Prep Baseball Report

St. Louis Open: Top Overall Prospects


By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

For the second fall in a row, the PBR staff headed to GCS Credit Union Ballpark for an event. The St. Louis Open took place on Saturday, October 12th. The open event featured close to 50 prospects from 2020-2024 high school graduates. 

Over the past week we have broken down the event by position. Today we conclude the analysis with a look at the Top-10 prospects from the day. 

Missouri Valley commits, LHP/OF Josh Dima (Belleville West, 2020; Illinois State commit) and OF/INF Hayden Moore (Edwardsville, 2021; Missouri State commit), came away as the top two prospects from the day. Dima is a potential left/left, two-way talent, at the next level and has a live arm that was up to 90 mph on the mound and 93 mph from the outfield. Moore is an athletic switch-hitter who handles the bat from both sides of the plate and is fluid and athletic in the outfield. 

Another two-way talent, 2021 LHP/1B Landen Johnson (Westminster Christian, MO), impressed all over the field and comes in at the No. 3 spot. Johnson, a left/left prospect, showed off big pull power potential in his bat, played with a motor and bounce at first base and ran his fastball up to 85 mph on the mound. Johnson asserted himself as a high-follow 2021 from Missouri. 

Check out the entire Top-10 below:

TOP OVERALL PROSPECTS

Josh Dima LHP / OF / Belleville West, IL / 2020

Positional Profile: LHP/OF. High-level two-way prospect in the 2020 class.
Body: 6-foot-1, 180-pounds. Strong, athletic, wide-shouldered frame.
Delivery: Smooth tall and fall delivery, stays on-line, lands front-toe closed and finishes athletically.
Arm Action: LH. Long, loose, quick and easy arm from a high 3/4 window.
FB: T90, 87-90 mph. Lively, jumps out of the hand, late finish through the zone and sporadic control.
CB: 69-72 mph. 1/7 shape, late downer action, flashed sharp, tight action.
CH: 77-79 mph. Potential advanced offering. Swing-and-miss action; late run and sink, feel for the bottom of the zone.

Positional Profile: OF
Hit: LHH. Balanced, open setup, smooth load and toe-tap timing trigger. Loose, athletic hands, creates easy bat speed. Long, level path, stays through the baseball, works gap-to-gap and ball jumps off the barrel at times.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: LH. OF - 93 mph. Loose, quick and extremely easy arm strength from a high 3/4 slot. Throws played true with life and carry.
Defense: Easy, athletic actions, plays with body control and confidence. Sure hands, plays through the baseball and clean transfer.
Run: 7.26 runner in the 60. 

Hayden Moore OF / SS / Edwardsville, IL / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/INF
Body: 5-foot-11, 150-pounds. Lean, athletic frame.
Hit: SH. Natural from both sides of the plate. Pre-pitch rhythm, open setup, smooth load and balanced, rhythmic swing. Hands are loose, directional through the zone and repeatable swing. Controls the barrel, natural lift, uses the whole field and consistent hard contact.
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 81 mph. OF - 85 mph. Long, loose arm action. high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Worked out in the outfield and infield. Natural outfield defender, profiles at any of the three spots. Fluid natural actions, plays with ease and body control. Moves with a purpose, concise routes, plays through the baseball, clean release.
Run: 7.09 runner in the 60. 

Landen Johnson 1B / LHP / Westminster Christian Academy, MO / 2021

Positional Profile: LHP/1B High-follow two-way prospect.
Body: 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. Extra-large, athletic, well-proportioned strength.
Delivery: Simple, stretch-only delivery. Repeatable, stays on-line and lands square.
Arm Action: LH. Long, live arm action from a high 3/4 slot.
FB: T85, 83-84 mph. Jumps out of the hand, late am-side-run and finish through the zone.
CB: 66-66 mph. Feel, 1/7 shape, short wrinkle.
SL: 69-70 mph. Thrown aggressively, 2/8 shape, short late break.
CH: 72-75 mph. Maintains arm speed, sink and fade action at the bottom of the zone. 

Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. Extra-large, athletic, well-proportioned strength.
Hit: LHH. Crouched setup, smooth load, toe-tap stride and balanced swing. Loose, whippy hands creates bat speed and big pull-power potential. Natural lift in swing and a lot of hard contact.
Power: 96 mph exit velocity from the tee. Strong hands, potential power bat.
Arm: LH. INF - 85 mph. Long, quick arm action, high 3/4 slot and throws carry across the infield.
Defense: Athletic around the first base bag. Plays with bounce and a motor. Maintains body control, soft hands, clean release.
Run: 8.01 runner in the 60. 

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