Aidan
Capone

OF/RHP Aidan Capone (Auburn) was one of the top winners from the event and should be a two-way prospect to follow closely moving forward. Capone has an athletic 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame that has added quality strength since our last look in August of 2022. On the mound, he showed an up-tempo, athletic delivery, paired with a quick and lively arm. The fastball sat 86-88 mph, with late run and jump through the zone. Capone also mixed in a mid-70s slider with a late wrinkle and a changeup that played at 75-78.5 mph with an average of 17 inches of horizontal movement. At the plate, Capone flashed a whippy, strong barrel with a pull-side approach, he recorded one of the top exit velocities of the day (97 mph). From the outfield, he showed athleticism getting to the ball, and a strong arm that was recorded at 92 mph. Additionally, Capone ran a 6.97 60-yard dash.

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-2, 180-pounds. Athletic build, well-proportioned, room to fill.
Delivery: Up-tempo, athletic delivery, slight coil, in-line at landing spot.
Arm Action: RH. Quick, lively arm, compact arm swing, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T88, 86-88 mph. Life out of the hand, straight. T2598, 2493 average rpm.
SL: 75-76 mph. Developing feel, some depth. T2063, 1980 average rpm.
CH: 75-79 mph. Running action, thrown with intent out of the same slot as the fastball. T2151, 2041 average rpm.

Hit: RHH. Slightly open stance, barrel tilt load into toe tap. Whippy, slightly uphill path, strong barrel, pull-side approach.
Power: 97 max exit velocity, averaged 85.5 mph. 359’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 92 mph. Aggressive, long draw, ball jumps out of the hand, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Stays behind the ball, fields out front, athletic through the ball.
Run: 6.96 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-2, 185-pounds.
Delivery: Coils into a medium balance point, slight preload in the back knee that maintains bend down the mound, stride works in-line with the plate.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm circle into a 3/4 to high 3/4 slot.
FB: T84, 82-83 mph. Mostly straight with some finish through the zone. T2513, 2307 average rpm.
CB: 69-71 mph. Gradual 11/5 shape, thrown for strikes. T1941, 1801 average rpm.
SL: 73-73 mph. Short 10/4 shape. T1785, 1785 average rpm.
CH: 76-81 mph. Fades slightly to the arm-side. T2253, 2186 average rpm.

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-2, 185-pounds.
Hits: SH. Open setup, toe tap stride. Aggressive swing, flashed bat speed, hands work on top and gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 96 max exit velocity, averaged 84.7 MPH. 295' max distance.
Arm: RH. OF-90 mph. Compact arm action, high 3/4 slot, throws have life out of the hand, quick release
Defense: Attacks the baseball, fields out in front, gets behind the baseball, shuffle to release
Run: 6.77 runner in the 60.

Another intriguing 2023 of note was OF Aidan Capone (Rockford Auburn). The 6-foot-1, 160-pound, athletically-built, switch-hitter ran a 6.98 and was 87 mph from the outfield. At the plate, he has a strong, fast bat with controlled aggression and feel for the barrel. Capone registered a peak exit velocity of 92 mph with a max batted ball distance of 322 feet. Capone led the event with an average hand speed of 27 mph. He was also second with an on-plane efficiency of 89% and top-six with an average bat speed of 72 mph.

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-1, 160-pounds.
Delivery: Athletic mover, quick into leg-lift, lower-half moves in-line with the plate from balance point.
Arm Action: LH. 3/4 slot, long arm action.
FB: T84.6, 82.5-84.6 mph. Showed arm side run, variable control. Occasional sink action. T2223, 2151 average rpm.
CB: 63.0-65.5 mph. Changes to over the top slot, played mostly down. T1991, 1892 average rpm.
CH: 71.1-72.8 mph. Arm side run at times. T1888, 1795 average rpm.

Positional Profile: OF
Hit: SH. Balanced setup, pre-pitch load and toe-tap stride. Strong, fast bat, aggressive swing with feel for the barrel. A lot of the hard contact throughout his round.
Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 75.1 mph. 322’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 87 mph. Long arm out of the glove into a high 3/4 slot, quick to release with carry and life.
Defense: Quick choppy steps, soft hands, loose body, plays through the ball.
Run: 6.98 runner in the 60.