Ethan
Storm

RHP Ethan Storm (Sycamore, 2022; Central Michigan commit) gave our staff one of the most impressive looks of the fall. True sophomore, the athletic right-hander stands at 6-foot-2, 205-pounds with noticeable strength throughout. Explosive movement patterns down the mound, leading with a strong front leg into a drop/drive lower-half, stride works in-line into a powerful lead-leg block. Short arm out of the glove that transitions into a high ¾ slot, clean path from the glove into release. Storms fastball explodes out of his hand, sitting 93-95 mph and topping out at 96 mph (+2700 RPM) with carry and finish through the zone, locating mostly to his glove-side. Curveball has out-pitch potential with 12/6 shape, falling off the table with late depth at 78-79 mph (+2700 RPM). He also flipped in a slider at 78-82 mph, playing with shorter 10/4 action and spinning over 2700 RPM as well. His splitter showed signs of potential when kept down in the zone, playing at 86-88 mph with over 13” of horizontal movement on average. Storm struck out 71 in 54 IP last spring, only walking 34 along the way. Highly intriguing arm that should garner some pro interest this coming spring.

True Freshman. Formerly ranked No. 214 in Illinois' 2022 class. Athletic build, standing 6-foot-2, 195-pounds. A definite winner from the scout day, Storm pumped in his fastball at 91-93 mph with well above-average Trackman data; averaging 2,416 RPM (T2511 RPM) with an average IVB of 19.0. His curveball paired off his fastball effectively, thrown at 74-78 mph and averaging over 2,500 RPM, biting late off an 11/5 plane and kept mostly down. His final offering was a fading changeup at 80-82 mph, reaching up to 20 inches of horizontal movement.  

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-3, 187-pounds. Large, lanky frame with upside levers.
Delivery: Uptempo Tall and fall delivery with some effort, works in line, lands squared.
Arm Action: RH. Short arm action, over-the-top slot.
FB: T86, 83-85 mph. Plays straight, works up in the zone. T2487, 2296 average rpm.
CB: 69-70 mph. Sharp 11/5 action, feel for the pitch down in the zone, thrown for strikes. T2230, 2154 average rpm.
CH: 75-76 mph. Arm-side movement, flashed sink at times, works down in the zone. T1846, 1629 average rpm.

Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, active pre-pitch hand rhythm, bat coils at load, leg lift timing trigger.  Short and uphill bat path, barrel head works underneath the baseball, can elevate to the pull-side, worked in rhythm throughout.
Power: 90.48 max exit velocity, averaged 82.67 mph. 324’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 86 mph. Short compact arm stroke, loose arm speed. Over-the-top arm slot with accurate throws to target.
Defense: Crisp outfield actions, athletic feet that work around the baseball in a fluid rhythm, soft hands at gather, quick transfer, clean to release.
Run: 7.36 runner in the 60.