg, rides back hip down the mound, works on-line, lands square and will spin off on finish at times. Arm works long, clean and ultra-quick out front; high ¾ to over-the-top slot. Extremely impressive one-inning stint in the first game of the week. Worked a perfect inning with one strikeout and two flyouts. Showed advanced feel for his three-pitch mix throughout. Fastball comes out of the hand clean, four-seam life up in the zone, sat 86-88 mph. Went to the curveball in any count, high-volume of strikes, feel, 11/5 shape, tight spin, 72-74 mph. Also, showed feel for a changeup at the bottom of the zone, 75 mph.

Alex Alberico

Cylis Cox LHP / Staunton, IL / 2021

6-foot-1, 195-pound, physical, strong build, durable lower half, left-handed pitcher. One of the top available 2021 left-handed pitchers in the state. Works fast, easy, repeatable, clean drop and drive delivery. Short arm action, quick out front, ¾ slot. Attacked the bottom of the strike zone with his fastball. Late arm-side-run, occasional sink, sat 83-85 mph, touched 86. Mixed in an advanced slider, thrown aggressively with late 2/8 action, 76-78 mph. Struck out two and did not allow a hit in his first one-inning appearance on the week. High-follow durable, left-handed pitcher.

Cylis Cox

Brennyn Cutts RHP / Toledo-Cumberland, IL / 2021

6-foot-3, 200-pound, right-handed pitcher. Features one of the strongest arms in the state and had one of the top fastball's of the entire Future Games, 92 mph. Highly-athletic, strong, physically-imposing, wide-shouldered frame. Delivery works with pace and rhythm, stays on-line, lands square. Arm is clean, loose and quick from a ¾ slot. Struck out two and allowed one hit in his first inning of work. Fastball jumps out of the hands, finish through the zone, average control, occasional late arm-side-run, sat 88-90 mph, touched 92. Curveball was go-to secondary pitch, 11/5 shape, depth and tight spin when maintains arm speed, average feel, 72-73 mph. Rarely went to his changeup but has shown swing-and-miss changeup in the past with late fade. High-follow, strong-armed, 2021 right-handed arm.

Brennyn Cutts

Tom Egan RHP / Mount Carmel, IL / 2021

6-foot-1, 175-pound, athletic, wide-shouldered, right-handed pitcher. Struck out two and allowed one hit in his two innings of work at the event. Rocker-step delivery, works with rhythm, drop and drive delivery, rides hip down the mound, on-line and lands slightly front-toe closed. Arm works clean, compact and quick from a high ¾ slot. Fastball works striaght, four-seam ride through the zone at times, above-average control, sat 84-86 mph. Features a curveball and a slider; both have distinct shapes. Curveball, depth, 11/5 shape, feel 75 mph. Slider, thrown aggressively, feel for the zone, 10/4 shape, tight, late action, 76-78 mph. Also, mixed in a changeup. Follow 2021 right-handed arm who can spin it.

Tom Egan

Reed Gannon LHP / Minooka, IL / 2021

6-foot-3, 170-pound, highly-athletic, projectable left-handed pitcher with plenty of room for continued physical development. Was one of the biggest buzz names from Illinois heading into the event and did nothing but elevate his stock with his performance. Put together the cleanest two-inning outing of any arm in Illinois. Worked two perfect innings, striking out three and made it look easy. Clean, easy delivery, works across his body, lands closed, minimal head movement throughout and creates deception. Arm works clean, loose and quick from a ¾ slot; looks to have plenty more velocity in the tank. Fastball, commanded the bottom of the zone, both sides of the plate but mostly to the glove side. Fastball, late run, plays up, sat 85-87 mph. Mixed in a curveball at 74-75 mph and a slider at 75-77 mph. Slider is a short wrinkle, late 2/8 action, feel. Also showed feel for a changeup at 75 mph. True starter profile with high-ceiling, pitchability and plenty more in the tank.

Reed Gannon

Aidan Krupp RHP / Oak Park River Forest, IL / 2021

6-foot-3, 220-pound, right-handed pitcher; extra-large, physical, barrel-chested, hulking frame. Uptempo delivery, slight drop-and-drive, across body, creates deception, minimal effort. Arm works loose and quick from a low-¾ slot. Fastball comes out of the hand clean, when best gets late, hard, run and sink, sat 84-87 mph, touched 88. Slider is go-to secondary offering, short 10/4 wrinkle, comes out of same window as fastball, 75 mph. Follow 2021 right-handed arm.

Aidan Krupp

Jackson Lee RHP / Effingham, IL / 2021

6-foot, 210-pound, strong, right-handed pitcher, thick lower half. Efficient, directional delivery, repeats and works in rhythm. Arm is clean and quick from a high 3/4 slot; projects for more velocity. Showed off a three-pitch repertoire in both outings. Fastball, comes out clean, works straight, occasional tilt, control of the zone, occasionally will elevate, sat 84-86 mph, touched 87. Throws an aggressive slider, 10/4 shape, feel, 76-77 mph. Maintains arm speed on changeup, works mostly straight, late fade, 76 mph. Follow 2021 right-handed arm.

Jackson Lee

Drew Martin RHP / Mt. Pulaski, IL / 2021

6-foot-1, 190-pound, long-limbed, squared-shouldered, right-handed pitcher with plenty of room for continued physical development. Athletic, linear delivery, lands square. Long draw out of the glove, comes out of a short, over-the-top slot, quick out front. Fought through mound issues in his first inning and put together a strong second inning. Fastball sat anywhere from 82-87 mph, mostly 84-86 in the second inning. Fastball flashed late life. Throws a curveball and a slider. Curveball has advanced depth at times, tight spin, 11/5 shape, 72-73 mph. Follow 2021 right-handed arm who can spin it.

Drew Martin

Owen Murphy RHP / Riverside-Brookfield, IL / 2022

6-foot, 175-pound, right-handed pitcher; highly-athletic, loose-bodied, projectable, young look. One of two 2022 pitchers on Team Illinois. Created a lot of buzz after his one-inning performance in the first game. Struck out two in his one inning. Live, athletic arm action, works fast from a ¾ to high ¾ slot. Pounded the bottom of the strike zone with all of his offerings. Fastball, lively, control at the bottom of the zone, late run and sink, sat 84-87 mph. Featured a sharp slider, thrown with intent, tight spin, swing-and-miss pitch, 73-74 mph. Flashed a changeup in warmups with late fade action, thrown for a strike.

Owen Murphy

Eric Orloff LHP / Glenbrook North, IL / 2021

6-foot-2, 190-pound, extra-large, wide-shouldered, strong, left-handed pitcher. Delivery works across his body, high-front side, creates a lot of deception and an uncomfortable look for a hitter. Arm is clean and quick from a high ¾ slot. Fastball, advanced tilt when thrown at the bottom of the zone, mostly straight, sat mostly 86-87 mph during his first inning of work at the event. Mixes in a big bending curveball, slurvy, 1/7 shape, 68-70 mph. Stuck out two in his first inning of work on the week. High-upside left-handed pitcher.

Eric Orloff

Isaiah Thompson OF / Sacred Heart-Griffin, IL / 2021

6-foot, 175-pound, athletically-built, well-proportioned, left/left, two-way prospect. Was the lone two-way prospect on Team Illinois. Performed at a high-level as an outfielder throughout the week. Finished the week 5-for-9 (.555 BA) with a double, two RBIs, a stolen base and a run scored. Open setup, minimal pre-pitch rhythm. Athletic hands, quick bat, works on top of the ball and stays short to it. Knack for the barrel, consistent, hard, line-drive contact, in game. 91 mph exit velocity from a tee. Recorded multiple 4.57's and 4.58's down-the-line on a turn. Ran a 6.93 laser-timed 60 during workout day. Speed translates to the outfield where he profiles as an above-average center fielder. Instinctual, quick first step and impressive closing abilities. Athletic outfield actions, fluid footwork, plays through the baseball and clean transfer. Arm works clean from a ¾ slot and throws topped at 90 mph. Threw one inning on the mound, faced the minimum and did not allow a hit. Controlled, repeatable delivery, works on-line, front-toe closed landing and with regular effort. Arm works compact and clean, out of a ¾ slot, quick out front; projects for more velocity. Fastball works down in the zone, slight arm-side-run, sat 81-83 mph, topped at 84. Mixed in a late, hard-biting 72-74 mph curveball, thrown aggressively, with feel. Curveball has a chance to be a legitimate out pitch in the future. High-follow two-way prospect in the 2021 class.

Isaiah Thompson

+ Team Illinois: Position Player Recap