James
Love

INF James Love (Joliet West) had a standout showing at the Aurora Preseason ID earlier this winter and showed much of the same at the invite-only event. Love continues to show a polished all-around game with all kinds of bat speed (75.3 mph average) while leading the event with a 102.9 mph peak exit velocity. Love’s defensive round was above-average, showing soft hands and fluid footwork that play through the ball in rhythm. On the rise Eastern Illinois commit.

Eastern Illinois commit, 3B James Love (Joliet West, 2024), carried over his momentum from an impressive Illinois State Games last August into this event. Love seemed on a mission in the batters box showing off more bat speed and explosiveness off the barrel than we have seen in the past. Love took the loudest, most consistent round of BP on the day, spraying hard contact to both gaps. Love led the event with a T99.9 exit velocity, average of 94.9 mph, while launching the furthest batted ball of the day at ‘392 which was 23 feet further than the next best. He also showed his usual smooth actions on the infield with improved arm strength, topping at 88 mph across the diamond. An ascending junior that is poised for a big spring season for the Tigers.

INF James Love (Joliet West, 2024) proved why he’s a high-end prospect in the state’s 2024 class throughout the Illinois State Games. Love started his week by effortlessly producing low-90s exit velocities in BP on average, squaring his hardest ball up at 97.3 mph. He found the barrel in-game with authority, generating natural backspin and carry off the bat, while handling velocity with ease as well. Love impressed defensively as well, showcasing body control and lateral agility at third base on several occasions, especially on two particular slow rollers. Still uncommitted, Love is a name to know in the class and has his arrow pointed up coming off the event.

Positional Profile: 3B/SS
Body: 6-1, 185-pounds. Broad-shouldered, athletic frame.
Hits: RHH. Balanced setup, loads in rhythm, short stride, balanced through contact. Loose strong hands with bat speed, level path to contact, on the barrel with loud contact throughout. Quiet, calm presence and repeats.
Power: 97 max exit velocity, averaged 92.4 MPH. 287' max distance.
Arm: RH. INF-82 mph.Clean arm action, plays accurate and from multiple platforms.
Defense: Smooth, athletic actions, plays low to the ground, presents the glove, clean release. Plays with body control and ease on the move, comfortable on the run through play. Made a number of above-average plays look easy during game play.
Run: 7.14 runner in the 60.
Vizual Edge: 70.2 Edge Score

Love has elite actions with fluid rhythm and timing, also showing advanced feel for the infield with soft hands and clean footwork. Love, who has been on the rise as of late, also took a polished round of BP with freedom in his hands and on-plane swing. 

Uncommitted. Mature-looking frame, standing 6-foot, 185-pounds. Initially stood out on the field during IO, but proved to be more than capable with the bat during gameplay; finishing the day 1-for-3 with a couple impressive at-bats. The right-handed hitter starts in a crouched and slightly open setup, moving with a repeatable toe-tap stride. He creates hand separation at footstrike, pointing the barrel to the sky before transitioning into a flat path with notable hand speed. The most impressive at-bat from Love came when he sat back on a well-placed curveball to shoot it the other way for a single, battling through tough fastballs earlier in the at-bat and ripping the first breaking ball thrown his way. As mentioned before, Love stood out before the game even started during IO; showing off smooth actions with fluid feet and soft hands; he also made an incredibly tough play in-game to his back-hand side that was taking him away from the field. His arm plays with back-spin and carry across the diamond, proving to be yet another tool for the talented sophomore infielder.

6-foot, 185-pound, right-handed hitting left-side of the infield prospect; athletic frame, fills out the uniform. Started at third base and hit in the three-hole. Finished 1-for-4 with a run-scoring single. Well-rounded game with upside to all parts. Offensively, has a hitterish presence in the box. Athletic setup, fluid pre-pitch actions and strong, quick hands. Potential middle-of-the-order type of bat at the nex level. Defensively, has all the tools and actions to stay on the left-side of the diamond moving forward. Clean, efficient footwork, soft hands and athletic overall actions with plenty of arm strength (84 mph across). High-follow 2024 infielder.

Positional Profile: 3B/SS
Body: 6-0, 180-pounds. Athletic build.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, slightly open setup. Short stride. Strong, athletic hands. Direct to contact. Swing on-plane early and through the zone. Gap-to-gap approach. Ball jumps off the barrel at times.
Power: 98.5 max exit velocity, averaged 87.2 mph. 315’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 83 mph. Short, clean arm action. Plays from a 3/4 slot. Quick to release with carry and life out of the hand.
Defense: Plays to the baseball. Sure-handed. Efficient exchange.
Run: 7.25 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: 3B/SS
Body: 6-0, 180-pounds. High-waisted build with strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Quiet, athletic look in the box, tall stance. Smooth, fluid load, controlled leg lift trigger.  Fluid, athletic swing. Strong hands, stays on-plane, gap-to-gap approach and flashed pull-side power.
Power: 98.6 max exit velocity, averaged 93.5 mph. 368’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 83 mph. Easy and controlled arm action. Natural high 3/4 with the ability to throw from multiple arm slots.
Defense: Quick feet. Soft hands. Flashed ability to use the backhand. Plays under control on the move.
Run: 7.10 runner in the 60.

An upside name-to-note from the 2024 class at this event was INF James Love (Joliet West). Love’s lean, yet athletic, 6-foot, 180-pound frame has plenty of room for added strength and even further enhances an already intriguing offensive profile. He worked gap-to-gap in BP, flashing pull-side power and maintaining a fluid rhythm throughout with a clean right-handed stroke. Love’s batted ball profile is well advanced for his age, including a 98.6 mph max exit velocity, 93.5 mph average exit velocity, and 369 ft. peak batted distance. Defensively Love flashed high level arm strength on the infield topping out at 83mph.  He has an easy and controlled arm action and the ball jumps out of his hand.  He also showcased soft hands with quick footwork and quick exchange. His feel was advanced as he delivered the ball from many different arm angles from different areas of the field.    

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-0, 170-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, athletic setup, slightly open, smooth load, short stride, quiet pre-pitch actions. Short, simple swing, level bat path, average bat speed of 69.6 MPH, barrel control, consistent hard contact, gap-to-gap approach, line drives.
Power: 94.06 max exit velocity, averaged 88.86 mph. 307’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 84 mph. Short, loose arm action, over-the-top arm slot, throws flash carry.
Defense: Flashes natural infield actions, soft hands, clean exchanges, fluid feet, plays with proper direction.
Run: 7.57 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-foot, 166-pounds. Athletic frame.
Delivery: Uptempo tall/fall delivery, shoulders stay leveled, works in line, lands squared.
Arm Action: RH. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T78, 76-77 mph. Plays straight, occasional arm-side run. T1940, 1815 average rpm.
CB: 61-63 mph. Gradual 12/6 shape. T1575, 1498 average rpm.
CH: 70-72 mph. Straight action, flashed arm-side run. T1755, 1625 average rpm.

Hit: RHH. Athletic in the box, balanced stance, smooth pre-pitch load, short stride.  Loose hands, advanced approach, short level swing plane, gets extension after contact, line drive to all fields, fluid rhythm.
Power: 91.38 max exit velocity, averaged 80.54 mph. 308’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: Smooth footwork towards the baseball, soft hands, plays out in front, plays through the baseball and comfortable on the move.
Run: 7.75 runner in the 60.