Nico
Vavalle

LHP Nico Vavalle (Grant, IL, 2028) came away a winner in front of our Wisconsin staff. Vavalle stands in an athletic and wiry 5-foot-8, 140-pound frame. He showed clean actions on the mound with a low-effort, quick arm path. His fastball sat in the low-80s in this look, and he mixed in a slider at 69-72 mph sweeping shape, averaging 20.9 inches of horizontal movement. Vavalle also threw a curveball at 68-69 mph with 1/7 shape, and more vertical action that he showed feel to land in the lower half. He rounded out his four-pitch mix with a change-up at 76-77 mph, playing with sink and generating an average of -16.7 inches of horizontal movement. Heading into his junior year, Vavalle will be an arm to monitor from Illinois.

Nico Vavalle, Grant (IL), 2028
Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-6, 132-pounds.
Delivery: Simple mover, high leg lift with slight coil, hesitation at balance point, tall/fall down the mound.
Arm Action: LH. Long, quick arm path out of a 3/4 slot.
FB: T83, 81-82 mph. Clean out of the hand, mostly straight. T2124, 2067 average rpm.
CB: 67-69 mph. 1/7 shape, sharp downer, feel for the lower half. T2132, 2075 average rpm.
SL: 70-71 mph. Late, short break. T2269, 1946 average rpm.
CH: 76-77 mph. Some deceleration, sink at times. T1496, 1434 average rpm.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-4, 115-pounds.
Delivery: Controlled tempo, stays in line, clean windup, high knee lift.
Arm Action: LH. Full arm circle, 3/4 slot.
FB: T77, 76-77 mph. Throws for strikes, armside run, throws with intent. T1931, 1826 average rpm.
CB: 67-68 mph. 11/5 break, blends with curveball. T2223, 2137 average rpm.
SL: 67-68 mph. Sweeping action, slow break. T2173, 2114 average rpm.
CH: 70-72 mph. Keeps low in zone, armside run and sink. T1381, 1343 average rpm.

Hit: LHH. Slight back knee bend, short and quick stride, explodes with an aggressive follow through. Athletic hands, works on-plane and through the zone, swings with intent, line-drive approach.  62.6 mph bat speed with 6g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 82 mph max exit velocity (75.5 avg.); 188-foot max batted distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 75 mph. High 3/4 release, arm action plays.
Defense: Stays behind the ball, deliberate footwork, short shuffle step to target.
Athletic Testing: 4.25 runner in the 30-yard dash; 17.40-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 57.12 Edge Score.

Positional Profile: OF/LHP
Body: 5-1, 98-pounds.
Delivery: Side-step delivery, high leg-kick with some torque. Drop/drive lower-half.
Arm Action: LH. Loose, quick, clean arm action. 3/4 arm slot.
FB: T70, 68-70 mph. Clean out of the hand, locates to the glove side. T1909, 1855 average rpm.
CB: 62-62 mph. 1/7 shape, has advanced feel for the zone for his age. T2189, 2081 average rpm.
SL: 61-63 mph. Has depth, 2/8 shape. Throws for strikes at times. Thrown with intent. T2188, 2119 average rpm.
CH: 64-65 mph. Mostly straight actions, similar profile to the fastball. Developing. T1337, 1306 average rpm.

Hit: LHH. Crouched, open setup. Minimal load, short stride, utilizes lower half. Direct to the ball, swings with intent, flat path, works up the middle of the field.
Power: 70 max exit velocity, averaged 59.6 mph. 207’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 70 mph. Loose, quick arm action, accurate throws, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Approaches with intent, attacks the baseball, smooth transfer, crow how on throws. Athletic mover.
Run: 4.66 30-yard dash.

Positional Profile: OF/LHP
Body: 4-11, 85-pounds. Fill to come, long levered, athletic actions.
Hit: LHH. Balanced setup, fluid load and short stride.  Loose hands with feel for the barrel, spray, line drive approach, long through the zone.
Arm: LH. OF - 65 mph. Clean, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Active feet, two-hand gather, secures ball into the body. 

Delivery: Up tempo movement with controlled actions throughout, repeatable, lands in-line with home.
Arm Action: LH. Clean, quick arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T64, 63-63 mph. Plays mostly straight. T1887, 1813 average rpm.
SL: 58-59 mph. Slurve type break. T2060, 2006 average rpm.
CH: 61-61 mph. Slight downward movement. T1656, 1634 average rpm.