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MOKAN Rising Stars ID: Quick Hits

July 15, 2024
Eliott Wilk
Central Region Operations Director

On Tuesday, June 18th, the Prep Baseball Kansas team hosted the annual MOKAN Rising Stars ID at Homefield Baseball Complex in Kansas City, Kansas. This event was open for all 2028-2029 athletes, and gave our staff an ample look at the area's top young players from both Kansas and Missouri. 

For a full look at the players that attended, click HERE. 

Today, after combing through our notes from the day, we’ve compiled some of the event’s standouts below within these ‘Quick Hits’.

QUICK HITS

+ Packed with physicality in a 6-foot-2, 208-pound frame, RHP Brody VanHouten (Spring Hill, 2028) was a standout arm on the mound in Tuesday’s event. VanHouten showcased a smooth, easy, repeatable delivery, moving with intent down the mound. With more to come as he adds strength, the soon-to-be freshman pitched at 76-77 mph with his fastball while commanding the zone with two distinct breaking balls in a slider/curveball mix at 65-67 mph and 62-65 mph respectively.

+ INF Jon Calcaterra (Lindbergh, 2028) put together one of the day's loudest rounds of batting practice in Tuesday’s look. With strength throughout a 6-foot-1, 204-pound frame, Calcaterra paced all players with a 86 mph average exit velocity per batted ball, consistently driving the ball with power to all fields, barreling his best ball 335 feet at 91.5 mph. That strength translated over to the field where he fired a 80 mph bullet across the diamond - second best at the event.

+ 2023 Junior Future Games participant INF Porter McCarthy (Benton, 2028) put together another strong performance in this look. At the plate, McCarthy was consistently on the barrel, using a clean left-handed swing to deliver line drives from gap to gap. The freshman showcased clean, reliable actions on the infield, reaching 78 mph across the diamond on his firmest throw. At 5-foot-9, 135-pounds, McCarthy also ran a 6.96 60 which was a top-3 time on the day.

+ One of the top young bats in the region, 1B Keelan Zumwalt (Summit Christian, 2028) came away from Tuesday as one of the event’s biggest winners on both sides of the ball. A projectable left-handed bat at 6-foot-2, 175-pounds, Zumwalt is a rhythmic and controlled mover in the box with a knack for finding the barrel. The freshman drove the ball from gap to gap throughout his BP round, using a loose, whippy swing to reach exit velocities upwards of 94.5 mph - tops of the event. On the infield, Zumwalt showed reliable hands and feel for footwork around the bag while also firing a 83 mph bullet across the diamond; leading all infielders.

+ C/OF Eliyah Powell (MICDS, 2028) is another young, projectable name to know from this event. Listed at 5-foot-10, 162-pounds, Powell swung a strong left-handed barrel with an intent to elevate the ball to the pullside of the field. He produced a top exit velocity of 86.3 mph and sent his furthest ball 271 feet to right field. Defensively, Powell showed off a quick, developing transfer behind the plate, producing pop times between 2.13 and 2.26 seconds. 

+ OF Xander Tiller (Benton, 2028) is a standout two-way name-to-know from this event. Tiller got the day started by posting the day’s top 60 time with a 6.85 mark. At the plate, the soon-to-be freshman put together a complete round of BP, showcasing a smooth, balanced swing, flashing gap-to-gap pop at times. He squared up his best ball at 93.2 mph, sending it 317 feet - both among the top marks at the event. His arm played true from the outfield, flashing arm strength and carry at a top mark of 82 mph. Afterwards, Tiller hopped on the mound, pitching in the upper 70’s while commanding a curveball/changeup mix for strikes.

+ OF/RHP Lucas Kamerzell (Blue Valley, 2028) is as physical as they come in a 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame. Kamerzell was consistently on the barrel throughout his BP round with a quick, inside-out swing with natural loft, producing a max exit velocity of 84.4 mph. From the outfield, the freshman posted a 76 mph velocity. On the mound, Kamerzell wrapped up the day by running his fastball up to 78.8 mph while having the aptitude to spin a curveball/changeup mix for strikes.

+ Another standout two-way performance came from INF Mason Stein (Paola, 2028). The 6-foot, 165-pound freshman swings a quiet, compact right-handed barrel that plays through the middle of the field, reaching a 88.3 mph peak exit velocity - a top-5 mark at the event. Additionally, his arm was reliable across the diamond, producing a top velocity of 71 mph. Afterwards, Stein hopped on the mound where he showcased a fastball up to 77.9 mph with plenty more to come as he adds on strength and size. With that he paired a loopy, 59-60 mph curveball and a low-spin change up at 65-67 mph. 

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