Ryan
Kotara

RHP Ryan Kotara (Lincoln-Way Central, 2024) showed our staff louder stuff than we’d seen from him in the past. At a strong 6-foot-1, 192-pounds, Kotara’s fastball touched 88 mph, sitting 84-87 mph with more in the tank. He flashed raw aptitude to spin a 68-71 mph curveball as well, peaking at 2,692 RPM. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-1, 192-pounds. Highly-athletic build.
Delivery: Simple delivery, medium point of balance, drop/drive lower-half, remains in-line to the plate.
Arm Action: RH. Long out of the glove into an over-the-top slot, quick arm.
FB: T88, 84-87 mph. Ride through the zone with slight running action at times. T2166, 2007 average rpm.
CB: 68-71 mph. Sharp, downer 11/5 shape. T2692, 2588 average rpm.

Uncommitted. 6-foot-1, 188-pound, strong, athletic frame. Played right field and hit in the eight-hole for Lincoln-Way Central. Speed and athleticism was on display in the outfield, ranging to his glove side and making a sliding catch down the right-field line. Went 0-for-2 on the night but showed ability to find the barrel on a sharply hit line drive to right field that was caught. 

Positional Profile: SS/OF
Body: 6-1, 188-pounds. Athletic build. Lean strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Athletic look. Quiet, balanced setup, smooth load, fluid leg kick trigger with controlled rhythm through contact.  Easy, fluid swing, athletic hands, stays through the hitting zone and was on the barrel to both gaps throughout.
Power: 94.4 max exit velocity, averaged 89.6 mph. 367’ max distance.
Defense: Did not work out defensively.
Run: 6.77 runner in the 60. 

One of the most athletic players in attendance on Monday was INF/OF Ryan Kotara (Lincoln-Way Central, 2024), who’s a multi-positional prospect that’s impressed our staff in previous looks and certainly didn’t disappoint. Now built at a more physical 6-foot-1, 188-pounds, Kotara kicked off a productive day by running a 6.77 in the 60-yard dash. He looked the part in the box from the moment he stepped in, easily finding himself on the barrel to both gaps throughout his round of BP. All of Kotara’s batted ball metrics have ticked up since we saw him last July, especially how far he hit the ball - both at peak (368 ft.) and on average (252 ft.). 

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds. Athletic build with plenty of room to fill out.
Delivery: Polished/repeatable delivery, drop and drive lower-half, moves well from balance point with a strong lead hip, athletic finish.
Arm Action: RH. Short/clean over-the-top slot.
FB: T83.2, 75.6-80.5 mph. Jumps out of the hand with some arm-side life, plays at the top of the zone.  T1953, 1772 average rpm.
CB: 66-67 mph. Hard biting action with downer 11/5 shape, kept primarily down in the zone.  T2492, 2492 average rpm.
CH: 71-72 mph. Thrown with fastball intent and fading action to his arm-side.  T1624, 1624 average rpm.

Hit: RHH. Starts in a slightly open setup, fluid rhythm in pre-pitch, leg lift timing trigger into a short stride. Athletic/repeatable swing, loose arms through the zone with a level path to the ball, pull-side approach, showed the ability to maintain balance after contact.
Power: 92.6 max exit velocity, averaged 87.2 mph. 323’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 87 mph. Clean/athletic arm, high 3/4 slot with the ability to play on the move.
Defense: Highly athletic infield actions with fluid footwork, confident hands with a quick/clean transfer, easy range to both sides.
Run: 6.94 runner in the 60. 

5-foot-11, 165-pound, athletically-built, right-handed hitting infielder. Was one of the top prospects at the recent Joliet Open. Fills out the uniform in the right way. Athletic actions and movements to all parts of his game. Looks the part in the box, fluid pre-pitch rhythm and athletic setup. Free swinging mentality; got in trouble chasing a couple pitches out of the zone with two strikes. Loose hands, showed above-average bat speed for his age. Finished 1-for-6 with an RBI. Did not pitch at the event but this was the report from his bullpen at the Joliet Open: Opened some eyes with his short, quick arm that produced a lively 80-81 mph fastball backed up by polished secondary stuff, especially for his age. His slurve-type breaking ball flashed over 2,400 rpm and he also utilized a deceptive changeup with plus-type arm-side action. High-follow 2024 two-way prospect.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP; An emerging freshman follow.
Body: 5-11, 165-pounds. Strong, athletic frame; advanced for age.
Delivery: Simple front step rock to athletic, high-knee balance point. Drops and drives down mound at a good pace, high front side, lands square, toe open, athletic finish.
Arm Action: RH. Short draw, quick and compact to high 3/4 slot. Live arm.
FB: T81, 80-81 mph. Above-average spin rate for age and velocity (max of 2,200 rpm). Straight four-seam type with carry traits; averaged an induced vertical break of 18.8 inches. Consistently spotted it at the bottom of the zone.
CB: 64-67 mph. Decreases arm speed, but demonstrates an advanced feel for spin. An 11/5 shape with depth that flashed sharp. Spun at an average rate of 2,371 rpm.
CH: 71-72 mph. Mostly maintains arm speed; slightly lowers slot. Generates hard arm-side run/fade. Horizontal break averaged 14.8 inches. Feel for strikes, location.

Defense: Smooth feet that work in rhythm, athletic base, hands play low to the ground. Clean hand transfer, long to release, showed strong body control on run through play.
Arm: RH. INF - 86 mph. Short and loose arm circle finishes from an athletic high 3/4 slot. Advanced arm strength for age.
Hit: RHH. Athletic setup in the box, balanced lower half, slight bat wrap, smooth load, steady toe-tap trigger.  Loose hands, long bat path with extension through contact, consistent gap-to-gap approach. Flashed barrel feel and juice to the pull-side, hit one in BP to left field that traveled 311 feet at 90.7 mph.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Run: 7.18 runner in the 60.