Joe
Kelly

3B Joe Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026) took a loud round of BP from the right side. He uses some intent with a high leg-lift that coils his body into a long stride, firing through with an average bat-speed of 72.5 mph and average hand-speed of 24.9 mph. He worked his max EV up to 95 mph, averaging 86.4 mph with a max distance of 350’.

RHP Joe Kelly (Loyola Academy) is an arm to know in the state’s incoming-junior class. Standing at a sturdy 6-foot-1, 191-pound frame. Kelly featured a lively arm-side running fastball in this look at 82-85 mph that missed bats and induced chase out of the zone. He had feel to spin a 72-73 mph slider with 2397 rpm (T2521) on average. He would then round out his mix by turning over a changeup at 69-73 mph with arm-side fade (avg. 15.1” HM). Kelly would go on to punch out three batters over his two innings of work.

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-1, 191-pounds.
Delivery: Controlled gather into a medium leg-lift, coils into back hip, works in-line.
Arm Action: RH. Long, loose arm swing into a 3/4 release, quick arm.
FB: T86, 82-85 mph. Has some life, thrown mostly glove side. T2243, 2085 average rpm.
SL: 70-72 mph. Sharp, late break with horizontal action. T2521, 2397 average rpm.
CH: 70-72 mph. Lots of depth, notable speed differential. T1919, 1822 average rpm.

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-1, 191-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Crouched, open setup, high leg kick trigger, quiet hands load, aggressive lower-half. Strong hands, upfill path, elevated contact to all fields. 71.6 mph bat speed with 5 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 94 max exit velocity, averaged 86 mph. 310’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 87 mph. Long arm path, quick, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Attacks the baseball in-stride, fields out front, athletic, confident actions.
Run: 7.32 runner in the 60.

RHP Joe Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026) threw his fastball at 84-86 mph while averaging 16 inches of horizontal movement on the pitch, the second-highest mark of the event. Off that, Kelly consistently landed a tight 3-74 mph slider for strikes at 2500+ RPM. To round out his arsenal, he effectively limited both spin and lift on a 75-78 mph changeup that averaged 15.2 inches of horizontal movement.

RHP Joe Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026) stands in a well-built frame at 5-foot-10, 190-pounds. His fastball sat 84-86 mph with arm-side run (16” avg. HM) and he attacked the zone with strikes (71%). He throws his slider with intent, which features quality spin (2404 rpm avg.), sitting mostly 72-73 mph. To round out his three-pitch mix, Kelly threw a mid-70s changeup that had quality fade (15.2” avg. HM), and he threw the pitch for strikes (80%).

Positional Profile: RHP/OF
Body: 6-0, 179.9-pounds. Some present strength, evenly proportioned.
Hit: RHH. Slightly open setup, works back to even with a controlled stride, some rhythm in the hands. Easy, loose hands, flat path, intent to elevate up the middle, used the whole field. 70.6 mph bat speed with 7 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 93 max exit velocity, averaged 87.4 mph. 268’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 84 mph. Medium arm circle with a high 3/4 release.
Defense: One-hand gather off to the side, moves well into crowhop, steady actions.
Run: 7.32 runner in the 60.

RHP/INF Joe Kelly (Loyola, 2026) provided another impressive look on both sides of the ball this weekend. The 6-foot, 175-pound sophomore was a standout at the Illinois State Games in August, and continued to show real two-way potential in Rantoul. In the first matchup of the weekend, Kelly provided all the offense that was needed for Top Tier. He launched a three-run home run over the left-field wall to lead his squad to a 3-0 victory. On the mound, Kelly worked his fastball in the 80-84 mph range, topping out at 85 mph. To pair off the fastball, Kelly went to a low-70s curveball with late break and a fading changeup in the mid-70s.

RHP Joe Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026) is another former member of Team Illinois at the 2022 PBR Junior Future Games that was in attendance this weekend. The 6-foot, 175-pound prospect seemingly gets bigger and stronger each time we see him. In a relief appearance, Kelly showed an easy and fluid delivery with a quick arm to pair. His fastball sat 83-86 mph with fade, and his curveball sat in the low-70s with a range of 2500-2600 RPMs.

3B/RHP Joe Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026) is a to-be sophomore that showed intriguing two-way potential throughout the event. Kelly stands at a sturdy 6-foot, 175-pound frame and exhibited some power at the plate. It started with a loud round of BP in which he had a peak exit velocity of 93.5 mph and a max distance of 337 feet. Kelly would translate that loud contact into gameplay, launching a no-doubt home run along with multiple barrels against older competition. He also gave an upside look on the mound, topping at 83 mph parlayed with a sharp breaker that spun in the 2400 RPM range.

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds. Physical, well-proportioned.
Delivery: Up-tempo, repeatable, high leg lift with tuck and slight coil, drop/drive delivery, works in-line, foot lands slightly closed.
Arm Action: RH. Medium arm circle, loose, 3/4 slot.
FB: T83, 81-83 mph. Firm out of the hand, has slight arm-side run. T2243, 2065 average rpm.
CB: 69-71 mph. 11/5 shape, located down. T2478, 2428 average rpm.

Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds. Physical, well-proportioned.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, high leg kick into forward move. Aggressive and intentful swing, quick bat, direct to the ball, accurate barrel.
Power: 93 max exit velocity, averaged 90.1 mph. 337’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 83 mph. Short, compact arm, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Steady actions, active footwork, clean transfer.
Run: 8.16 runner in the 60.

Former Junior Future Gamer, OF Joseph Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026), showed true two-way potential this summer but only hit and played the outfield at this event. Listed at 6-foot 175-pounds, Kelly has been steadily adding on strength since we first saw him over a year ago and it continues to translate in the right-handed batters box where he has flashed pull-side power. He works with controlled fluidity, big leg-lift trigger and stays on balance with loose, athletic hands and a heavy barrel. His furthest batted ball traveled 324’. Follow 2026 prospect.

RHP/3B Joseph Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026) showed one of the more dynamic fastball/breaking ball combos in his class. An 11/5 bender that showed both above average horizontal and vertical break, it spins above average for his age, and pairs a low 80’s fastball at 81-82 mph. The fastball led the charts in average horizontal movement to arm side.

Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 175-pounds. Athletic build with strength.
Hit: RHH. Tall, balanced setup,big leg-kick trigger. Swings with  controlled intent, length through the zone,occasional uphill loft with some innate strength.
Power: 91 max exit velocity, averaged 84.8 mph. 288’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 81 mph. Loose arm action, 3/4 slot and throws flashed carry.
Defense: Deliberate actions, soft hands through the ball.
Run: 7.76 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Hands work up and over his head before moving into an up-tempo leg-lift, slight drop/drive lower-half, works in-line.
Arm Action: RH. Above average arm speed, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T82, 81-82 mph. Runs to arm side. T2161, 2075 average rpm.
CB: 66-67 mph. 11/5 shape, above average action for age. T2371, 2281 average rpm.
CH: 72-75 mph. Plays with sink action. T1735, 1612 average rpm. 

Junior Futures Games: Team Illinois got back in the win column to finish up pool play with a 9-1 win over Team Missouri. RHP/UTL Joseph Kelly (Loyola Academy, 2026) was sensational on the mound for Team Illinois, firing a six-inning complete game in only 61 pitches while surrendering just four hits and one earned run. The right-hander showed impressive control over the zone for his age, not allowing a single walk while filling up the zone with a fastball that sat 77-80 mph, and reached a high of 81. He also went to a sharp 11/5 breaking ball at 64-66 mph that he was able to land for strikes and to put hitters away. 

Positional Profile: INF
Body: 5-10, 156-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Knee-knock stride. Hands held low and close to the body.   Loose/fluid arms through the zone, drops hands slightly at footstrike, uphill path with an up-the-middle and opposite-field approach.
Power: 80.8 max exit velocity, averaged 73.4 mph. 288’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 74 mph. Low 3/4 arm slot, quick release.
Defense: Plays with tempo, glove plays out front.
Run: 7.90 runner in the 60.