Week 5 Games

BELLEVILLE EAST VS COLUMBIA - 4/15/23

By: Diego Solares
Area Scout, Illinois & Missouri

Zander Mueth, RHP, Belleville East, 2023
Mississippi signee, slotted at No. 2 overall in Illinois and No. 27 overall nationally. 6-foot-5, 190-pound long, lean, and lanky levers more than capable of adding lean strength down the road. Toed the rubber in a non-conference matchup against Columbia, hurling three quality innings before a thunder delay knocked him out of the contest. Easy and fluid mover, creates momentum downhill at leg lift, gets onto his backside and stays connected to front footstrike. Arm lands on time, stays closed throughout, efficient rotator that lands onto a stable lead leg. Athletic through release with controlled effort, more polished overall in this look than our previous one this spring. Long, loose, and fluid arm swing, clean out the hand with clear arm speed from a ¾ slot. Ran his fastball up to 98 twice, sitting 94-97 mph, got around it at times, working mostly to the glove-side while climbing up in the zone on occasion. Turned to his slider more often the second time through the lineup, flashing late swing-and-miss sweep at 78-81 mph that played around the zone more consistently. Threw a changeup at 85-86 mph to left-handed hitters, used sparingly. A more impressive look at one of the top right-handed arms in the country that continues to generate heavy MLB Draft buzz. 

Zander Mueth 

Dominic Voegele, RHP, Columbia, 2023
Kansas signee, currently ranked No. 9 overall in the Illinois’ senior class and No. 220 nationally, too. Athletic 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame with lean strength and plenty of room to fill out physically. Started on the mound in an eventual win for Columbia, striking out six over four innings before departing due to a thunder delay. Simple all-around operation, tall/fall type delivery, stays closed to front footstrike, athletic finish onto a firm lead leg. Repeated consistently, exerts minimal effort throughout. Short continuous arm path that finishes from a loose high ¾ slot, clear arm speed out front. Fastball touched 94 a handful of times, sat 90-93 mph, played straight. Room to climb even more so from a velocity standpoint in the near future. Advanced ability to spin both of his breaking balls. Lateral, more horizontal spin on his slider at 80-82 mph, sharp late break, landed for strikes and grabbed whiffs. Downer spin with depth on his curveball at 77-79 mph, consistently landed it for strikes. Talents translated to the plate, drove an outer-half 96 mph fastball into the right-center gap in his first at-bat for a double. A high-level prospect with all sorts of upside that continues to impress each time we see him.  

Dominic Voegele 

Joe Mendiola, INF, Belleville East, 2023
St Charles CC signee. 5-foot-7, 180-pound frame with strength throughout, particularly in the lower half. Hits leadoff and started at third base for Belleville East. Finished 3-for-4 in this look, slashing .509/.578/.800 with 28 total hits, 14 of them going for extra-bases. Clear presence to him at the plate, steps into the box with an approach, aggressive and hunts early. Strong fast hands with bat speed, simple and direct path to contact, doesn’t try to do too much and uses the whole field. Squared up two 92 mph fastballs in two different at bats for singles up the middle, turned on one later in the game for a double to left field. Has made strides defensively at third base, athletic mover with a quick first step and added feel for himself on the dirt. One of the premier hitters in the St. Louis area that always performs when we see him.  

Joe Mendiola

Patrick Mendiola, C, Belleville East, 2023
St. Louis signee. Strong, athletic, and physically defined 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame that looks the part in a uniform. Started behind the plate and hit in the two-hole for the Lancers. Calm presence to him with some rhythm, balanced throughout. Strong hands, long barrel through the zone, leverage to the pull-side, favors that way. Missed a home run deep into the left-center alley by a few feet. Quality receiver behind the plate, firm wrists that work down-to-up at gather, confidently handled a mid-to-upper-90s arm. Throws played true from the crouch with carry. Capable of positively impacting the game on both the offensive and defensive ends.