Jake
Bartels

5/5/14 - Unsigned Senior, ranked No. 127 in the state. 6-foot-4, 210-pound right handed pitcher, long lean frame, excellent body with projection. Delivery worked exclusively from the stretch, toe hang leg lift, repeats well and maintains balance. Arm action is loose, ¾ slot, long action. Fastball has arm side run, pitched at 84-85 mph all game, maintained velocity for seven innings, touched 86 mph in the first, showed the ability to control the baseball. Breaking ball has slurve action, ranged from 71-74 mph, showed feel with the ability to expand the zone. Changeup has arm side action, occasional sink, 73-74 mph. Competed well, showed the ability to control the pace of the game, high level athlete as well, fields his position well with quick feet.

4/22/13 Highly athletic build, wide shoulders, thin waist, long legs, projectable frame, 6-foot-5, 210-pounds. Arm works from a ¾ arm slot, clean loose arm action, shows length in front. Fastball sits 82-84 mph, touched 85 mph. Showed sink when down in the zone, lacked command at the bottom of the zone, pitched mostly at the top of the zone. Breaking ball shows sweeping action, shows advanced control, throws it early in counts with control, expands zone with it late, 70-73 mph. Also flashed changeup 75-77 mph. Bartels’ ¾ arm action gives sink to his fastball when down in the zone, shows the ability to get a high percentage of ground ball outs. Athletic pitcher, body shows projection and is highly athletic.

Bartels is a physically impressive 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-handed pitcher who will help anchor Team Illinois’ dominant pitching rotation at the Prep Baseball Report Midwest Future Games on August 4-5 at the University of Illinois.

As a sophomore, he helped Nazareth Academy HS to a third-place finish in Class 3A. Bartels, who cuts an imposing presence on the mound, is a strike thrower who has feel for three pitches, including an 83-86 mph fastball. Playing against top-level competition, he finished with a 7-2 record and a 2.01 ERA. He worked 59.1 innings, recording 51 strikeouts.