All-State Games: Quick Hits

On Tuesday, June 29, the PBR Illinois staff hosted the All-State Games at The MAX in LaGrange, IL. The invite-only event featured over 50 of the top 2023s from Illinois and Wisconsin, all of whom are currently uncommitted. 

A number of high-level prospects came out of the event and warrant high-follow status moving forward. Below we take a look at some of the top standouts from the day.

QUICK HITS

ARMS

Arguably the deepest position of the event was the arms. 14 arms in attendance ran their fastball up to at least 85 mph, or harder, with a number of them emerging as follows for the rest of the summer.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

RHP Thomas Burns (Hortonville, WI) was one of the more impressive arms on the day. Burns, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound, strong, athletically-built right-hander works with easy effort, pounded the strike zone and showed an advanced three-pitch mix that should profile him as a starter down the road. Burns’ fastball sat 86-89 mph with an average induced vertical break of 19.4 inches and an average of 2004 rpm. His curveball is a legitimate out-pitch, flashing sharp action at 72-73 mph. One of the top uncommitted arms in the state of Wisconsin.

The last arm of the day, RHP Anthony Edge (Jacobs, IL), made a statement in his one-inning stint. Previously known for his abilities as a position player, Edge emerged as a high-follow arm thanks to his fastball/slider combination that looks fit for the back-end of a bullpen. Edge has presence and confidence on the mound and pounded the zone with a fastball that sat 86-87 mph. Edge paired it with one of the best breaking balls of the day, an aggressive, sharp slider with late action at 73-75 mph. 

Fellow Illinois right-hander, Jack Duncan (Macomb, IL), was another winner from yesterday’s event. Duncan, listed at 6-foot-1, 200-pounds, has a long quick arm action and showed a lively fastball with carry through the zone and occasional arm-side action at 82-87 mph, touching 88. Duncan’s average spin rate on the fastball was 2192 rpm with a max induced vertical break of 20.2 inches. Duncan also showed off a sweeping slider at 72-74 mph, T2253 rpm.

RHP Logan Barnett (Pontiac, IL) has an imposing presence on the mound thanks to his physical 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame. The strong-bodied right-hander showed a compact arm action and late-riding fastball that sat 84-87 mph with the ability to land his 70-72 mph curveball for strikes. 

One of the more projectable arms in attendance was RHP Kyler Kennen (Jacobs, IL). Kennen has a 6-foot-5, 180-pound, long-limbed, high-waisted frame and an upside arm action to match. Kennen’s arm works long, loose and quick with the ability to repeat. Kennen showed some of the best fastball command on the day, working both sides of the plate and at the knees while sitting 82-84 mph (T2381 rpm). Kennen is still developing his 62-65 mph curveball but he consistently landed it for strikes to keep hitters off balance. Upside right-handed arm to follow in the 2023 class. 

RHP Ryan Geraghty (Carmel Catholic, IL) featured one of the livelier fastballs on the day, topping out at 90 mph, an event high, while sitting 86-89 mph. The off-speed is still developing, and the fastball was spotty at times but the arm speed and upside on the 6-foot-1, 177-pound Geraghty is undeniable.

RHP Nicholas Lacson (Barrington, IL) had one of his more impressive performances to date. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound, right-hander pounded the zone behind an 84-85 mph fastball that touched 86 with a max spin rate of 2419 rpm. Lacson paired it with a low-70’s breaking ball. 

LEFT-HANDED PITCHERS

LHP Gavyn Bowen (Pewaukee, WI) is a loose-armed left-hander who sat 82-84 mph with seemingly much more in the tank. Bowen, a wiry/athletic, 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame struggled to find the strike zone for his first couple of hitters but then settled in to strike out four of the last five hitters he faced. Follow 2023 left-hander.

Ian Boal (Johnsburg, IL) and Lucas Foley (Lake Zurich, IL) are a pair of left-handers who showed above-average pitchability and fastballs that sat in the low-80’s.

INFIELDERS

A trio of left-handed hitting infielders to keep an eye on moving forward were Adam Schilz (Warren, IL), Bryer Arview (Civic Memorial, IL) and Ryan Niedzwiedz (West Aurora, IL). 

Schilz has a long-limbed, 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame and featured arguably the highest offensive ceiling of anyone in attendance. Schilz has loose, quick hands, creates whip and bat speed through the zone and was all over the barrel in BP. Schilz top exit velocity was recorded at 94.86 mph with a max distance of 360’. 

Arview is an athletic, 6-foot-1, 170-pound, middle infielder who stays short and direct to the ball with natural lift and sneaky pull-side pop. Defensively, he is a steady defender with a chance to stick at shortstop moving forward.

Niedzwiedz continues to fill out his 6-foot, 180-pound frame and his arm strength continues to tick up as a result. Niedzwiedz topped at 90 mph (up from 86) with relative ease across the diamond. He also shows a swing fit for the middle-of-an-order with quick, twitchy hands and makes hard contact to all parts of the field. 

3B Charalambos Nicoloudes (Naperville Central, IL) had one of the loudest rounds of BP on the day. The 6-foot 188-pound right-handed hitter starts in an open/athletic stance, leg-kick timing trigger, long stride. Barrel works level through the zone with easy pop off the bat. Worked the ball to all fields with the ability to back-spin the ball. Nicoloudes has a mature and confident presence in the box, advanced for his age. High follow 2023 prospect. 

CIF Jake Zitella (St. Charles East, IL) continues to see his overall game tick up. Offensively, he has simplified his right-handed swing and still creates above-average bat speed and bat strength. Zitella has a confident, aggressive look in the box, natural lift and repeated hard, lifted contact. Defensively, he profiles at a corner infield spot and has the bat to suffice.

Another infielder to keep an eye on was Eduardo Letamendi (Von Stueben, IL). Letamendi has an athletic, 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame with room for continued physical development. Letamendi has smooth confident infield actions and that same confidence correlates in the right-handed batter’s box. Letamendi sits in a wide setup, lets the ball travel deep and has loose, quick hands looking to drive the ball to all fields. Upside 2023 infielder to follow. 

SS Connor Olson (Arrowhead, WI) set personal bests across the board when it comes to his tools. He also took one of the better rounds of BP on the day. The 6-foot, 175-pound, wiry, athletically-built, right-handed hitter stays flat and through the zone a long time. Olson’s hands work on top of the baseball and he shows advanced feel for the barrel. Olson also ran a 6.80 in the 60, an event-best.

One of the most potent bats in attendance was CIF/RHP Christian Graves (Marengo, IL). Graves has a physical, barrel-chested 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame and has an imposing presence and look in the box. Graves seemed to make loud/hard contact every time he stepped in the box during the simulated game play. It's a clean swing, fast bat with some of the best bat strength in the state, for his age. The corner infielder registered the top exit velocity on the day at 100.52 mph off the bat during BP. Graves also hopped on the mound and ran his fastball up to 86 mph. High-follow, physical right-handed bat. 

CATCHERS

Arguably the top catcher on the day looked to be Evan Gustafson (Altoona, WI). The 6-foot-2, 185-pound, left-handed hitter has strength at the plate, generating loud contact to the middle of the field. He really shined during the defensive workout where he showed a plus arm (79 mph) and plus release for his age. Gustafson shows natural, athletic actions, clean glove-to-hand transfer and his throws were consistently on the bag with carry. Gustafson was routinely popping sub-2.0 times during his round. Looks to be a high-level uncommitted left-handed hitting catcher in the Wisconsin 2023 class.

Dominic Kibler (New Berlin West, WI) was another left-handed hitting catcher who stood out at the event. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound, Kibler took a polished, professional round of BP, resulting in an event-best 91.92 mph average exit velocity off the bat. Kibler is quiet and relaxed in the box with loose, athletic hands and he peppered backspun line-drives right back up the middle of the diamond. Kibler had some of the best barrel control of the day and was also 77 mph from the crouch. 

LEFT-HANDED/SWITCH HITTERS

Two left-handed bats worth mentioning were 1B/LHP Riley Iffrig (Edwardsville) and Keith Williams (Catholic Memorial, WI). Iffrig has a 6-foot-2, 178-pound, strong-bodied frame and polished left-handed swing with above-average feel for the barrel. Iffrig stays short to the ball, flat through the zone and registered the fourth-best average exit velocity of the day at 91.40 mph off the bat. Williams has a 6-foot-1, 220-pound, muscular, wide-shouldered build and swings the bat with intent. Williams, who ran a 7.07 60 showed big pull-side power and recorded a max exit velocity of 97.07 mph off the bat in BP.

If you are looking for a high-motor left-handed hitter, Justin Gorski (Rockford Boylan, IL) fits the mold. The 5-foot-8, 150-pound, middle infielder stayed until the very last pitch of the day and tried to get in as many at-bats as he could. Gorski is a tough-out, takes consistent competitive at-bats and stays short and direct to the ball. Gorski ran a 6.96 on the day but has been as low as 6.73 in the past. 

OF Nicholas Gottfried (Jacobs, IL) continues to impress everytime we get our eyes on him. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound switch-hitter swings it equally as well from both sides of the plate. Gottfried repeats his swing with loose, athletic hands, natural lift from both sides and a knack for the barrel. Gottfried also showed athletic outfield actions and a strong arm that topped at 88 mph. 

Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more coverage from the event.

CLICK HERE for the full All-State Games roster.

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