Battle For The Arch: Event Analysis

Brayden Biggs C / Belleville West, IL / 2023

Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-0, 150-pounds. Wiry, high-waisted frame.
Hit: R. Starts with a wide/crouched base, toe-taps into a short/gliding stride. Loose/whippy swing through the zone, short bat path, slightly uphill with intent to drive the ball to all fields, ability to turn on the inside fastball.
Power: 86.9 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. C - 77 mph. Short, over the top arm action, delivered strong/accurate strikes to second.
Defense: 1.95-2.04 pop times. Soft, receptive hands, works to frame pitches around the zone, moves athletically from the crouch to block balls in the dirt.
Run: 7.32 runner in the 60.

William Millard C / O'Fallon, IL / 2023

Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 180-pounds. Athletic frame.
Hit: R. Starts with a slightly open setup, gliding front leg into a long stride, creates hand separation during stride.  Short/quick path to the ball, swing works uphill with a pull-side approach.
Power: 89.7 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. C - 77 mph. Short/clean arm action, H3/4 slot.
Defense: 1.90-2.02 pop times. Sure-handed, works to present pitches low in the zone, active blocker that deadens the ball in front.
Run: 7.27 runner in the 60.

Brian Twomey C / Riverside Brookfield, IL / 2022; LEWIS COMMIT

Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-2, 210-pounds. Strong, durable frame.
Hit: R. Starts with a wide base, slightly crouched, quiet toe-tap into a short stride. Loose arms with intent to do damage in the swing, quick bat with a level path to the ball, registered a max EV of 94.9 mph.
Power: 94.9 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. C - 77 mph. Short, over the top arm slot.
Defense: 1.82-1.95 pop times. Receptive hands with a quick transfer out of the glove, recorded a top pop-time of 1.82, active blocker.

QUICK HITS NOTE: Twomey’s arm played true, with carry and he led all Illinois’ catchers with a low pop time of 1.82.

Gannon Burns SS / RHP / Edwardsville, IL / 2022

Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-10, 155-pounds. Wiry, athletic frame.
Hit: R. Athletic setup, slightly crouched, quiet toe-tap into a short stride.  Simple swing, repeatable to the ball with a level path, produces consistent line-drives to the whole field.
Power: 86.3 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. INF - 74 mph. Short, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Active pre-pitch movements, athletic footwork with some bounce to his step, soft hands with clean exchanges.
Run: 6.99 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-10, 155-pounds. Wiry, athletic frame.
Delivery: Tall and fall down the mound with a short stride, stays in-line, shoulders work slightly downhill.
Arm Action: R. Short out of the glove, 3/4 slot.
FB: T80.5, 79.5-80.2 mph. Generally straight, plays at the bottom of the zone.
SL: 68.2-71.7 mph. Sharp 11/5 action, showed impressive feel and the ability to locate in the zone as well as off the plate.
CH: 74-75 mph. Thrown with near identical fastball arm-speed, slight fading action at times with some feel for the zone.

Owen Cornett 1B / Du Quoin , IL / 2023

Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 44351, 220-pounds. Strong, durable frame.
Hit: L. Starts slightly open with weight shifted more on the back foot, short stride.  Loose arms through the zone, strong hands with a quick/uphill path, intent to lift the baseball, led the event with a max distance of 378'.
Power: 97.7 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. INF - 80 mph. Short, 3/4 arm slot, clean actions out of the glove to release.
Defense: Steady hands with a clean transfer, moves around the base with confidence.
Run: 7.59 runner in the 60. 

QUICK HITS NOTE: Another left-handed hitter who stood out at his first-ever PBR event was 1B Owen Cornett (DuQuoin, 2023). Cornett has a prototypical 6-foot-4, 220-pound, middle-of-the-order, first baseman's type frame. He also showed a fluid, strong swing built for elevating the baseball to the pull-side of the diamond with authority. Cornett registered a max exit velocity of 98 mph and with a max distance of 379’, leaving the yard on a number of occasions during BP. Left-handed power bat to follow moving forward.

Cole Funkhouser SS / 2B / Edwardsville , IL / 2023

Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-8, 142-pounds. Athletic frame.
Hit: R. Open setup, quiet pre-pitch movements, leg-lift timing trigger, hangs foot. Showcased impressive bat-speed through the zone, direct path to the ball with a slightly uphill path, 327' max distance during BP.
Power: 89.3 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. INF - 75 mph. Short arm out of the glove with a 3/4 slot, clean actions.
Defense: Moves extremely well side-to-side with easy range up the middle, soft/confident hands with a clean transfer, plays well on the move and maintains body control.
Run: 6.93 runner in the 60. Athletic runner. 

QUICK HITS NOTE: MIF Cole Funkhouser (Edwardsville, 2023) was yet another first-time PBR participant who left a lasting impression. Funkhouser showed a fluid, loose swing with a feel to hit during BP; routinely lining balls to all fields while staying within himself. He then showed off some of the better infield actions during the workout portion which carried over to game play. Funkhouser looked comfortable on the move, ranging with ease and showing body control on a ball up the middle that he spun and fired an accurate throw to first. Funkhouser has an innate feel for the game, confident/sure hands and high-baseball IQ. Upside middle infielder who seems to just be scratching the surface of his potential. Also, ran a 6.93 laser-timed 60.

Riley Iffrig 1B / OF Edwardsville, IL / 2023; Indiana State commit

Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 6-3, 184-pounds. Athletic build with evenly distributed strength throughout.
Hit: L. Starts in a relaxed setup, creates separation during load, leg-kick timing trigger, hangs foot into a short stride.  Quick barrel to the ball with an uphill path, drops back shoulder to help initiate lift, loose arms throughout the swing with consistent hard contact, produced a max EV of 95.6 mph with a max distance of 342'.
Power: 95.6 max exit velocity,
Run: 7.52 runner in the 60.

Kayden Jennings INF / Edwardsville , IL / 2023

Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-10, 175-pounds. Strong, athletic build.
Hit: R. Starts in a narrow/open setup, leg-lifts into a long stride. Repeatable swing with a level path to the ball, line-drive approach, showed the ability to maintain balance throughout contact.
Power: 89.8 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. INF - 75 mph. Short, 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Athletic defender with fluid footwork through the ball, soft/confident hands with a clean transfer, showed easy range up the middle with body control.
Run: 6.84 runner in the 60. Athletic runner.

Eli Kieser SS / RHP / Normal University, IL / 2023

Positional Profile: SS
Body: 44349, 165-pounds. Long-limbed, high-waisted frame.
Hit: R. Starts with a wide base, short stride, quiet pre-pitch movements. Athletic swing with repeatable actions, level path to the ball, loose arms with fluid rhythm, line-drive approach.
Power: 89.9 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. INF - 79 mph. Short, 3/4 slot, loose arm.
Defense: Sure-handed with a clean transfer, plays through the ball, showed athleticism and range to both sides of his glove.
Run: 7.18 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 44349, 165-pounds. Long-limbed, high-waisted frame.
Delivery: Drop and drive lower-half with a slow leg-drop into stride, strides in-line and lands square.
Arm Action: R. Short 3/4 slot, clean arm path.
FB: T83.4, 81.0-82.9 mph. Rides out of the hand through the zone with arm-side life.
CB: 63.0-69.6 mph. Gradual 11/5 shape, occasionally got around it.

Tony Konopiots 3B / SS / Downers Grove North, IL / 2023; West Virginia commit

Positional Profile: SS/3B
Body: 6-1, 185-pounds. Athletic build with evenly distributed strength.
Hit: R. Starts with a wide base, minimal leg-lift/stride, simple pre-pitch movements.  Quick/twitchy bat, level path through the zone with a line-drive approach, maintains balance after contact, fluid rhythm with a confident approach in the box.
Power: 94.4 max exit velocity,
Arm: R. INF - 81 mph. Short, 3/4 slot, clean/quick arm.
Defense: Fluid footwork with some pre-pitch movement, confident infield actions, soft hands with clean transfers, moves well to both sides of his glove.
Run: 7.29 runner in the 60.

QUICK HITS NOTE: One of the more intriguing prospects during the workout portion of the event was INF Tony Konopiots (Downers Grove North, 2023). Konopiots has a 6-foot-1, 185-pound, wide-shouldered, athletic frame that continues to get better on every look. Konopiots took a polished round of BP, showing off advanced ease and balance at the plate while repeating his swing at a high-level. Konopiots peppered both gaps throughout his rounds of BP with a max exit velocity of 94 mph. The swing is currently built to work gap-to-gap with plenty of power to tap into moving forward. Defensively, he is a smooth, actiony defender with the ability to play all over the infield. High-follow 2023 prospect.