Brayden
Mazzacano

+ Currently ranked No. 6 in Illinois, UTIL/LHP Brayden Mazzacano (Schaumburg, 2024; Illinois commit) continues to cement himself as one of the premier two-way prospects within the state. The southpaw is simple, yet athletic down the mound with little perceived effort. He worked his fastball up to 88.9 mph and cruised right at 84-88 mph with run and some finish through the zone. Slider and changeup looked to be his go-to offerings throughout our look; going to a 10/4 SL at 76-79 mph with the ability to land for some strikes and an upper-70s changeup with fade and feel for the zone. Flashed a 1/7 curveball at 73-75 mph and splitter at 74-79 mph with killed spin. Mazzacano took defensive reps both in the outfield and at first base, showcasing athletic actions at each position with the ability to track down fly balls when roaming the outfield. The left-handed hitter took an impressive round of BP, averaging 87.4 mph for his exit velocity and reaching up to 95.2 mph with a max distance of 363’. He put up some impressive numbers on BLAST across the board; averaging 22.8 mph for his hand speed (T26.1 mph), 74.5 mph for his bat speed (T80.6 mph) and 17.1 for his average rotational acceleration (T28.9). He has some rhythm in his left-handed swing, utilizing a controlled toe-tap timing trigger before firing through the zone with a flat path. 

Mazzacano provided arguably the loudest pitching performance of the weekend. Super athletic 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame with room for added strength. Balanced and repeatable drop and drive delivery. Lively arm that played with acceleration out front. Attacked the zone with a fastball worked in the 87-89 mph range, T90 mph multiple times. Jumped out of the hand and had plenty of ride through the zone to miss barrels. Flashed out-pitch potential with tight upper-70s slider with late movement. One of the top left-handed pitchers in the class that should only continue to improve. Currently ranked No. 6 in the state and No. 278 nationally. 

LHP/OF Brayden Mazzacano (Schaumburg, 2024; Illinois commit) opened our eyes last summer with his two-way abilities at a PBR At The Rock tournament. He committed shortly thereafter to Illinois and his prospect status does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. Currently the No. 12 ranked player in the class, Mazzacano, has some of the best two-way upside in the class. Offensively, he showed off a short, quick, twitchy left-handed swing, resulting in an event-best 92.4 mpg average exit velocity and T98.3, second-best. The 6.93 runner is also a natural in the outfield moving with quick, efficient feet, fluid actions and a strong arm that plays at 89 mph. That same arm strength plays just as well on the mound. He topped at 89 mph with the fastball and complimented it with a 75-78 mph slider that is thrown with feel/intent and a changeup that landed for strikes 60% of the time with an average of 15.7 inches of horizontal movement. He is a name to know in the 2024 class and looks to be just scratching the surface of his ceiling.

Positional Profile: OF/LHP
Body: 6-2, 165-pounds. Athletic build with evenly distributed strength, room to add on.
Hit: LHH. Balanced, open setup, long stride. Loose, fluid hands, whippy barrel, on-plane and uphill through the zone.
Power: 98 max exit velocity, averaged 92.4 mph. 385’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 89 mph. Short stab out of the glove, live arm that operates from a high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Smooth footwork. Sure handed with fluid actions, plays through the ball.
Run: 6.93 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Hybrid windup delivery with a gather step, athletic throughout the delivery, high leg-lift with some pace, extends out in-line.
Arm Action: LH. Short arm bar into a loose 3/4 slot.
FB: T89, 86-88 mph. Carry with feel for the top part of the zone. T2130, 2026 average rpm.
SL: 75-78 mph. Tight breaking, depth to the lower part of the zone. T2158, 2072 average rpm.
CH: 81-82 mph. Running action with feel for the armside. T1758, 1699 average rpm.