Prep Baseball Report

Chicago Preseason I.D.: Quick Hits


By Drew Locascio and Adam Panayotovich
Illinois Scouting Staff

The inaugural Chicago Preseason ID took place on Saturday Feb. 23 at the Pullman Community Center in Chicago, IL. The event saw 80+ players from the greater Chicagoland area ranging from all HS classes, 19’ to 22’.

In the initial look at our post event coverage, there was plenty of intriguing up-and-coming talent. Below, we’ve provided a quick snapshot of the top players and storylines coming out of the Chicago ID. The promise that unraveled from all aspects of the event makes it easy to say that this will be a staple in the PBR showcase calendar moving forward. Check back tomorrow as we take another look at the showcase, this time from more of a statistical perspective.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more detailed analysis, paired with edited video from the day, in the coming weeks. For now, here is the rapid reactions from the Pullman Community Center.

 


QUICK HITS

2020 UNCOMMITTED RHP’s

Two of the top bullpens on the day came from a pair of 2020 RHPs, Thomas Schafer (Loyola) and Nick Gianikos (Notre Dame). Schafer, a thicker built prospect, has a quick, short, over the top arm action and sat his fastball in the mid to upper 80’s topping out at 87 mph. Schafer flashed feel for a three pitch mix in the zone with a tight spinning breaker and a firmer changeup. Gianikos is a 6-foot-3, lanky framed righty with a loose and live frame that has tons of upside. His fastball came out firm with run sitting 86-88 mph with signs of a deceptive changeup fading hard to his arm side.

INFIELDERS

A clear standout on the infield was switch-hitting middle infielder Kevin Coe Jr. (Whitney Young). The high-academic uncommitted junior has made some of the biggest strides of any position player in the 2020 class over the past year. Coe has added quality strength to his 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame and has improved in every statistical category on the day. Despite having a solid all-around day, his left-handed swing stood out the most, profiling as a top of the order hitter. Coe has a fast bat, stays flat through the zone and repeated hard, line-drive contact. Defensively he has natural infield actions with plenty of arm strength (85 mph) to stay on the left-side of the diamond.

Another infielder who continues to improve his stock is Donavan Noble (Brooks, 2020). Noble ran a 6.96 60, has a simple right-handed swing, looks to control the barrel and sprayed line-drives to all fields. On the infield, Noble has soft confident hands, a quick release and was 80 mph across the diamond.

Abel Yolich (DePaul College Prep) emerged at his first ever PBR event as a 2021 to follow moving forward. Yolich, takes an aggressive right-handed swing, stays level through the zone and made hard gap-to-gap contact. Defensively, he plays with bounce, showed athletic actions and soft hands.

A pair of 2020 infielders who should be able to stick on the dirt moving forward are Ryan Nevins (Loyola) and Adrien Dumas (Lyons Township). Nevins has a compact build, short, uphill swing and defensively profiles as a second baseman with steady actions and a clean release. 6-foot, 158-pound, Dumas plays well on the move with fluid footwork, soft hands and body control.

A trio of underclass infielders who warrant a follow thanks to their right-handed bats were 2021 Justin Janowski (Providence Catholic) 2022 Joshua Bell (St. Laurence) and 2022 Kyle Schupmann (Luther Prep, WI). Janowski has a 6-foot-1, 180-pound, athletic, strong build and flat bat with extension through contact. Bell has a strong 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame and a simple, short swing with present bat speed. Schupmann has a projectable 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame with loose levers and the ball jumps off his bat at times.

BROTHER RICE: 2022 HIGH-FOLLOWS

OF/INF Brandon Rogers (Brother Rice, 2022) is an athletic, multi-positional freshman to keep an eye on moving forward. Rogers has a defined 5-foot-10, 162-pound frame, ran a 7.19 60 and showed equally as well in the infield and outfield. At the plate, right-handed hitter has a compact, loose swing with natural lift and present bat speed.

Another 2022 from Brother Rice HS, RHP/OF Jack Lausch, emerged as high-upside, two-way follow. On the mound, Lausch has an athletic, lively arm with a fastball up to 85 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has a simple swing with twitchy-hands, bat speed and made a lot of hard contact. Lausch, a 7.07 runner in the 60, moves natural in the outfield, gains ground on his exchange and topped at 83 mph.

OUTFIELDERS

A pair of left-handed hitting 2020s with top of the order potential look to be Kendall Green (Champaign Centennial) and Anthony Fitzpatrick (St. Patrick). Green ran a 7.12 60, has a repeatable, level swing and made hard line-drive contact to all fields. Fitzpatrick a 7.10 runner in the 60 has a smooth, loose swing, flashed bat speed and made hard contact to the pull side.

Speaking of left-handed hitters, Max McCallum (Metea Valley) and Donovan McIntyre (Marian Catholic) are two 2021 left/left outfielders to follow moving forward. McCallum has a lean 5-foot-10, 150-pound frame, showed the ability to backspin the baseball at the plate and looks to control the barrel. McIntyre has a long, lean 6-foot, 155-pound with plenty of room to fill out his frame. McIntyre has a simple, projectable swing and natural outfield actions, a highly-accurate, true arm and topped at 81 mph.

Trey Roach (DeKalb) and Patrick Miller (Plainfield North) are a pair of 2020 outfielders who had solid overall showings. Roach, a left-handed hitter, swings with intent, works on top of the baseball and made a lot of hard contact to the middle of the field. Miller, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound, strong, athletic outfielder ran a 7.19 60, was 85 mph from the outfield and registered a 90 mph exit velocity. Miller has a strong, fast right-handed bat and has natural outfield actions.

CATCHERS

Unsigned Senior Jaime Sanchez, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound, durable catcher from Niles North, showed well on Saturday. Behind the plate, Sanchez is an active, fundamentally sound blocker, has quick release, was 78 mph from the crouch and had a low pop time of 1.97. At the plate, he has a physical right-handed swing, uphill path and registered an 89 mph exit velocity.

6-foot, 165-pound, Emmanuel Scott (St. Ignatius) is a long, projectable catcher with plenty of room for continued physical development. The fluid athlete is a sub-7.0 runner with loose, athletic actions and looks the part behind the plate. Scott takes an aggressive right-handed swing, has present bat speed and has potential to be a middle of the order type of bat. Continues to prove he is one of the top 2021 uncommitted catchers in the state.

Justin Cappis (Niles North) is a 2021 left-handed bat to follow. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound, has a loose swing and flashed easy juice to the pull-side of the field at times.  

 


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