Blake
Wolters

The Arizona signee lands on our all-state list yet again after a dominant season, one that earned him our 2023 PBR Illinois Player of the Year award. Wolters hurled 48 ⅔ innings, punching out 106 batters, while walking only 14. He surrendered 13 total hits and allowed just three earned runs (0.43 ERA) while holding his opposition to a .079 batting average. Wolters threw three no-hitters, including a 13-strikeout masterpiece to secure back-to-back Apollo Conference titles for Mahomet-Seymour. Aside from his upper-90s heat and swing-and-miss slider, Wolters batted .440 on the year with nine home runs, 10 doubles, 39 RBIs, and he stole 24 bags, too. After drawing plenty of professional attention each time he took the mound this spring, Wolters is likely to hear his name called highly in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Arizona signee and one of the top pitching prospects in the country. Physical, prototypical starter’s like frame at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds. Took the mound for Mahomet-Seymour in an eventual conference clinching win, striking out 13 in a no-hitter, which was his third of the season. Simple delivery, rocks into his backside and stays on it to front foot strike, transfers weight efficiently. Closed throughout, works in line to target and finishes consistently onto a stable lead leg. Continues to produce high-end velocity without needing much effort. Fluid and continuous arm swing that has some length on the backside, finishes clean from a high ¾ slot that accelerates out front. Fastball sat 95-98 mph in the first, pitched in the low-to-mid-90s throughout, touching 96 in the fourth and 95 in the fifth. Easy with life up in the zone at times, controlled waned early but settled in as his outing went on. Threw a tight slider more often than we’d seen from him in the past in this look at 79-82 mph, landing it for strikes with consistency. Manipulated the action to it, creating more vertical break and downer spin as a get-me-over, while spinning it on more of a lateral plane for whiffs. Continues to ascend as a high-end MLB Draft prospect for this year’s cycle, drawing plenty of professional attention each time he toes the rubber. 

Arizona commit. Wolters continued his dominant 2023 campaign last week with a no hitter in their 10-0 win over Centennial. He struck out 14 and walked one in the game on 73 pitches. At the plate he went 4-for-11 with a home run, double, four RBIs, and four runs. In the game against Centennial, he went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.

Week 3: Wolters was mentioned within our Week 3 Diamond Notes after throwing four innings with 11 strikeouts and one hit allowed.

Arizona signee. Physical, broad-shouldered athlete built like a traditional big league starter, standing at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds. Started on the mound against Effingham in a conference matchup, striking out 11 batters over his 4 ⅔ innings of work, walking only two. Rhythmic, athletic, and polished delivery. Simple leg lift to balance point, gets down the mound with momentum, stays connected and on his backside throughout. Slightly upright posture at footstrike with clear hip/shoulder separation, finishes with controlled intent onto a firm lead leg. Continues to produce high-end outputs without much effort, athleticism and strength suggest more peak and sustained velocity are to come. Fluid and continuous arm swing, has some length on the backside, finishes from a clean high ¾ slot with arm speed and acceleration out front. Fastball sat 97-99 mph in the first inning, settled at 93-96 mph as his outing went on, touching 96 mph in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, respectively. Exploded up in the zone when he stayed behind it with real professional swing-and-miss life to it, did work around the baseball to inadvertently cut it at times. Showed more confidence in his slider in this look, turned to it to get ahead in the count and landed it for strikes when behind. Manipulated spin on it at 82-85 mph; harder, more horizontal sweep with tighter spin for whiffs, spun it with more depth as a get-me-over for strikes. Did flash a straight changeup thrown at arm speed to left-handed hitters, 86-87 mph. Once again looked the part of a high-end MLB Draft prospect that’s prospect status trends upward even moreso. 

Arizona commit. Wolters has continued to find success this spring. He started off his impressive week with a start on the mound against Teutopolis where he pitched four innings with 11 strikeouts and one hit. His fastball sat 95-97 mph, topping out at 98 mph. His slider sat 81-84 mph with 2700+ RPM. He also went 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs, one being a grand slam, five RBIs, and three runs scored.

Arizona commit. 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame with present physicality throughout; wide, broad shoulders, thick lower half, looks the part of a professional starting pitcher in a uniform. Is coming off a winter circuit where he arguably improved his prospect status more than anyone in the country, breaking the Super 60 max fastball record with a 97.7 mph high. Started for the Bulldogs against Teutopolis on Monday afternoon, striking out 11 batters over four innings in front of roughly two dozen professional scouts. Meticulous worker - went through a detailed, planned out routine pre-game in preparation for his outing. Hit his catch partner in the chest on almost every single throw in warmups. Rhythmic uptempo delivery with pace, simple leg lift to balance point, works down the mound with intent, finishes with controlled aggression onto a firm lead leg. Athleticism is clear; produced high outputs of velocity without much effort. Long fluid arm stroke finishes from a clean high ¾ slot with clear arm speed and acceleration out front. Fastball touched 98 mph early, sitting 95-97 mph in the first two innings, and settling at 93-96 mph in the third and fourth. Missed arm-side early but adjusted and primarily worked around the zone as his outing went on. Clear jump and sizzle, playing loud at the top of the zone with carry out the hand, still more in the tank. Showed a power slider at 81-84 mph with hard lateral spin/sweep from the same slot as his fastball. Turned to it more as his outing went on, landing it for strikes, while also spinning it off the zone for whiffs. Misses bats with it presently and will do so at the next level, too. Showed a straight changeup in warmups thrown at arm speed, didn’t utilize it in-game. Homered twice in the same game as well - a no doubt grand slam to straight away center field, and a solo shot blasted over the left field fence on a hanging breaking ball. Also a former basketball player at Mahomet-Seymour. High character athlete that’s clearly a leader for his team. Figures to be one of the most followed arms in the Midwest for the 2023 MLB Draft cycle. 

Arguably the biggest buzz this spring could come out of RHP Blake Wolters (Mahomet-Seymour; Arizona). Wolters came away as the biggest winner on the mound at the Super 60 and jumped up nine spots, to No. 4 in the class. Wolters has a 6-foot-4, 215-pound, broad-shouldered frame and moves explosively down the mound with big, controlled arm strength that set a Super 60 record touching 97.7 mph. Here is what we had on Wolters from the Super 60:

Perhaps the highlight of the entire event, especially on the mound, was RHP Blake Wolters (Mahomet-Seymour, 2023; Arizona commit). The 6-foot-4, 215-pound, broad-shouldered, explosive, right-hander set a Super 60 velocity record on the mound, running his fastball up to 97.7 mph on consecutive pitches, sitting 95-97 mph throughout his electric ‘pen with an average spin-rate of 2,350 (T2466), an average IVB of 16.9 (T19.9) up to 14.4 inches of horizontal movement. Behind the electric velocity was also a feel for the zone with the pitch, as he poured it in for strikes at a 70% clip, which was third-best of the event. His fastball wasn’t his only impressive offering, as he went to a firm, tight, hard-spinning 10/4 slider at 82-83 mph (T2742 RPM) that has the makings of a true out-pitch moving forward. His changeup sat 77-80 mph and was not in the zone in this look. His arm is noticeably quick through release, playing with a long arm swing out of the glove into an over-the-top/high ¾ slot. His delivery is explosive while staying controlled and in rhythm with a recoil finish. Wolters, a former three-sport athlete, has made significant jumps as of late, jumping four mph from 93.6 from our previous look this past summer, and it wouldn’t be out of the question to see another jump in velocity in the coming years. Wolters was one of the biggest revelations of the event and sure to make a big rise in our next rankings update, from a State, National and Draft Board perspective.

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-4, 200-pounds. Tall athletic frame.
Delivery: Rigid delivery, stays upright with high leg kick. Drop and drive delivery.
Arm Action: RH. High 3/4 slot. Arm stabs down. Long path in back, loose out front.
FB: T93.6, 90.0-92.4 mph. Straight. Life through the zone. Occasional cut. T2371, 2275 average rpm.
CB: 70.5-71.9 mph. Tendency to back up. Flashed 11/5 movement. Developing feel. Slowed arm. T2316, 2155 average rpm.
SL: 80.3-82.5 mph. Tight, flashed average.. T2611, 2535 average rpm.
CH: Slight speed difference. Flashed late depth.