Joey
Kafka

Verbally committed to Valparaiso.

RHP Joey Kafka (Mundelein, 2025) showed a ton of spin throughout his ‘pen on Saturday. An athletic mover at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, he showed a short, quick arm stroke on the bump boasting three high-spin offerings. The first of which was a fastball that flashed arm-side run sitting 80-85 mph (T86) with a max spin rate of 2433 RPM, which was good for third-best at the event. His slider worked with depth and 10/4 action at 72-75 mph with a max spin rate of 2400+ RPM, while his cutter also flashed depth working in the upper-70’s with 2400+ RPM on average. Kafka rounded out his pitch-mix with a changeup that sat 75-77 mph, and will be another arm to monitor this spring.

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-1, 190-pounds. Athletic build, projectable, some strength throughout.
Delivery: Stretch-only, high leg kick, explodes out of balance point, tall/fall.
Arm Action: RH. Short, quick arm action with some arm speed out front. 3/4 arm slot.
FB: T86, 81-86 mph. Arm-side run with life out of the hand. Flashes carry. T2433, 2284 average rpm.
SL: 72-75 mph. 10/4 shape with depth. T2409, 2372 average rpm.
CH: 75-77 mph. Mostly straight actions with occasional arm-side run, developing. T1844, 1573 average rpm.
CUT: 78-80 mph. Has some depth to it, 9/3 action. High-spin.

Positional Profile: 3B
Hit: RHH. Crouched, open setup, short leg lift and stride. Flat path, rotational shoulders through impact, line-drive approach, on the barrel up the middle. 61.4 mph bat speed with 13 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 91 max exit velocity, averaged 84 mph. 280’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. Clean, quick arm action. Strong and accurate from a low 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Hands play from the ground up, steady hands, clean release.
Run: 4.39 30-yard dash.

RHP/3B Joey Kafka (Mundelein, 2025) is a physical 6-foot-1, 190-pound, right-handed hitter, that was on the barrel and showed a strong and fluid swing. He produced a max exit velocity of 89.6 mph and an average exit velocity of 84 mph. Defensively he showed steady actions with clean footwork and smooth hands paired with plenty of arm to stay on the left side of the diamond.

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-1, 170-pounds. Athletic build, long legs.
Delivery: Controlled pace into balance point, tall/fall lower-half that works in-line to the plate, shoulders work slightly uphill down the mound.
Arm Action: RH. Long, loose, easy arm into a high 3/4 slot.
FB: T78.2, 76-78 mph. Sinking action to the arm-side.  T2185, 2081 average rpm.
CB: 66-68 mph. Sharp 2/8 action, slurvy shape at times.  T2096, 2013 average rpm.
CH: 69-71 mph. Fades to the arm-side, kept down.  T1429, 1398 average rpm.

Hit: RHH. Wide, open stance, short stride, high hands. Quiet swing, loose hands, works uphill through the zone and gap-to-gap approach.
Power:  max exit velocity, averaged  mph. ’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 73 mph. Short, quick arm, 3/4 release.
Defense: Soft hands, clean footwork, some feel for the position.
Run: 8.29 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 5-foot-10, 155-pounds.
Defense: Hands are soft.  Footwork is slow yet fluid.  Exchange is quick and he plays through the ball with and advanced skill set. 
Arm: RH. INF - 72 mph. Short arm action, High 3/4 slot.  Throws were accurate and have carry to target.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, open stance, with a wide setup. Simple repeatable swing.  Dives to a balanced closed hitting position.
Power: 71.00 mph exit velocity from the tee. Strong, pull hitter with a potential for power.  Swing is fluid and has some rhythm.
Run: 8.55 runner in the 60.