Illiana Preseason I.D.: Catcher Analysis

On Jan. 20, staff representing both PBR Illinois and PBR Indiana were on hand at the Ho-Chunk Sports and Expo Center in Chicago Heights, Ill., to evaluate close to the 80 prospects who made it out to our Illiana Preseason I.D. showcase.

We began our event coverage shortly following the showcase with our Quick Hits post and a Statistical Analysis, but today marks the start of our position-by-position breakdowns, beginning with the showcase’s group of catchers.

Two sophomore left-handed hitting catchers, Jack McNamara (Lyons Township) and Lorenzo Rios (Joliet Catholic) impressed at the plate and earned a mention as some of the more intriguing 2022s at the catcher position. McNamara has well-proportioned, 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame, simple, repeatable swing, with loose hands and directional path. Rios has grown three inches and added 25 pounds to his 5-foot-10, 165-pound since our last look and his bat has seen the rewards. Rios stands in the box with confidence and has quick hands, short path and the ball jumped off the barrel at times. 

2021 Evan Wittkamp (Munster, IN) and Cyrus Mehmedi (St. Patrick, 2022) had the strongest arms from behind the plate at 76 mph and 74 mph, respectively. The lowest pop time of the day, 2.00, belonged to unsigned senior Karson Bailey (South Central, IN).

Continue below for full reports on each of the 11 catchers from the group. And remember to check back over the coming days as we breakdown every positional group.

CATCHING PROSPECTS (Listed Alphabetically)

Brett Adams, Munster (IN), 2023
Positional Profile: C/2B
Body: 5-foot-6, 127-pounds. Lean frame with plenty of room for continued physical development.
Hit: LHH. Balanced setup, short, leg-kick stride. Long, uphill bat path, pull side approach.
Power: 70 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 66 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 arm slot, accurate throws from behind the plate.
Defense: 2.20-2.34 pop times. Fluid footwork, clean exchanges, flashed ability to block the baseball softly.
Run: 7.76 runner in the 60. 

Karson Bailey, South Central (IN), 2020
Positional Profile: C/2B
Body: 5-foot-10, 160-pounds. Athletic, well-proportioned frame.
Hit: RHH. Open, balanced setup, toe-tap stride. Long, uphill bat path, aggresive swing, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 73 mph. Short arm action, Over-the-top arm slot, accurate throws with carry.
Defense: 2.00-2.30 pop times. Fluid footwork behind the plate.
Run: 7.49 runner in the 60. 

Camden Judson, Terre Haute North (IN), 2023
Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 5-foot-11, 194-pounds. Proportionally strong
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, prepitch load back and a short stride. Short, level bat path with a line-drive approach.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 65 mph. OF - 66 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 arm slot, throws played accurate.
Defense: 2.50-2.58 pop times.
Run: 8.32 runner in the 60. 

Hunter Mansfield, Lake Central (IN), 2022
Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 6-foot, 170-pounds. Wiry, athletic frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, short stride. Strong, quick hands, short, level bat path, line-drive approach.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 69 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top arm slot, accurate throws from the crouch.
Defense: 2.27-2.37 pop times. Fluid footwork, clean exchanges, flashed ability to block the baseball.
Run: 6.93 runner in the 60.

Colin Mason, Merrillville (IN), 2022
Positional Profile: C/SS
Body: 5-foot-9, 175-pounds. Athletic build
Hit: S/R. Tall, open setup, smooth load, short stride Aggressive swings, long, level bat path with a gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 78 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 arm slot
Defense: Plays through the baseball, reliable hands, clean/quick release on the infield.
Run: 7.65 runner in the 60.  

Jack McNamara, Lyons Township (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: C/3B
Body: 5-foot-11, 175-pounds. Well-proportioned build.
Hit: LHH. Tall, open setup, short stride. Smooth rhythm, quick hands, long, level bat path, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 arm slot, accurate throws from behind the plate.
Defense: 2.18-2.25 pop times. Fluid footwork, quick, clean exchanges.
Run: 7.39 runner in the 60. 

Cyrus Mehmedi, St Patrick's (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: C/RHP
Body: 5-foot-11, 200-pounds. Strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, pre-pitch load, short, toe-tap stride. Aggressive swings, uphill bat path, pull approach.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top arm slot, accurate throws with carry.
Defense: 2.18-2.30 pop times. Fluid footwork and clean exchanges.
Run: 7.94 runner in the 60. 

Robb Meister, Hersey (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: C/2B Emerged as a solid Sophomore prospect moving forward.
Body: 5-foot-10, 165-pounds. Strong, athletic frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, short, early stride. Long, uphill bat path, opposite field approach.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Short arm action, Over-the-top arm slot, accurate throws that stay true toward target.
Defense: 2.10-2.21 pop times. Athletic defender, fluid footwork, quick and clean exchanges.
Run: 7.69 runner in the 60. 

Cayleb Mendoza, Munster (IN), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B/C
Body: 5-foot-8, 175-pounds. Strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, pre-pitch load and short stride. Simple swing, level bat path, line-drive approach.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 64 mph. INF - 67 mph. Short arm action, low 3/4 slot and throws played accurate.
Defense: 2.45-2.51 pop times. On the infield hands played steady, clean release. Behind the plate, minimal wasted movement, clean transfer.
Run: 7.86 runner in the 60. 

Lorenzo Rios, Joliet Catholic (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: C/SS
Body: 5-foot-10, 165-pounds. Athletic frame.
Hit: LHH. Tall, open setup, short, leg-kick stride. Quick hands, aggressive swings, short, level bat path, line-drive middle of the field approach.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Consistent hard contact.
Arm: RH. C - 69 mph. INF - 73 mph. Short arm action, low 3/4 arm slot, accurate throws.
Defense: 2.25-2.30 pop times. On the infield, soft hands, fluid footwork, and plays athletic. Behind the plate, quick footwork and clean exchanges.
Run: 7.88 runner in the 60. 

John Serritella, Providence Catholic (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: C/3B
Body: 5-foot-7, 199-pounds. Strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, short stride. Level bat path, extension through the zone, line-drive approach.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 65 mph. Long arm action, low 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: 2.42-2.50 pop times. Clean exchanges.
Run: 8.31 runner in the 60. 

Zach Starr, Bradley-Bourbonnais (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C/RHP Emerged as a solid Sophomore prospect to follow in the future.
Body: 6-foot-1, 195-pounds. Wide shoulders, strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Wide, open setup, short stride. Long, uphill bat path, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity from the tee. Flashed pull-side power.
Arm: RH. C - 70 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: 2.30-2.43 pop times. Showed ability to block and had clean exchanges.
Run: 7.81 runner in the 60. 

Evan Wittkamp, Munster (IN), 2021
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 6-foot-1, 155-pounds. Wiry frame.
Hit: RHH. Tall, open setup, leg-kick stride. Long, level bat path, pull approach.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 arm slot, throws showed accuracy and carry.
Defense: 2.22-2.26 pop times. Vocal, fluid footwork, quick exchange, flashed ability to block the baseball.
Run: 7.78 runner in the 60. 

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