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Top Prospect - Chicago: Quick Hits

June 19, 2019
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

The Top Prospect-Chicago is a staple summer event for rising seniors from Illinois and Wisconsin. This year’s event brought over 50 colleges and over 65 players to Dupage Medical Group Field, home of the Joliet Slammers in Joliet, IL.

The event, a pro-style workout, is a kick-off to the summer in a way, and known for bringing plenty of names, new and familiar, to the forefront. A number of the guys listed below will be high-follows throughout the summer.   

Below is an early look at some of the top performances from the event:

QUICK HITS

+ St. Charles East switch-hitting twins, Cole and Clay Conn, were two of the more intriguing position players in attendance. C/OF Cole, is a 6-foot, 165-pound, athletic, versatile prospect with a strong arm (87 OF, 79 from the crouch) and loose swing with sneaky pop from both sides of the plate. Clay, in middle-infielder, with smooth, confident actions and accurate arm which continues to get stronger.

+ 6-foot, 210-pound, CIF James Harris (Brooks College Prep), had one of the more complete days of anyone in attendance. First, Harris shaved his 60 time down from his previous best of 7.10, to a 6.88 yesterday. During BP, the right-handed hitter, routinely barreled and backspun baseballs to the pull side. Lastly, Harris showed improved arm strength and the ability to stick at third base moving forward.

NILES NOTRE DAME

The Dons of Notre Dame have plenty to be excited about next spring with RHP/INF Matthew Salomonson, C Matthew Murphy and C/INF Bryan Broecker all returning.

+ Salomonson showed a big arm across the diamond but it played even better on the mound. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound, right-hander sat 86-87 mph, touching 88 with downhill tilt and paired it with an aggressive curveball in the mid-70’s.

+ Murphy is a physical, 5-foot-11, 185-pound, right-handed hitting catcher with advanced bat strength (98 mph exit velocity) and a big arm behind the plate (80 mph from the crouch).

+ Broecker, a right-handed hitter, took one of the more impressive rounds of BP on the day. Broecker has a simple swing, creates advanced bat speed and made a lot of hard, loud gap-to-gap contact.  The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, multi-positional prospect showed equally as well on the infield as he did behind the plate.

OUTFIELDERS

+ Jack Lochner (Lakes Community) was one of the first hitters of the day and left a lasting impression. Lochner, a left-handed bat, has loose hands, fast bat and stays flat through the zone. Lochner has a calm, confident look in the batter’s box and looks to pull the baseball with authority.

+ Luke Picchiotti (Hersey) is a 6-foot, 185-pound, wide-shouldered left/left outfielder to keep an eye on moving forward. Picchiotti has present bat speed, stays short to the ball and made hard gap-to-gap contact. The strong-bodied outfielder also ran a 7.13 60 and showed off a strong arm, with carry at 90 mph.

+ OF/RHP Martin Sosna (Fenwick) is a two-way prospect with a clean, athletic arm action that works from the outfield (89 mph) as well as the mound. On the mound, Sosna touched 87 mph twice and throws his breaking ball with conviction.

CATCHERS

+ There were plenty of catchers from the day to mention but two with high-ceilings, who showed well were Bryce Miller (Franklin, WI) and Ryan McCoy (Lincoln-Way East). Miller, a physical 6-foot-2, 210-pound, right-handed hitter, has strong hands, stays on top of the baseball and showed off a big arm (80 mph) with carry from behind the plate. McCoy, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound, left-handed hitter has long levers and flashed pull-side power. The upside catcher stays low in the crouch and throws were true with downhill tilt.

LEFT-HANDED ARMS

+ Donovan Schultz (Kimberly, WI) is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound, left-hander with a loose arm and creates deception due to his high-front side and working slightly across his body. Schultz sat comfortably at 84-85 mph throughout much of his pen but then showed he had more in the tank, touching 87 on his second to last pitch.

+ Joseph Shapiro (Glenbrook South) put together one of the more complete pens on the day. Shapiro, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound, left-hander pounded the zone behind a fastball that touched 84 mph and threw his hard-biting curveball wherever he wanted to in the zone at 74-76 mph.

RIGHT-HANDED ARMS

+ Jack Feely (Normal University), Justin Rivera (Lake View) and Scott Harper (Minooka) were three of the better right-handed arms on the day.

+ Feely, who had a strong spring for Normal U-High, carried it over to yesterday’s event. Feely has a clean, loose easy arm and sat 88-89 mph, touching 90. Feely’s best secondary offering is his changeup, which has sink and shows feel for the bottom of the zone.

+ Rivera, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound, athletically-built, right-hander has a slow and controlled delivery, long strong arm and ran his fastball up to 86 mph. Rivera, who throws a curveball and a slider, creates tight spin and depth to both.

+ Harper, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound, long-limbed, projectably-built right-hander has a live, loose arm from a low ¾ to side-arm slot. Harper worked around the plate with his running fastball at 84-86 mph, touching 87. Harper also showed feel for a changeup and a developing breaking ball.

HIGH-CEILING POSITION PLAYERS

Three position players to follow moving forward with upside frames were INF Will Jaynes (Waubonsie), 1B Carter Dawson (Pontiac) and OF Dylan Nevar (Wisconsin Dells, WI).

+ Jaynes has an athletic, 6-foot-2, 180-pound, frame with an easy, handsy right-handed swing that works level through the zone. Defensively, he moves with ease on the infield, has a clean, quick release and flashed carry on his throws.

+ Dawson has an extra-large, 6-foot-6, 205-pound frame and arguably the biggest upside of anyone from the event. Dawson, still has some things to clean up at the plate but the bat speed and strength was evident (100 mph exit velocity. Dawson, who plays point guard in basketball, potentially could profile in multiple spots defensively.

+ Nevar, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound, left/left outfielder has young look, loose levers and the ball jumps off the barrel at times. Defensively, Nevar has fluid actions and a strong arm, clocked at 87 mph from the outfield.

Colleges/Pro Scouts in Attendance:

Atlanta Braves, Augustana, Aurora University, Ball State, Benedictine, Concordia-Wisconsin, Cornell College, Dayton, Dominican, Earlham, Eastern Illinois, Elmhurst, Finlandia University, Hill College, Hillsdale College, Illinois Tech, Illinois College, Illinois Wesleyan, Iowa Wesleyan, Judson, Kalamazoo College, Kankakee CC, Kaskaskia JC, Lewis, Maryville, Millikin, Northern Illinois, North Park, Northwood University, Philadelphia Phillies, Quincy, Roosevelt, Saint Louis, SIU-Edwardsville, South Suburban JC, Southeastern CC, St. Charles CC, St. Olaf College, Triton JC, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois-Springfield, Dubuque, Upper Iowa, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, Webster, Western Illinois, Western Michigan, Westminster College

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