Benjamin
Kasten

During the last day of our PBR Badger State Battle, Kasten was solid on the mound, pitching four innings, giving up zero earned runs and striking out five. His fastball sat 82-84 mph, and topped at 85 mph, a number he actually hit multiple times, and showed a little bit of cut action. Kasten threw a heavy dose of heaters this evening, blowing it by opposing hitters in all types of counts. He also mixed in a curveball at 66-69 mph. Kasten, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete, is a notable arm to keep an eye on, especially since he’s still uncommitted. 

An arm likely to make a jump into our 2022 rankings come the next update: RHP Benjamin Kasten(Whitnall). Kasten has tacked on approximately 20 pounds of strength since we last saw him in June, now standing at a physical 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. That and added athleticism, particularly on his lower half drive, has led to a significant uptick in Kasten’s stuff. He routinely attacked the zone for strikes with a straight-arrowed 84-86 mph fastball, touching 87 twice. He’s still fully harnessing his secondary pitches, although his curveball did flash sharp spin and the potential to be his out-pitch when he worked on top of it. Kasten emerged from this event as a follow uncommitted arm in the state’s junior class.

Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 6-2, 185-pounds. Strong, well-proportioned frame that projects to fill out more.
Delivery: Steady side-step motion initiates a tall/fall type delivery, upright posture at footstrike.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm path, 3/4 slot.
FB: T81, 78-80 mph. Comes out clean. Plays straight, has some cut to it.
CB: 64-69 mph. Some feel to spin. 12/6 shape, sharp action to it. Best secondary pitch. 
CH: 69-73 mph. Near fastball arm speed. Arm-side run.  

Hit: RH. Quiet in the box, tall setup, bat wraps, high leg kick trigger.  Long bat path.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 slot. Windup to release.
Defense: Some bounce pre-pitch, two-hand gather, long to release.
Run: 8.08 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 6-foot-2, 185-pounds. Lean, athletic build.
Delivery: Tall/fall type delivery, level shoulders, linear to target, upright finish.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm action, 3/4 slot.
FB: T81, 79-81 mph. Showed occasional arm-side run.
CB: 65-70 mph. 11/5 shape. Breaks early. 
CH: 70-75 mph. Decelerates arm action. Flashed sink. 

5-foot-11, 150-pound, right-handed pitcher, lanky, athletic frame. On the mound, tall and fall delivery, wide rocker motion, works in line, closed toe landing, upright at finish. Long, loose arm action, high ¾ slot, some effort involved. Fastball had slight run, 70-72 mph. Curveball, 11/5 gradual break, 55-59 mph. Changeup faded with some feel, 60-64 mph.