On Saturday, Feb. 11, the PBR Illinois team hosted the McHenry Rising Stars ID at Pro Player Academy in McHenry, Ill. This event served as an open identifier into the state's 2027 and 2028 graduates, providing our staff an early look at the area's top players as they continue to progress as prospects.

These early Rising Stars events also serve as key identifiers for future invite-only events, including the Prep Baseball Report Junior Future Games. 

Today we take a quick look at some of the standouts and names to know from the event, as well as some of the top statistical leaders from the day. 

+ INF/RHP Kaden Wasniewski (McHenry, 2027) and INF/RHP Kash VanHouten (Canton, 2027) were two of the top, two-way, prospects in attendance at the event. 

Wasniewski represented Team Illinois 13U last summer at the PBR Junior Future Games and has shown growth in all areas of his game since. Wasniewski showed an uptick in bat speed and bat strength with his average bat speed ticking up six mph to 70.2 mph. He also has advanced arm strength from the outfield and infield topping at 91 mph. On the mound is where he may feature even more upside running his fastball up to 84 mph with a polished four-pitch repertoire for someone his age. He also ran the fastest 30-yard split at the event, a 4.05, reaching a max running speed of 17.6 mph.

VanHouten ran a 4.22 30-yard split, second-fastest of the event, and also impressed with his right-handed bat. He has an athletic, twitchy swing with a knack for the barrel and above-average bat speed (69.2 mph average; fourth-best at the event). He was a steady defender on the infield with an above-average arm that topped at 80 mph across the infield. That same arm played well on the mound, sitting 79-81 mph with a three-pitch mix. 

+ RHP/INF Cy Craft (DuQuoin) and OF/RHP Wade Ozment (Crystal Lake Central, 2027) were two other two-way prospects that have bright futures all across the diamond moving forward. Craft touched 82 mph with his fastball and swung a quick, aggressive right-handed bat. Ozment has an advanced 6-foot, 150-pound, well-proportioned frame and he swings a whippy, intentful right-handed bat that stays through the zone a long time. He topped at 80 mph from the outfield, as well as on the mound, sitting 78-79 with a polished three-pitch mix for his age and starter profile.

+ 1B David Hill (N/A, 2027) has a physical frame and his left-handed bat fits his first base profile.  Hill registered the third-highest average bat speed of the event at 81.4 mph was on the barrel with elevated contact throughout his round.

+ C Beckett Breseman (Prairie Ridge, 2027) is a wiry catcher with athletic, quick actions behind the plate, defensive versatility and a clean, quick arm. At the plate his hands work on top of the baseball, flashing twitch and a whole field approach. 

+ C Myles Broome (Brother Rice, 2027) stood out with his receiving abilities at last summer’s PBR Junior Future Games and he showed off a quick right-handed swing in McHenry. Broome led the field with 24.5 mph average hand speed at the plate, creating occasional leverage to the pull-side. Defensively he has soft hands and he is athletic and directional coming out of the chute. 

+ INF Landon Clements (McHenry, 2027) is a wiry, upside prospect who swung one of the more interesting left-handed bats on the day. He has loose hands, direct path and creates natural loft off the barrel with a balanced, easy finish. On the infield he is fundamentally sound playing from the ground up and out in front of his body, topping at 67 mph.

+ Another 2027 who handled themselves well offensively, was right-handed hitting OF/LHP Nate Larson (Huntley). Larson has a presence and rhythm in the box. He has loose, athletic hands, his bat stays through the zone a long time and he showed an above-average feel to hit, driving hard contact to all fields. 

+ RHP Charlie Caroselli (N/A, 2027) impressed in his bullpen, working with a mature presence, fluid, simple, controlled delivery and all kinds of feel for his repertoire, especially given his age. The arm works clean and loose out of a ¾ slot while commanding his low-70s fastball (83% strikes). He complimented that with two future above-average secondary offerings, a curveball and an advanced changeup. His changeup plays with arm speed, feel (83% strikes) and T17.6 inches of horizontal movement. He will be one to keep an eye on down the road, as his floor to pitch is already highly-advanced for his age. 

+ There were a couple of 2028s worth noting from the day, but one in particular, was switch-hitting OF Carver Cohn (McHenry). Cohn’s left-handed swing is advanced for his age. It's balanced, easy and highly repeatable with loose, easy hands and feel for the barrel. He also looked natural in the outfield with a clean arm that topped at 74 mph. 

+ C/RHP Flip Acevedo (Huntley), OF Andrew Sieg (Crystal Lake Central) and Kayden Adams (Mount Carmel) were three other 2028s to note from the day.

There are a number of other prospects, not mentioned, that are worth following down the road and they can be found HERE. 

Below is a look at some of the top statistical leaders from the event.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

FASTBALL VELOCITY (MAX)

FASTBALL SPIN RATE (AVG.)