Jean
Casanova

6.11.16 - Drafted in the 35th round by the Texas Rangers out of Waukegan HS.

4.29.16 - Uncommitted. 6-foot-3, 165-pound, long and lean, wiry, projectable, right-handed pitcher. Put himself on the map as one of the top right-handed arms in the Illinois 2016 class. On a cold and windy day, showed advanced feel, confidence for a true three-pitch repertoire and flashed swing-and-miss stuff throughout. Struck out 12 in seven innings of work. Simple, clean, athletic, repeatable delivery with rhythm; lower leg lift, slightly higher front side, getting downhill action, lands square, stays on-line and finishes athletically. Arm works quick, athletic and clean, out of a high ¾ window. Consistently gets extension out front, downhill tilt to all of his pitches. Fastball has late life, plus finish through the hitting zone, works mostly straight, occasional arm-side-run, tilt, sat 87-89 mph from innings 1-4; 85-87 mph, touching 88 late. Pounded the bottom of the strike zone, held his velocity out of the stretch. Slider, feel, 11/5 shape, tight spin, slower arm speed earlier in the count, throwing it for a strike. Aggressive arm action and conviction with two strikes, swing and miss action, sharp, late bite; 71-75 mph. Above-average feel for a changeup, confidence in throwing it to left-handed and right-handed batters; fade action, 75-78 mph. Overall, extremely polished, athlete on the mound, quick feet on pickoffs. Exuded confidence on the mound, business-like approach and handled the cold extremely well. Final Line – 7IP, 2H, 1R, 12K, 1BB; 92 pitches. 2016 draft follow.