Josh
McDevitt

McDevitt was the anchor for an Effingham squad that made a run to the 3A state playoffs and he emphatically put the finishing touches on a decorated high school career this past season. The Missouri signee totaled 80 ⅓ innings, striking out 140 while surrendering 36 hits. He allowed just seven earned runs this season, pitching to a 0.60 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. McDevitt's arsenal is loud; he features a low-to-mid-90s fastball with life up in the zone and a true biting breaking ball that can miss bats at the next level. He's one of the top arms in the Illinois' 2023 class.

Missouri signee, currently slotted at No. 19 overall in the Illinois' 2023 rankings but is set to rise come next update. 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame with present strength and room to add more. Took the mound for Effingham in the third place contest against Sycamore and dominated - 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 14 K. Controlled and tempo'd mover, simple operation without much effort. Works onto his backside at leg lift, stays connected with the rubber and rotates onto his front foot at landing. In-line strider, finishes out front through release. Arm plays with some reach on the backside, finishes with arm speed out of a slightly elevated 3/4 window. Fastball played in the low-90s early, touching 92 mph, with life up in the zone, settled into the upper-80s as he went on. Turned to a sharp slider often, landing it for strikes and grabbing whiffs out of the zone to right-handed hitters, 77-80 mph. Faded a changeup to left-handed hitters, feel for the outer-quadrant, 81-83 mph. Finished his 2023 campaign with seven earned runs over 80 innings pitched and 140 strikeouts, earning a PBR First Team All-State selection.

Missouri signee. Strong 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame with wide shoulders and a physical lower half. Toed the rubber for Effingham against rival Mahomet-Seymour and absolutely dominated, striking out 13 batters over 5 ⅔ no-hit innings. Simple delivery, works with rhythm and tempo up to balance point, gets onto his backside early, drop/drive mover downhill. Upper half stays closed to footstrike, pulls off slightly at release, lead leg lands in line to target, finishes towards the first base side on occasion. Does throw with some effort, though controlled. Arm has some reach on the backside, comes out of a fast high ¾ slot with noticeable arm speed out front. Fastball touched 96 mph in the first, ranging at 91-95 mph throughout his outing. Did flash late life and jump up in the zone at its best. Supreme confidence to spin a breaking ball, will throw it in all counts. Landed it for strikes, buried it beneath the zone for swings-and-misses, too. Power spin at 79-82 mph from a more traditional 11/5 axis with sharp, late bite to it. Capable of missing bats now and at the next level. Bulldog-like presence on the mound, highly competitive, stayed in control of the game throughout his outing. Another top-end arm from the southern part of the state that should draw professional attention as his season goes on. 

Missouri commit, ranked No. 18 overall in the state’s senior class and No. 498 overall nationally. 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. Hurled three innings for Effingham in a start on Wednesday night, failing to allow an earned run. Simple drop/drive delivery, front hip coils inward as lead leg lifts to balance, level shoulders, stays linear throughout. Finishes onto a firm lead leg with a still head and polish through release, repeated consistently. Short arm draw with some poke on the backside, loose out front and finishes from a clean, quick high ¾ slot. Fastball sat 89-91 mph, touching 92 mph early, and played straight with some ride into the upper quadrant. Also comfortably worked the inner-half to right-handed hitters. Sharp late bite on slider at 76-78 mph, manipulated spin both in the zone and beneath it for whiffs, profiles as a swing-and-miss pitch at the next level. One of the top arms in the Illinois’ 2023 class. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-1, 190-pounds.
Delivery: Loads into back hip. Controlled, inline stride. Repeatable strike thrower with moderate effort.
Arm Action: RH. 3/4 slot. Quick arm, ball comes out of the hand really well.
FB: T91.6, 90.3-91.3 mph. Filled the zone, with slight running action. T2302, 2165 average rpm.
CB: 72.6-74.1 mph. Tendency to back up. Flashed 11/5 action. Up and down break. T2479, 2306 average rpm.
CH: 80.5-80.7 mph. Consistent strikes. Slight fading action. T1481, 1351 average rpm.

RHP Josh McDevitt (Effingham, IL, 2023, Missouri) threw one of the more polished innings of the day. Seifert noted, “Ball comes out of his hand really well from a three-quarter release point. Strike-thrower who repeated delivery with moderate effort. Filled zone and worked back/forth with a 90-91 (T92) mph fastball and an average 80-81 changeup for consistent strikes.”

Missouri commit, currently ranked No. 10 in Illinois. Athletic right-hander that stands at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds. Works down the mound with a fluid-moving operation, remaining in-line to the plate with an athletic finish. His arm works quick to release from a ¾ slot, producing a fastball that sat 90-92 mph; jumping out of the hand with ride/run through the zone. McDevitt also showcased a sharp breaking ball with slurve tendencies, sitting 75-78 mph with depth. He also went to a heavy fading changeup at 80-82 mph to keep hitters off-balance. Stock should continue to rise as he continues to polish up his arsenal.

Verbally committed to Missouri.

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-1, 190-pounds.
Delivery: Advanced easy delivery, very smooth rhythm, strong front side, body works efficiently, level shoulders, lands square, works in line through target.
Arm Action: RH. Short, quick arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
FB: T92, 89-91 mph. Run/sink action, ball jumps out of hand, consistent strikes. T2442, 2332 average rpm.
CB: 74-76 mph. 11/5 shape, sharp action, advanced depth. T2888, 2784 average rpm.
SL: 76-78 mph. 10/4 shape. T2508, 2385 average rpm.
CH: 81-82 mph. Arm side run, thrown for strikes at bottom of zone, arm speed same as fastball. T1849, 1717 average rpm.

Positional Profile: RHP; Debuted in the state's 2023 rankings after a breakout performance here.
Body: 6-0, 170-pounds. Well-proportioned strength throughout.
Delivery: Simple tall and fall delivery, minimal wasted movement, stays closed down the mound, repeats.
Arm Action: RH. Clean, uninterrupted arm action, high 3/4 slot. Loose and quick out front.
FB: T87, 85-87 mph. Clean and easy out of the hand, finish through the zone. Showed control, slight arm-side action. Max spin rate of 2,291 rpm .
CB: 68-71 mph. 11/5 shape, depth at times, 2,343 rpm max spin rate.
SL: 72-74 mph. Max spin rate of 2,413 rpm. Tight spin, short 10/4 action, around the zone.
CH: 77-79 mph. Thrown with intent, feel for the zone, mostly straight.