Hayden
Juenger

3.17.18 - Missouri State commit. 6-foot, 160-pound, highly-athletic, right-handed pitcher. Started on the mound for the Panthers. Went five innings, scattered three hits, two earned runs, struck out three and walked two. Delivery notes can be found below from a previous scout blog entry. Attacks hitters and pitches off his fastball. Can work the fastball to both sides of the plate, arm-side-run, occasional late sink when down in the zone, can get in on the hands of right-handed hitters. Every fastball in the first inning was 91 mph or better, touching 92 twice and 93 once. Settled in at 88-89 mph but had 90-91 in the tank when he wanted it. Slider is an improved pitch, maintains arm speed, 10/4 shape and average feel.

3.14.18 - Missouri State commit. Ranked No. 11 in the Illinois’ 2018 class. Should draw some interest from pro scouts this spring. Came out of the bullpen for one inning of work. Threw 11 pitches, did not allow a hit and struck out the side. Highly-efficient, athletic, repeatable delivery. Arm works, loose and quick from a ¾ slot. Pounded the zone with his fastball; late arm-side-run, can flatten out when up, sat 91-92 mph. Flashed an improved breaking ball; 10/4 shape, short, late break at 82 mph.

7.3.17 - Verbally committed to Missouri State. 

5.9.17 - 6-foot, 165-pound, wiry, athletically built right-handed pitcher. One of the top uncommitted junior arms in Illinois. Continues to impress with his overall athleticism, repeatability and pitchability on the mound. Pounds the strike zone, goes right after hitters with his fastball, seems to be in complete control and unfazed on the mound. Arm is loose, clean and quick; highly athletic out of a ¾ slot. Ball occasionally jumps out of his hand. Worked off of his fastball which sat 87-89 mph, touching 90 early in the outing and settled in anywhere from 85-89 mph. Fastball gets arm-side-run and occasional sink when he stays on top; worked mostly away throughout but given the natural arm-side-action he creates, could boar in on the hands of right-handed hitters. Changeup is an effective secondary offering. Showed confidence in it, had feel, mostly threw it to left-handed batters, maintains arm speed and gets fade action, sat 77-79 mph. Also mixed in a breaking ball with good feel, slider type action, 10/4 shape, shorter break, 72-75 mph. High-follow uncommitted 2018 arm.

3.16.17 - 6-foot, 160-pound right-handed pitcher with a lanky, athletic frame. Works from a ¾ arm angle with a loose, quick arm action. Athletic delivery with good tempo and balance. Three pitch feel, pounds the bottom of the zone consistently. Fastball worked 86-88 mph topping out at 90 mph early on in the outing. Curveball has 11-5 shape with some depth at 71-72 mph. Changeup sat 75-77 mph. Showed good mound presence during highly anticipated start against Reid Detmers with numerous scouts in attendance.

2.19.17 - 6-foot, 180-pound two-way player, athletic frame, live loose body. On the mound delivery is athletic and repeats, squared landing athletic finish, compact and under control. Arm action is easy and quick, ¾ slot, loose projectable arm. Fastball is on level plane with hard arm side run, sat 86-88 mph, touched 89 mph. Curveball plays on 11/5 plane, gradual action with slight arm deceleration, showed feel for the strike zone, ranged 63-68 mph. Changeup is 74-77 mph, arm side action, showed feel for strikes. Right-handed hitter, balanced stance, open setup, leg lift trigger. Loose hands, gap to gap contact, athletic hitter. 87 mph exit velocity from the tee. Defensively moved well, above average defender, plays through the baseball and showed actions and body control. 83 mph arm across the diamond, loose ¾ slot, arm side run. 7.43 runner in the 60.

4.15.16 - 5-foot-10, 150-pound, athletic right-handed pitcher with plenty of room for continued physical development. Delivery is clean, easy and repeatable. Stays on-line, with good direction, lands square and finishes athletically with smooth rhythm throughout. Loose and quick arm action out of a ¾ window; long and clean on the backside. Juenger pounded the zone with a true three-pitch mix. Confidence in all three, throwing all three in any count. Fastball sat 82-84 mph for much of the outing, touching 85 once; arm-side-run and ability to work both sides of the plate. Good feel for his breaking ball, worked 10/4, slider shape, short break, lacked hard bite and sat 70-74 mph. Good feel for a changeup, slight fade at times, threw it to righties and lefties, sat 73-77 mph. Overall, pounded the zone, worked efficiently and showed poise well beyond his years. Got a lot of early contact, threw 77 pitches in six innings. Final Line - 6IP, 1ER, 4H, BB, 2K. Should be a high follow in the 2018 class.