Payten
Jibben

Illinois-Chicago commit. Expectations were high for Jibben entering the 2024 season, and the senior lived up to the hype throughout his senior year. Jibben finished his senior campaign as one, if not the, most valuable two-way prospect in any program. The right-hander was electric on the mound—finishing the year at a flawless 11-0 in 54.1 innings of work. He then went on to only allow nine earned runs all season—taking the ball in the Knights’ biggest matchups of the season. Jibben then took his extreme production to the plate, where he hit an impressive .505 and clubbed 22 extra base hits. The senior tallied 49 RBIs as a staple in the Oak Creek lineup, all while finishing the season with a 1.421 OPS. Jibben consistently put together strong showings for the Knights—including hitting a home run in his final high school game against Sun Prairie East. His value cannot be understated, as the senior will head south to Illinois-Chicago after taking home his second straight All-State award.

RHP Payten Jibben (Oak Creek, 2024) is fresh off a standout junior spring, in which he earned Southeast Conference Player of the Year honors and also made an appearance on our PBR Wisconsin All-State Second Team list, too. On Tuesday, he continued his streak of impressive performances in front of our staff with yet another at this loaded event. Built at an athletic 6-foot-4, 210-pounds with noticeable strength in his lower half, Jibben features a clean and repeatable delivery on the mound. Out of a ¾ slot, Jibben’s fastball topped at 88.8 mph and sat in the 85-87 mph range throughout his outing. He also showed confidence in a pair of developed offspeed pitches, the first being a 11/5 curveball with late bite. The second was a deceptive changeup that played with late depth and fade, averaging nearly a foot of horizontal movement. Jibben has been on a tear throughout the last calendar year or so, and Tuesday was yet another solid showing from arguably the top uncommitted arm in the state. 

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-4, 210-pounds. Strong, physical build with long levers.
Delivery: Uptempo delivery. High, inline leg lift. Drop and drive delivery. Inline stride. Athletic.
Arm Action: RH. Loose, quick arm. 3/4 slot.
FB: T89, 84-87 mph. Thrown downhill with life through the zone.  T2169, 1995 average rpm.
CB: 71-72 mph. 11/5 action with late bite. Flashed sharpness.  T2014, 1983 average rpm.
CH: 72-73 mph. Feel for the pitch. Late downer action with run.  T2239, 2072 average rpm.

Uncommitted. Oak Creek went 4-0 this past week in part to Jibben’s contributions on both sides of the ball. On the mound Jibben tossed a complete game win over Indian Trial improving to 3-0 on the year with 32 strikeouts in 21 innings. At the plate this week he went 7-for-12 with three extra base hits, collected five RBIs and added eight more runs.

Jibben continued to show well as a two-way prospect during Saturday’s large event, especially on the mound. Built at a ultra-athletic 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Jibben has a simple, repeatable delivery that he uses to drive the ball downhill to spots. During his ‘pen, Jibben’s fastball sat in the 88-89 mph range with his highest being 89.8 mph, and this is a pitch that plays with some major ride and carry through the zone, roughly 18.2’ of induced vertical break on average. He also showed the utmost feel for a curveball and changeup. The curveball plays with sharp 11/5 action and it was thrown all around the zone. Jibben’s changeup is thrown with intent and features late, hard fade and depth, and averaged more than 18’ of horizontal movement, too. Offensively, Jibben recorded exit velocities up to 93.1 mph, utilizing strong quick hands that averaged a bat speed of 72.2 mph, too. While in the outfield, Jibben’s arm strength was on full display as his hardest bullet to plate came in at 93 mph. Overall, it was yet another good look from this uncommitted two-way prospect who is truly making a name for himself inside the state's talented junior class. 

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-3, 210-pounds. XL frame strong with projection.
Hit: RHH. Athletic stock set up with higher hands.  Lands centered, very strong and quick hands, direct path, hammers balls to both gaps.
Power: 93 max exit velocity, averaged 87.9 mph. 324’ max distance.
Arm: RH.   OF - 93 mph. Loose, quick arm, strong throws. 3/4 slot.
Defense: One-hand gather, in stride, on-line, accurate firm throws.
Run: 7.40 runner in the 60.

Delivery: Controlled, smooth, athletic delivery. Moves with intent. Leg-whip finish.
Arm Action: RH. Quick, whippy arm action. 3/4 slot with arm speed out front.
FB: T90, 88-90 mph. Ride through the zone with run.  T2197, 2125 average rpm.
CB: 75-77 mph. Sharp 11/5 action.  T2071, 1975 average rpm.
CH: 77-78 mph. Fade and depth. Ultra feel for the pitch. T2079, 1976 average rpm.

Jibben moves up in the rankings due to the impressive two way performance this summer and fall. Jibben is a physical athlete listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, that should support useful strength. He performed well at the plate with a short, compact swing that produced multiple line-drives all over the diamond at PBR Tournaments. His athleticism really shows well in the outfield getting solid reads, an impressive quick first step, and appropriate routes to the ball which allows him to run down balls to the gaps. On the mound, he might event possess an even more clear ceiling. Jibben has a loose rhythmic delivery with the ability to drive the ball down hill to spots. His fastball velocity range was 85-87 mph in the fall, and he throws a devastating changeup, one of the best we saw all year, that regularly confuses hitters – and he can spin a breaking ball, too.

Physically built at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Jibben’s sheer arm strength first caught our attention from the outfield, where he uncorked a 90 mph high with true backspin and carry through his target. He hopped on the mound shortly afterwards and pumped his heater in the mid-80s, topping at 87 mph with rise and run. Pairing off that fastball was a 68-70 mph curveball that Jibben showed feel to spin and locate, landing it in the zone at a 75 percent clip. He also threw one of the day’s best changeups, a 73-74 mph offering with deceptive fade at arm speed that he located. Jibben figures to play a factor in the Oak Creek rotation this spring and he’s trending positively from a prospect standpoint, too. 

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-3, 190-pounds. Evenly distributed strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Stock setup with vertical tip.  Short the ball from over the top. Quick barrel delivery; Mostly pullside contact.
Power: 93.1 max exit velocity, averaged 85.8 mph. 72’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 90 mph. Long, easy action. Some arm speed.
Defense: Clean alignment and gains ground well on different plays.
Run: 7.30 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Patient, tall/fall style delivery. Short stride, controlled move.
Arm Action: RH. Long loop, deep pocket with some wrist hook, arm works with a higher slot release. Upside.
FB: T86.8, 83.6-86.3 mph. Showed control to glove side, average arm side action. T2076, 2042 average rpm.
CB: 69.2-70.5 mph. Showed feel for the zone, 12/6 typ[e breaking ball. T1669, 1610 average rpm.
CH: 73.0-74.4 mph. Slight sink action off of fastball, arm speed present. T1882, 1800 average rpm.

Jibben is an upside prospect in the state’s 2024 class. He’s 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, with a ton of room to fill out. His right-handed swing already showed one of the best peak hand speeds of the event – measured at 25 mph by our Blast sensor – and as he continues to add strength, he’ll only see his batted-ball metrics go up. Defensively, he showed all the right actions in the outfield with an athletic crowhop and a well-above-average arm for his age. It works from the mound, too, where his arm works fluidly, clean, and there’s likely a huge jump in velocity coming in the near future.

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-2, 170-pounds. High upside frame, long and lean.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, weight shift load, slight leg lift stride. Easy bat speed, short to the baseball, balanced middle of the field approach. Well connected throughout swing, strong repeatable contact.
Power: 88.09 max exit velocity, averaged 81.51 mph. 288’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 85 mph. Over the top arm slot, loose arm action with some length, clean arm.
Defense: Actions work through the baseball, thoughtful approach to play through with crowhop transfer.
Run: 7.39 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Narrow start towards the first base side of rubber, upright posture at balance point, tall/fall action downhill. Level shoulders, maintains linear progression to target, athletic finish through release.
Arm Action: RH. Arm plays with present length on the backside, finishes from a high 3/4 slot. Loose shoulder, above-average arm speed.
FB: T79, 77-78 mph. Two-seam type, slight arm-side run at times.  T1945, 1819 average rpm.
CB: 62-63 mph. Knuckle-type grip, decelerates arm some. High arching 11/5 shape, depth.  T1469, 1290 average rpm.
SL: 67-70 mph. Short wrinkle, less depth than curveball.  T1625, 1575 average rpm.
CH: 66-69 mph. Thrown with below fastball arm speed.  T1557, 1507 average rpm.

5-foot-11, 154 pounds; tall, athletic build that projects well as he adds strength leading into his high school years. On the mound, works out of a high ¾ arm slot, smooth, clean arm action. Fastball sat 68-72 mph, touched 73. In 4.1 innings relief innings, did not allow an earned run.