John
Balla

Verbally committed to Southwestern Illinois JC.

RHP John Balla (Hersey, 2024), recent Illinois State Games participant, gave our staff another upside look this past weekend. Listed at 6-foot, 180-pounds, athletic with round shoulders. Ball worked his fastball in the 82-84 mph range with around 2400 RPM. To pair off the fastball he went to a high-spinning breaking ball, cruising around 2500 RPM at 67-68 mph with sharp 11/5 action.

RHP John Balla (Hersey, 2024) showed off a loud arsenal during the nightcap on Wednesday. The right-handed pitcher stands at a broad-shouldered 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame with strength throughout. Balla uses a balanced delivery and short arm action with acceleration out front. Coming out of the bullpen, Balla fired off a heavy dose of fastballs that pounded the inside part of the plate. The fastball played up (T2410 RPM) and sat 84-86 throughout, topping at 86.6 mph. Balla showed feel for a high-spin curveball (T2820 RPM) that played with two-plane break to get swings and misses down in the zone. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-10, 175-pounds.
Delivery: Methodical drop/drive delivery with a high leg lift, reaches down the mound with front foot, stride works in-line. Struck out two and did not allow a hit in two innings of work.
Arm Action: RH. Medium arm loop with 3/4 slot, whippy.
FB: T87, 84-86 mph. Jumps out of the hand, plays with carry up in the zone. T2410, 2233 average rpm.
CB: 68-69 mph. Late, sharp break with 12/6 shape. T2820, 2709 average rpm.
SL: 74-74 mph. Flashed feel, sharp 10/4 shape. T2814, 2814 average rpm.
CH: 78-80 mph. Downer type with some occasional fade. Still developing feel. T2007, 1684 average rpm.

RHP John Balla (Hersey, 2024) boasted some of the best spin on the entire day, routinely sitting in the 2,600-2,700 RPM range with his curveball, playing with downer 11/5 shape at 66-67 mph. His fastball plays up due to his high-level curveball spin, but it's already a quality offering on its own; sitting comfortably in the 82-84 mph range. His final offering was a straight change at 77-78 mph. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-10, 175-pounds. Athletic build, well proportioned.
Delivery: Stretch only, high leg-lift into a coiled balance point, drop/drive lower-half that works across body throughout stride.
Arm Action: RH. Quick, clean, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T85, 83-84 mph. Lively out of the hand, consistently plays down in the zone.  T2210, 2138 average rpm.
CB: 67-68 mph. Downer action, plays down in the zone. Developing pitch. T2722, 2622 average rpm.
CH: 77-78 mph. Downer action, feel for the zone, lands. T1890, 1867 average rpm.