Casey
Hintz

Arizona commit, currently ranked No. 32 in Illinois. Lean, 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame, highly projectable. Started at shortstop and hit out of the two-hole against Burlington Central. At shortstop, Hintz showed off fluid actions, especially to his back-hand, soft hands that work out front with athletic footwork, and also displayed quick/clean double-play turns. His arm plays with clear strength and velocity across the diamond, carrying with ease and delivering accurate strikes routinely. The right-handed hitter starts in an athletic setup, working into a repeatable/consistent stride; his hands stay close to his body and work short/quick to the ball, level path with bat-speed. 

Arizona commit. Currently ranked No. 32 in Illinois’ 2022 class. Wiry, projectable frame with room for additional strength, standing at 5-foot-11, 155-pounds. Started on the mound against Nazareth and tossed six innings with four hits, no earned runs, five strikeouts and one walk. Hintz works with a short/clean arm circle out of the glove into a ¾ slot, playing quick to release. He works with a fluid tempo on the mound and low-perceived effort; driving off his back leg from balance point with a stride that remains in-line, staying tall at release and creating a downward angle towards the plate. His fastball sat comfortably at 87-89 mph with horizontal movement to the arm-side, running into right-handed hitters with late life, also holding his velocity into the sixth inning. His best-looking secondary offering was a sharp breaking ball at 71-73 mph, playing off an 11/5 plane and thrown confidently for both strikes and to put hitters away. He also went to a late sinking changeup that he threw in any count, mirroring fastball arm-speed and thrown with confidence, 80-81 mph. The polished repertoire that Hintz possesses should certainly allow him to remain in the starting role at the next level if necessary; while he also possesses a high-upside arm that is easy to dream on.

Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-11, 150-pounds. Lean build.
Delivery: Uptempo tall/fall delivery with some effort, shoulders get closed, works directionaly with home, lands closed and finishes athletically.
Arm Action: RH. Short, quick arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T90, 88-90 mph. Plays straight, flashed arm-side run, thrown for strikes. T2243, 2114 average rpm.
SL: 76-79 mph. 10/4 movement with sharp bite, plus action, ability to throw for strikes. T2619, 2507 average rpm.
CH: 83-85 mph. Occasional cut action, maintains arm speed, thrown to the bottom of the zone. T1525, 1404 average rpm. 

Hit: RHH. Open, balance stance, minimal pre-pitch load, short stride to close. Repeatable, compact swing, line drive type hitter, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 90.53 max exit velocity, averaged 77.72 mph. 335’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 90 mph. Short loose arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Athletic movement, quick feet, fields low to the ground, plays through the baseball.
Run: 6.86 runner in the 60.  

Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-9, 140-pounds. Wiry frame and build.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, short stride, loose hands look to stay inside the baseball. Path is short, line drive contact, simple spray type approach that showed bat control.
Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. Athletic arm, plays up with occasional carry, loose high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Advanced actions, hands play soft along with quick footwork that plays through the baseball and towards the target, plays well on the move, natural SS defender.
Run: 7.21 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: SS/2B High-follow 2022 middle infielder.
Body: 5-foot-9, 140-pounds. Lean, high-waisted, athletic build. Young look with plenty of room for continued physical development.
Hit: RHH. Wide setup, short stride and maintains balance throughout. Simple, repeatable swing, loose levers, creates barrel whip at times, long path, gap-to-gap approach and fluid rhythm throughout.
Power: 79 mph exit velocity from the tee. 
Arm: RH. INF - 84 mph. Short, loose, athletic arm action. can throw from multiple angles; throws play accurate and with carry.
Defense: Loose athletic upside actions, plays light on his feet, ranges well to both sides, maintains body control. Soft hands, smooth double play turn, and clean quick release.
Run: 7.05 runner in the 60.