Sam
Heilenbach

4/24/14 One of the state’s top uncommitted seniors, ranked No. 98 in the state of Illinois. 6-foot-2, 185-pound stocky frame. Has impressed behind the plate, but on the mound today sat 83-85 with good life down in the zone. Worked fast with impressive, competitive, presence on the mound.  Fastball had sink down in the zone, especially to arm side. Overthrew ball up in the zone in two-strike situations. Delivery is simple, with straight up leg lift, drives with good direction towards home plate. Utilizes short, over the top, catcher-like arm action that gets on hitters quick. Curveball showed power at 73-75, and flashed plus 12-6 break at times. Mostly a two-pitch pitcher, but flashed changeup, and cutter. Threw strikes, and competed. Legitimate two-way guy at the next level who very well could catch and close. Fastball could play up out of the pen, and a move to strictly pitching without the grind of catching. 1-for-4 on the day hitting.  Showed bat speed, but struggled with pitch away, mainly looking to pull.

4/2/14 - Ranked No. 98 in Illinois’ 2014 class. One of the top unsigned seniors in the state. Offensive-minded catcher with solid arm strength behind plate and on mound. Sturdy 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. Relaxed, confident plate approach, loose hands, excellent balance. In first at-bat, turned on Bryan Pall’s 88-mph fastball for double to left field. Second at-bat, singled sharply through the 5-6 hole on an 87-mph Pall offering. … Came in to pitch in third inning. Simple, repeatable mechanics, high-3/4 slot, strike-thrower. Fastball sat 82-85 mph, dialed it up to 87 to get a strikeout to end third inning. Curveball is good pitch, consistently thrown for strikes, two-plane break in 70-71 range. … Also excellent student.

10/13/13 - 6-foot-2, 190-pound pitcher with solid upside. Throws with easy effort and some rhythm. His fastball was straight with good finish at 82-85 mph, for strikes. Curveball has 12/6 shape with sharp break at 70-71 mph. Changeup was thrown with fastball arm speed, high quality arm side run, for strikes, at 77-80 mph.

6.13.13 - The 6-foot-2, 185-pound catcher showed potential in all facets of the showcase.  Heilenbach’s arm action is loose with length behind the plate and recorded pop times between 2.07 and 2.1, throwing 76 mph from the crouch.  He showed pop at the plate posting an 84 mph exit velocity.  His setup is balanced with a short stride.  Displayed an advanced bat path, short to the ball and level through the zone, gets full extension through the ball, excellent balance through finish.  He also ran a 7.39 60 at the event. 

4/29/13 - Currently ranked No. 87 in Illinois’ 2014 class. Sturdy 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame. Right-handed hitter with simple, aggressive approach. Looks like he can flat hit, and he did so during the Fall Prospect Program for seven weeks. Looks vastly improved behind plate; feet are more athletic than the fall, and transfer is much quicker. Pop times ranged between 2.00-2.10 between innings. Went 1-for-2 in game with a walk; hard single up the middle. Bats cleanup for Lyons Township.

2/17/13 - Sturdy frame, 6-foot-1, 188-pound catcher. Defensively uses long arm action, arm showed carry, 78 mph from the crouch, lacked accuracy, pop times ranged from 2.22-2.33. Offensively shows solid presence. Hits from balanced stance, smooth load, short stride, solid balance throughout. Bat path stays long through the baseball, some pull tendencies, 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.

10/7/12 - Heilenbach is a big bodied 6-foot-1, 190-pound two-way player. Heilenbach is a strong catcher that has consistently shown pop in his swing. He showed strong hands at the plate exhibiting a balanced approach with the ability to drive the baseball, with power, to both gaps. Behind the dish Heilenbach showed a good arm (76 mph) and pop times of 2.04-2.07. On the mound he threw his fastball from a high ¾ arm slot showing slight cut at times but consistently working downhill in the zone. His curveball showed some signs of 12/6 action at 64-67 mph. His change up showed well; he was able to throw a sinking change up at 72-73 mph with good arm action.

Sam Heilenbach is a Class of 2014 C/RHP from Lyon Township HS. Heilenbach displayed impressive arm strength behind the plate and on the mound. The strong 6-foot-1, 175-pound right-hander on the mound came from an over the top arm slot with a long and loose arm action. Heilenbach�s fastball sat at 79-81 mph. Heilenbach�s clean arm action was easy and will look to see a spike in velocity. Behind the plate, he threw a 2.07 pop time. Offensively, he displayed gap power and a level swing.