Prep Baseball Report

Class of 2019 Showcase: Quick Hits



By Illinois Scouting Staff

The Class of 2019 Showcase took place on Tuesday, July 18th at Wheaton College's Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream, IL. The event had nearly 80 prospects from Illinois' 2019 class  participate in a pro style workout in front of the PBR Scouting Staff.

Today we continue the analysis of the event by taking an early look at some impressive performances from the day.

QUICK HITS

+ 6-foot-1, 185-pound, INF Nick Kosmetatos (St. Francis) put up an impressive stat line across the board; 7.15 60, 85 mph infield arm and a 93 mph exit velocity but really opened eyes with his round of batting practice. The physical right-handed hitter, creates easy bat speed and made consistent hard contact to the pull side.

+ Left/left outfielder Kyle Hetherington (Crystal Lake South) has natural outfield actions and swings a loose left-handed bat that projects.

+ Lanky 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-handed hitting outfielder Payton Thorne (Naperville Central) took one of the better rounds of BP showing a pull side approach and projects to hit for more power in the future.

+ Clark Elliott (Barrington) is a high-upside athlete who ran an event best 6.59 60-yard dash. Elliott also flashed bat speed and quick twitch in his left-handed swing.

+ Switch hitting OF/SS Beiker Fuentes (Crystal Lake South) showed natural, athletic actions in the outfield and easy arm strength, throwing 90 mph. Fuentes also showed the ability to stick on the infield with soft hands, body control and an accurate, strong arm.

+ Switch hitter Julio Cajigas (Romeoville) showed a pull approach from both sides of the plate, 88 mph exit velocity from the left side and 86 mph from the right side. Behind the plate he popped 1.94-2.07 and threw 77 mph from the crouch.

+ Joseph Miller (Oswego) ran a 6.87 60-yard dash and impressed all over the field. Behind the plate Miller popped 1.93-2.07 consistently on the bag and threw 75 mph out of the crouch. Miller showed fluid actions in the outfield and on the infield with easy carry across the infield on his throws.

+ Evan Geske (Woodstock), Johnny Colombo (Lane Tech), Patrick Keaty (South Elgin) and Nicholas Hofmann (Elk Grove) impressed defensively and should all be able to stick on the infield at the next level.  

+ SS Ian Steinorth (York) ran a 6.83, has quick twitch in his right-handed swing and flashed soft, receptive hands on the infield.  

+ Nick Fields (Galesburg) worked out as a switch-hitting two-way player, and showed a ton of promise on the mound. Sitting 83-84 mph and touching 85 mph, he also showed a plus potential changeup with hard darting action to his arm side and a hard cutter that at times looked like a swing and miss slider at 77 mph.

+ Here’s a couple of projectable arms to keep an eye on: RHP Matt Scherrman out of Wheaton Warrenville South. He is a long lean 6-foot-2, 165-pounds with a clean arm action that uses little effort. His fastball reached 84 mph and showed hard secondary offerings. 6-foot-1, 170-pound  RHP Josiah Zamora (Manteno) showed a ton of lively stuff in the hitting zone with a clean, live arm. His fastball only sat 80-82 mph, but projects for several more ticks down the road.  

+ Kyle Jennings (Marist) is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound, right-handed pitcher who sat 81-82 mph, touching 83. The projectably built right-hander also showed good feel for a changeup at 69-72 mph.

+ Nate Curtis is a physical two-way talent who showed pop in his right-handed bat and a strong arm on the mound. His 6-foot-2, 210-pound build could play as a corner outfielder with pull side pop and a strong arm that features a heavy fastball at 84-86 mph.

+ Alex Powers (Prairie Ridge) should be a high-follow catcher moving forward. Powers showed a strong, accurate arm behind the plate, 79 mph from the crouch and pop times that ranged from 2.00-2.14. Powers also swings a loose right-handed bat and found the barrel consistently in his round of batting practice.

+ OF Elias Flowers (Yorkville) impressed running a 6.69 60 and he took one of the more consistent rounds of batting practice. Flowers a left-handed hitter, controls his barrel, uses the whole field and has a simple, line-drive approach.

Related Content