Super 60: Statistical Analysis
February 10, 2022
On Feb. 6, Prep Baseball Report hosted the 20th edition of the Super 60 Pro Showcase back at its usual home, The MAX, in McCook, Ill., on the outskirts of Chicago. Since the event’s inception in 2003, more than 300 players have been selected in the MLB Draft, including over 25 first-round picks and over 25 second-rounders.
And this year’s event proved to be an exciting first stop on 2022’s road to the MLB Draft, as we were treated to some show-stealing performances and several players catapulted themselves onto must-follow lists after a breakout day. This was already one of the most impressive rosters assembled in Super 60 history, as 12 states had their No. 1 prospect in attendance, and 12 more had their Nos. 2-5 prospect at the event, too.
We’ve already begun to break down the best takeaways of the day, which you can find here:
Today, our next step in the Super 60’s post-event breakdown will come in the form of a statistical analysis. We’re taking a look at all of the measured data collected at the Super 60, assessing the traditional stats and the leaders among them. We’ll have additional podcasts, video, and scouting reports published in the coming days and weeks, so keep an eye out for that content on Draft HQ, as well as the state’s individual landing pages.
Here’s a look at the leaderboards and the top performers among the traditional stats measured:
MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY (TRACKMAN)
Using the TrackMan units we had positioned on site, we witnessed over half of the 24 pitchers that took the mound reach a max fastball velocity of over 92 mph – and another six who climbed to 94 or above – including RHP Aiden Moffett (MS; Louisiana State commit), who erupted on Sunday as one of the event’s biggest winners. Moffett’s immediate physicality on the mound stole scouts’ attention, listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, and he used his inherent strength and long levers to pump in the highest average velocity at the event with relative ease, reaching an event-best 96.7 mph max, boosted by excellent peripherals that TrackMan picked up on.
Another one of the showcase’s clear-cut winners is LHP Jackson Humphries (NC; Campbell), who paced fellow southpaws with a 94.8 mph max fastball velo, per TrackMan. The only other arm to breach the 95 mph threshold was Indiana prep righty Gage Stanifer (Cincinnati), who delivers that ball with a bit of funk that enhances its deception, complementing its already advanced raw velocity. He sat 92-95 mph with hard sink and a couple quality secondaries, in a changeup and slider, and the latter looked like a real out-pitch as he continues to develop.
Here are the three other arms, each listed at 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4, that crossed into the 94 mph range: RHP Ethan Patera (IL; Louisville), RHP Zach Crotchfelt (NJ; Auburn), and RHP Ben Brutti (RI; South Florida). And while the fastballs each fell into a similar range of velocity, each of the three profiled differently than the next. Patera, a local product, climbed to a 94.6 mph high in his ‘pen without using much effort, and as the biggest of this group, he also projects best physically. Crotchfelt’s spins at a high rate (2,386 rpm max) and he lived in the zone with it, while also featuring among the day’s top average induced vertical break marks (17.1 inches). As for the Rhode Island prospect, Brutti garnered a ton of buzz by showcasing a unique pitch profile as evidenced by a heavy fastball that moved at over 17 inches horizontally on average, the second highest of the event, but it was also traveling in the 91-93 mph range exclusively, higher than the fastballs that measured similar horizontal action.
TOP 60-YARD DASH
There were some excellent 60-yard dash times recorded on Sunday, though Michigan recruit OF Gregory Pace Jr. (MI) managed to run, not one, but two sub-6.40 times. After blazing out to a 6.35 mark on his first attempt, Pace Jr. affirmed his speed with another time just a tick behind that – highly impressive stuff for a taller athlete, listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. The next closest time belongs to OF Gage Harrelson (GA; Texas Tech), who ran a 6.50 and earned more praise for his twitchy left-handed swing.
And, like Pace Jr., it’s hard to get more physically projectable than OF Brendan Summerhill (IL; Arizona), who’s listed at a strong and athletic 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. The Chicago native pieced together one of the best pound-for-pound performances at the Super 60, and it all started at the 60 where he clocked a 6.54. C Ross Highfill (MS; Mississippi State) is an excellent athlete at his position, as evidenced by a 6.59 time at this station. And OF Tommy Specht (IA; Kentucky) entered the event as one of its top prospects, and left it as one of the top statistical performers, as he placed near the top of most stat categories he participated in, including his 6.61 60 inside a lean 6-foot-4 frame.
MAX EXIT VELOCITY (TRACKMAN)
There were 19 players who recorded a max exit speed that exceeded the 100 mph threshold, led by Sooners commit and Oklahoma native INF Caden Powell, who notched a 105.9 mph high.
A fraction behind Powell was another Illinois product, 1B Victor Izquierdo (Navy), who has propelled himself into one of the top power threats in the Midwest over the course of the last year or so, specifically. In fact, five of the top eight players on the max exit velo leaderboard are Illinois natives: INF/RHP Owen Murphy (104.4 mph; Notre Dame), OF Luke Adams (103.3; Michigan State), SS/3B Estevan Moreno (103.0; Notre Dame), and OF Alex Stanwich (101.8; Tennessee). It’s worth singling out Murphy – a two-way player who’s perceived to have a more long-term future on the mound as one of the top prep pitchers in the nation – after he recorded the fourth highest max exit speed at the event, the second highest average, and he was responsible for the farthest estimated batted ball that measured 392 feet on TrackMan. Meanwhile, Stanwich and Moreno were just behind their neighbor, having recorded best batted balls that traveled an estimated 390 and 389 feet, respectively, trailing Murphy alone at the event.
Clemson recruit and New Jersey native SS Chris Maldonado is one of the prospects earning the highest praise in the days since. The compact 6-foot, 190-pound right-handed hitter gets the utmost out of his swing, resulting in some of the consistently loudest contact of the event, and his hardest hit ball was measured at 104.5 mph, 95.2 on average. His farthest batted ball traveled the most of the non-Illinois players mentioned above, landing an estimated 387 feet from home.
It’s also worth mentioning that the 6.35 runner, Pace Jr., showed some aptitude at the plate, too, slugging one ball 386 feet and recording a max exit speed of 101.0 mph.
MAX INFIELD VELOCITY
There was some special arm talent on the infield, led by 3B/RHP Mitchell Voit (WI; Michigan), who recorded back-to-back throws that tied the all-time Super 60 high in infield defense, measured at 97 mph. Voit, who’s exceptionally young for the class, is also one of its most versatile athletes. He starred in the alternate athletic testing accommodated by Swift Performance, which included the vertical jump, and his arm strength helped him sit in the low-90s on the mound later in the day.
SS Maximus Martin (NJ; Rutgers) displayed some savvy glovework on the infield during the defensive portion of the event, reaching a 93 mph high to first, and this was after a strong couple rounds of batting practice, where he recorded an average exit speed of 94.7 mph, attached to real bat speed (74.8 mph on average), and his 6.63 time in the 60 was good for the No. 7 spot on that leaderboard.
Another Wisconsin native landed near the top of this category: SS Gavin Kilen (Louisville), the state’s top-ranked senior. Kilen was clearly hard at work over the offseason, looking like he added wiry strength in-between the fall and now, and his lean 5-foot-11, 180-pound build could stand to support even more muscle as he continues to grow and develop. Kilen is the latest Wisconsin product to star at shortstop at the Super 60, following SS Noah Miller (MLB Draft, Twins, Round CB-A) in 2021. Kilen reached a 92 mph high across with quality shortstop actions, and his left-handed round of batting practice was among the event’s most praised – and his max exit speed of 100.2 mph underscores the strength he’s added over the offseason.
Canadian SS Nathaniel Ochoa (ON; Alabama) matched Kilen’s 92 mph high, though in a different kind of frame. Built at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Ochoa’s athletic for his stature (6.71 60) and his size, present skill set, and background makes it seem as if he’s only just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.
Mentioned earlier for his bat strength, Illinois’ Estevan Moreno is another prominent follow who’s become known in the region for his substantial right-handed power. Listed at a projectable, broad-shouldered 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Moreno’s 91 mph high to first base, combined with the athleticism he displays for his size, creates a defensive profile fit for the left side of the infield with the power bat to complement a long-term fit at third base, most likely.
MAX OUTFIELD VELOCITY
This is another area that the Iowan Specht excelled. After recording a 6.61 mark in the 60-yard dash, as well as above-average bat speed and rotational acceleration according to Blast, Specht stepped into the outfield defense portion of the event and unleashed a 98 mph high to home – a tick shy of last year’s all-time high recorded by OF/RHP Braden Montgomery (2021, MS; Stanford), the reigning PBR Mississippi Player of the Year.
A trio of outfielders tied for second place with 97 mph highs to home, and yet again, Illinois’ presence was felt here as both the aforementioned Adams and Stanwich reached back to leap near the top of another leaderboard. Stanwich, a Vols recruit, has long been known as one of the Midwest’s toolsiest prospects, so it was no surprise to see him stand out from a talented crowd on Sunday. As for Adams, he used Sunday to become a much more popular name outside of his home state. He’s a broad and strong 6-foot-4, 227-pound prospect who resembles an incoming tight end recruit at Michigan State, yet his skill set on the diamond continues to impress, as he ran a 6.73 and recorded some of the day’s hardest hit contact, and repeatedly.
The third player to reach that 97 mph high to home was, once more, the event’s stand-out athlete Gregory Pace Jr., whose 60 time energized the event at the start of the day and he continued to stir interest throughout it.
For comparison’s sake, last year’s Super 60 featured a really talented crop of outfielders, and two highs to home that surpassed 90 mph. On Sunday, we witnessed eight outfielders hit 93 mph or above with their best throws.
MAX CATCHER VELOCITY
TOP POP TIMES
We referenced Highfill’s unique athleticism for the catching position in the 60-yard dash section, as he ran a 6.59 to start his day. Well, after that, he maintained the head of steam he gathered by finding barrel after barrel from the right side in BP, and his round of catcher defense was also excellent. He recorded several 85 mph throws down to second base, combined with efficient catch-and-throw actions that made him look like a fit in crouch for the long-term.
The velocity he showed from the chute was matched by the hulking backstop from Louisiana, Ethan Frey (Louisiana State), a 6-foot-6, 225-pound prospect who powered his high school to its first-ever state title last spring after hopping on the mound to punch out 12 in a complete-game, title-clinching effort. Clearly, the arm strength plays from behind the plate too, where he averaged the highest average velocity to second base. And despite his long and strong build, Frey was still able to run a 6.86 in the 60 and naturally, given his stature, he averaged the highest exit velocity of any player at the Super 60 (98.4 mph). Just as notably, every ball he struck left the barrel at 90-plus mph, which is good for an 100 percent hard-hit rate.
From Texas, C Easton Carmichael (Oklahoma) is another quality athlete who earned our attention from the jump on Sunday. He raced to a 6.62 in the 60, and followed it up with an eye-catching round of batting practice where he flashed authentic power potential from a really balanced, controlled right-handed swing. While the swing looks simple, Carmichael is just making it look easy as he reaches high exit speeds, including a 100.2 mph max, and his best batted ball traveled an estimated 376 feet. Flash forward to his round of defense featuring several sub-2.00 pop times, combined with his athleticism and above-average arm strength, and Carmichael looks capable of blossoming into even more of a follow name as Prosper’s season starts – where he’s already making an impression.
Lastly, C Brooks Brannon (NC; North Carolina) averaged the lowest pop times of the event and he was also responsible for the hardest hit ball (102.6 mph) among his fellow backstops at the Super 60. He's a muscular, compact 6-foot, 215-pound catcher who strikes the ball hard with frequency from the right-handed batter's box. And it quickly became clear that he values his defense, he was vocal and enthusiastic during both catcher defense evals and during the bullpens he was receiving when it was the pitcher's turn to hop on the mound.
Continue to follow us through the rest of this week, and beyond, as we provide even more post-event breakdowns with the help of partners like Blast Motion, TrackMan, Vizual Edge, ProPlay AI, and Swift Performance.