Jaden
Obaldo

Fr. INF Jaden Obaldo (Crystal Lake Central, IL) looks to be a new face to watch out for this coming spring. 5-foot-10, 180-pounds with a lean, athletic build. The right-handed hitter was all over the barrel throughout his round of BP, working flat through the zone with pop to the middle of the field and his pull-side, topping out at 97 mph for his EV with an average of 90 mph (T362’). He’s an advanced defender on the infield with confident hands and footwork, playing with timing and rhythm through the ball, controls his body well. Strong arm across that can play on the move, topping out at 86 mph.

Verbally committed to McHenry County JC.

Positional Profile: 2B/3B
Body: 5-10, 175-pounds. Compact frame with strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Wide setup, leg kick trigger, gains ground. Controlled, aggressive swing, quick and slightly uphill path, all fields. 73.7 mph bat speed with 8 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 97 max exit velocity, averaged 92.5 mph. 338’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 85 mph. Compact, high 3/4 slot with acceleration out front.
Defense: Fluid, athletic actions, soft hands, clean/quick transfer, easy range with a quick first step.
Run: 7.27 runner in the 60.

Jackson Spring (St. Charles North), Cael Karczewski (Joliet West), Blake Crancer (Normal West), Will Potter (Downers Grove South), Bobby Kutt (Providence Catholic) and Jaden Obaldo (Crystal Lake Central) were a strong crop of middle infielders that should be able to stick up the middle moving forward and they all swing intriguing right-handed bats. 

Positional Profile: 2B/3B
Body: 5-9, 175-pounds. Athletic build, lean, some strength in the lower-half.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, leg-kick trigger. Strong, compact swing, on time and ball is loud off the bat. Worked to the middle, pull-side of the field.
Power: 98 max exit velocity, averaged 88.9 mph. 382’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 86 mph. Short, quick release, 3/4 slot with arm-speed, plays from different slots and on the move.
Defense: Soft hands with athletic actions, feel for the position, plays with tempo and confidence.
Run: 7.26 runner in the 60. 

INF Jaden Obaldo (Crystal Lake Central, 2024) was an all-around winner offensively from the Illinois State Games, finding the barrel for a few extra-base hits across the event. Obaldo’s a physical right-handed hitter with compact strength attached to a 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame, finding the barrel with gap-to-gap feel. 

Positional Profile: 2B/3B
Body: 5-9, 175-pounds. Compact build with advanced strength in the lower half.
Hits: RHH. Tall setup, bat tip load, high leg kick trigger, strides to target. Strong hands. Barrel stays in the zone, level to contact and swings with intent. Hard off the barrel at times.
Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 86.1 MPH. 295' max distance.
Arm: RH. INF-78 mph.Short arm action, ability to change slots.
Defense: Plays through the baseball, sure hands, funnels through release at times.
Run: 7.35 runner in the 60.
Vizual Edge: 66.98 Edge Score

Positional Profile: 2B/SS
Body: 5-8, 180-pounds. Compact build. Strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Balanced base, squared, hands set shoulder high, high back elbow.  Direct path to the baseball, consistent hard contact. Worked line-drives up the middle.
Power: 95.9 max exit velocity, averaged 91.3 mph. 337’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 81 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot. Some life out of the hand.
Defense: Clean two-handed gather out front. Funnels to the center. Controlled, methodical actions on the infield.
Run: 7.69 runner in the 60. 

Oblado repeated barrel after barrel contact from the right side, generating a hard-hit rate of 80 percent, among the day’s best, and he averaged an exit speed of 91.3 mph, the second highest of the showcase.

Positional Profile: 2B/SS
Body: 5-8, 160-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, slightly open, leg-lift timing trigger into a short stride, hangs foot.  Compact swing with a level path to the ball, loose arms with the ability to maintain balance throughout contact.
Power: 92.6 max exit velocity, averaged 86.3 mph. 337’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph. Short 3/4 slot, able to change slots on the run.
Defense: Athletic infield actions, quick/clean transfer out of the glove, plays through the ball.
Run: 7.91 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: 2B/SS
Body: 5-7, 140-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Narrow, open setup, leg kick, short stride. Aggressive swing, average bat speed of 70.1 MPH, path works efficiently uphill, pull-side tendencies.
Power: 92.35 max exit velocity, averaged 80.8 mph. 300’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 78 mph. Long arm action, over-the-top arm slot.
Defense: Easy infield actions, active feet, steady hands, plays through baseball.
Run: 7.69 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: 2B/SS
Body: 5-6, 140-pounds. Compact frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, narrow, slightly open setup, leg-kick timing trigger and maintains balance throughout. Athletic hands, feel for the barrel, level path and pull-side tendencies.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity from the tee. Max distance of 295' during BP, according to TrackMan.
Arm: RH. INF - 76 mph. Loose arm action, high 3/4 slot and throws play accurate across the infield.
Defense: Natural infield actions, gets around the baseball, sure-handed, plays through the baseball, clean release.
Run: 7.83 runner in the 60.

Positional Profile: 2B 
Body: 5-foot-3, 125-pounds.
Defense: Soft hands, quick footwork, clean transfers and plays athletically.
Arm: RH. INF - 70 mph. Short, loose arm action, high 3/4 arm slot, throws played with carry.
Hit: RHH. Tall, open setup, leg-kick stride. Aggressive swings, fast hands, short bat path, fluid rhythm with a gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 77 mph exit velocity from the tee. 
Run: 4.9 runner, home-to-first.

Positional Profile: 2B/SS
Body: 5-foot-3, 125-pounds. Compact build.
Hit: RHH. Athletic open set-up, smooth hand load, controlled leg kick into long stride, balanced finish. Direct bat path, slightly uphill plane, bat speed present, fluid rhythm, line drive contact.
Power: 75 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 62 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 release point.
Defense: Plays through the baseball with tempo, clean exchange, active feet.
Run: 8.78 runner in the 60. 

5-foot-1, 122-pound, right handed hitting infielder. Offensively, tall open stance, smooth pre-pitch load, short stride, high leg kick, good balance. Fluid rhythm, bat speed for age, uphill path with extension, gap-gap approach with pull tendencies. Exit velocity of 70 mph off the tee.  Defensively, active feet with repeatable hand placement, clean exchange while playing through the ball. Throws from high ¾ slot, short arm action and topped at 61 mph across the diamond. Ran a 5.37 home to first.