By Sean Duncan

Over the years, we’ve seen our fair share of big-time prospects at the Super 60 Showcase. But the overall talent at the 10^th annual Super 60 Showcase on Sunday, Feb. 5 clearly was the meatiest of them all. Considering it is still early February, I was blown away by the prospects’ performances.

For example, of the 29 pitchers, 24 of them were 88-plus, and 11 of those were 90-plus. And that’s just the start of it. Here are some random thoughts I took away from this year’s Super 60:

♦ I’ve never been so convinced that a junior would be a top 20 pick in the MLB draft than I was after watching LHP/OF Trey Ball (New Castle HS, IN). The 6-foot-6 junior, who is already committed to Texas, is the rarest of talents, in that he has the ability to be a high draft as both a position player and as a pitcher. For his size, he’s freakishly athletic: he ran a seemingly effortless 6.67 60, and everything he does is explosive yet easy. Offensively, he was one of – in not the best – hitter at the event. And when he begins to fill out physically, he has the potential to be a big-time left-handed hitting power hitter. From the outfield, he was clocked at 93 mph. On the mound, Ball didn’t disappoint either. Long and loose, the left-hander topper at 90 mph with undoubtedly A LOT more in the tank. He also threw an 80-84 mph and a 78-80 mph changeup.

♦ Of all the impressive pitching performances, LHP Ryan Borucki (Mundelein HS, IL) stood above the rest. And it’s not just because the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Iowa recruit topped out at an event-best 92 mph, or that he sat comfortably at 90-91. It’s that his secondary stuff – 83-84 mph cutter and 79-80 mph changeup – were equally as electric. Oh, and also because he’s all legs and arms, loose as can be, and, from the looks of it, isn’t even close to hitting his physical peak. My guess is Mundelein HS is going to be a very popular place this spring.

♦ Not far behind Borucki was LHP Alex Young (Carmel HS, IL), who was pretty electric himself. Signed at TCU, Young’s fastball sat 89-90 mph. His 77-78 mph slider and 80-82 mph changeup also can be legitimate swing-and-miss pitches. Conveniently, Carmel is located in Mundelein, so scouts can possibly knock out two of the top left-handed prospects in a day.

♦ And speaking of top left-handers, Brett Lilek (Marian Catholic HS, IL), who’s currently the No. 1-ranked prospect in Illinois, also showed extremely well. Everything Lilek threw was shins-to-knees, all strikes, all with late movement. Lilek’s fastball sat at 88-89, and his 79-80 mph slider looks to have the potential to be a wipeout pitch at the next level. Lilek is committed to Arizona State.

♦ For me, the two biggest surprises on the mound were a pair of Illinois State recruits: RHP Jack Landwehr (Prospect HS, IL) and RHP Steven Heilenbach (Lyons Township HS, IL). Both pitchers topped at 91 mph, both showed excellent feel for all three pitches, and both were pretty easy while doing it. Heilenbach’s fastball sat at 90 mph, but it was his 77-78 mph changeup that was one of my favorite pitches of the entire event. Landwehr earned first-team all-state honors as a junior after winning 13 games last spring.

♦ My favorite two hitters at the event were:

1. OF Nathan Mikolas (Bradford HS, WI; Louisville recruit)

2. OF/LHP Trey Ball (New Castle HS, IN; 2013, Texas recruit)

Mikolas had the best exit velocity at 99 mph. Exit velocities were measured off a tee, with wood bats.

INF Kevin Ross (Niles West HS, IL; Michigan recruit) showed arguably the most juice in his bat.

♦ My three favorite defensive infielders at the event were:

1. SS DeJohn Suber (Morgan Park HS, IL; John A. Logan JC recruit). In my opinion, Suber had the best hands and actions, and was clocked at 82 mph across the infield.

2. SS Wes Edrington (Hamilton Southeastern HS, IN; 2013). Edrington, a junior, wasn’t too far behind, but showed more arm (87 mph), in addition to showing extremely quick hands at the plate.

3. 3B Braxton Martinez (Francis Howell North HS, MO; St. Louis University recruit). Martinez is physical and strong, while showing solid lateral movements, soft hands and arm strength (85 mph). Martinez also showed well at the plate.

Ross exhibited the best infield arm at the event at 90 mph.

♦ Here’s an impressive statistic: Of the 38 prospects who ran the 60, 19 of them were sub-7, and 11 of those were 6.8 or below.

Now here’s a curious statistic: Two of the top three runners, OF Ray Hunnicutt (Burlington Central HS, IL) and Paul Jacobson (Bishop Heelan HS, IA) are both unsigned seniors. Hunnicutt ran the best 60 at 6.54, and Jacobson ran the third fastest at 6.62. With a premium being placed on speed these days, one would think these two premier athletes would be gobbled up by now. SS Adam Walton (Stevenson HS, IL; Illinois recruit) ran the second-fastest 60 at 6.59.

♦ OF Jack Czeszewski (Elk Grove HS, IL; Illinois State recruit) had himself a day as well. The left-handed hitting outfielder ran a 6.67 60, was clocked at 88 from the outfield and took a solid round of BP.

♦ The 2013 arms at the event were extremely impressive. Aside from Ball, if I were to pick one of the talented juniors who has the highest ceiling, I’d say it is Eric Lauer (Midview HS, OH). The 6-foot-3 lefty delivered effortless 88 mph fastballs, one after another, down in the zone, in addition to showing command for his secondary stuff. Lauer’s arm works with such ease and it looks as though he has a lot of filling out to do.

♦ With that said, RHP Zac Ryan (Andrean HS, IN), RHP Adam Dressler (Hinsdale Central HS, IL) and LHP Daniel Ayers (Columbus North HS, IN; Western Michigan recruit) were mighty impressive. The ball comes out of Ryan’s hand hot, and it seemed to accelerate as it reached the catcher. Ryan’s fastball sat at 90-91 mph … and he will throw harder, too. The 6-foot Dressler sat at 89-90, and Ayers topped at an easy 89 mph, and he also threw an advanced curveball.

♦ LHP Kevin Duchene (Joliet Catholic Academy HS; Illinois recruit) will win a lot of games at the next level. Aside from some of the aforementioned left-handers, Duchene’s four-pitch mix is impressive. He has feel and command of everything, including a fastball that topped at 88 mph. RHP Blake McFadden (Savannah HS, MO; Kansas State recruit), too, showed excellent feel for three pitches, all with late movement, including a heavy 88-89 mph fastball.

♦ C Chris Marras (Vernon Hills HS, IL; Butler recruit) wasn’t the most ballyhooed backstop at the event, but he certainly made a big impression by firing 1.87, 1.91, 1.94 strikes down to second base. He has to be one of the most improved players I’ve seen in the last year.

♦ Prediction: 1B/C Zach Stoner (Rockford Boylan HS, IL; Southern Illinois recruit) will one day be the top left-handed hitting power hitter in the Missouri Valley if he makes it to school.

♦ RHP Nick Stroud (Mt. Zion HS, IL; Quincy University recruit) reminded me of RHP Ian Gardeck in 2009. Both are extremely strong and physical with arm strength. When Gardeck was at the Super 60, he was 91-93 mph, but location was somewhat of an issue. Gardeck, now at Alabama, has been up to 98 mph. Stroud is cut from the same jib. His fastball was hot and heavy, in the 89-91 range. With some mechanical fine-tuning, I’m betting he will throw significantly harder in the future.