Danny
Zimmerman

5.27.17 - Louisville commit. 6-foot, 170-pound left-handed pitcher, strong build on average frame. Down-tempo delivery, stays online, slightly rotational at times. Arm action is long and clean from a high ¾ slot. Flashed premium velocity from the left side for his age, touched 91 and 92 mph in the first, sat 88-90 mph, mostly straight, fastball was elevated early then settle in towards the bottom half, maintained 86-88 mph throughout. Went to changeup as secondary offering, fading action, 77-81 mph, flashed swing and miss at times. Breaking ball at 76 mph, 11/5 shape. Possible 2018 draft follow.

4.25.17 - Louisville commit, ranked No. 5 in the Illinois’ 2018 class and No. 102 overall. Started on the mound for Lincoln-Way East, got the win, went six innings, scattered three hits, no runs, struck out seven and walked four. Can run his fastball into the low 90’s. Hard to get accurate radar readings due to the setup of the field. Was his normal self. Pitches off his fastball, which has easy life, gets on hitters. Mixed in his changeup more often than he has in the past, had feel, good change of pace pitch, maintains arm speed. Slider, decent feel, was third best pitch on this day. High-level 2018 left-handed pitcher.

3.21.17 - Louisville commit. 6-foot, 170-pound, athletically built, well-proportioned left-handed pitcher. Made a big jump in velocity this winter, recently running his fastball up to 92 mph at an event. Got the start for Lincoln-Way East in their opening game of the season. Works from a high ¾ arm angle with a long, quick arm action. Tall and fall delivery, smooth rhythm, lands square working in line with home plate, minimal effort throughout. Generates extremely easy arm speed. Showed an improved slider that got plenty of swing and misses, occasionally was able to back foot right-handed hitters with two strikes. Maintains arm speed on the slider, 10/4 action, flashed late, tight, short break, ranged between 76-80 mph. Fastball jumped out of his hand early in his start and got on hitters, slight arm-side action, sat 87-88 mph, touched 89 a few times in the first. Pitched at 85-87 mph the rest of the way. Flashed a few changeups, missed down, 77-80 mph. Quality first start of the year for one of the top 2018 southpaws in Illinois. Went three innings, allowed one hit, one unearned run, three strikeouts and three walks.

2.22.17 - Verbally committed to Louisville.

2.19.17 - Committed to Louisville just following the event. Added about 25 pounds since the Future Games last August and made a significant velocity jump establishing himself as one of the premier left-handers in the Midwest. 6-foot, 170-pound left-handed pitcher with strength in the lower half. Works from a high ¾ arm angle with a long, quick arm action. Tall and fall delivery working in line with home plate. Smooth delivery with a square landing. Generates effortless arm speed. Fastball sat 89-91 topping out at 92 mph thrown down in the zone for strikes. Also featured a two seamer with running action. Slows arm on slider with 2-8 shape at 74-77 mph. Changeup has sinking action at 76-78 mph. Will receive lots of draft interest in the coming summer. 

Future Games 2016 - 6-foot, 147-pound left-handed pitcher, thin, athletic frame with plenty of room for physical development. Arm is quick, athletic and loose from a 3/4 slot; ball comes out easy. Fastball ranged between 83-85 mph, touching 86 on occasion, some arm-side life, struggled with control, tendency to miss gloveside up. Feel for three pitches. Changeup shows at times to be a plus offering, flashing arm-side fade with aggressive arm action. Curveball ranged between 72-74, inconsistent shape but has feel for spin. Bounced back after tough first outing to throw well in brief one-inning stint.   

6.1.16 - Left-handed pitcher, 6-foot 150-pound uncommitted sophomore, currently ranked No. 9 in Illinois and No. 162 Overall. Projectable, wiry athletic body type with upside. Delivery looked much better than an earlier outing we saw from him this spring (See report below from 5/4/16), worked more online, stronger front side and on time. Arm played from a ¾ slot that was loose and quick. Worked off of his fastball all day that sat 83-86 and hit 87 twice, showed better control of it this outing, any misses were generally up, some two-seam action on the fastball, showed better feel with the pitch. Used a breaking ball with some sweeping action that sat 71-73 mph, showed confidence to throw it on any count. Also showed a changeup that sat 74-75. High follow in the 2018 class.

5.4.16 -  6-foot, 151-pound left-handed pitcher, wiry loose frame. Hasn’t logged many innings yet this season due to a hamstring, one of his first starts of the year. Delivery worked rotationally, loose front side, tend to open early, lacked direction, slight recoil finish. Arm action is long from a ¾ slot, loose arm with quickness. Fastball ranged 80-84 mph, flashed arm side run at times, lacked command of the strikezone, most misses were up and arm side or down and glove side. Curveball showed 1/7 shape, slurve type pitch, showed sweeping action, 72-75 mph, thrown with good arm speed. Flashed a changeup at 76 mph. Command issues will improve with stronger front side.