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Chicagoland Open: Quick Hits

August 29, 2023
Illinois Scout Staff

On Sunday, August 27th the PBR Illinois team hosted the Chicagoland Open at Triton College in River Grove, IL. This open event was for all high school classes (2024-27), and gave our staff a chance to get a look at 40+ uncommitted prospects before the summer ends..

To see a list of those that attended, click here. For all of the statistics from this event, click here. 

Today, after compiling our notes and digesting the day as a whole, we’ve put together these ‘Quick Hits’ to shine some light on some of the day’s top performers. Below you’ll learn more about a few names-to-know from last week's trip to Triton College.

QUICK HITS

+ C Dylan Kassab (Hinsdale Central, 2026) is coming off a strong summer and he showed no slowing down at the Chicagoland Open. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound, physical right-handed hitter swings with controlled intent and well above-average bat speed for his age; averaged 80.9 mph, T84.1 mph bat speed according to Blast. Kassab stayed on the barrel with authority for much of his round with a highly-impressive 93.7 mph average exit velocity, 100% hard hit percentage and also launched his furthest batted ball 350’. The 7.08 runner (led the event) also got behind the plate and was on the bag out of the crouch at 71 mph and a low pop time of 2.11. Right-handed bat to follow closely in the 2026 class. 

+ 3B/OF Justin Garcia Hernandez (St. Patrick, 2025) is an incoming junior who stands at a physical 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame with strength throughout. Garcia-Hernandez displayed big bat strength throughout his round of BP resulting in one of the louder, more impressive rounds of the day. The right-handed hitter pairs a high leg kick with an aggressive approach to generate well above-average bat speed and a relatively flat path that generates leverage and back spin carry to the pull-side. Garcia Hernandez was at the top of multiple categories including peak exit velocity (103 mph) and peak distance (379 ft.). He also had the second-highest average exit velocity at 92.6 mph. In our second look at him this summer, Garcia Hernandez has shown big power in the bat that warrants a follow moving forward. 

+ OF Tommy Pruyn (Lake Park, 2025) is a 6-foot, 162-pound, long-limbed, athletically-built, right-handed hitter who made his PBR debut at the event. Pruyn has a polished, relaxed look in the box, easy, controlled swing and was consistently on time. Pruyn routinely drove baseballs into the pull-side gap with lift while registering an 82 mph average exit velocity. 

+ LHP Carsen Dekeyrel (Rockridge, 2026) made his PBR event debut at our last summer event on Sunday. The 6-foot, 135-pound prospect is a highly projectable arm with athleticism in his wiry build. Metrically his numbers didn’t jump off the charts, but the way his operation worked on the mound was intriguing. The southpaw is simple, yet athletic down the mound with little perceived effort. Dekeyrel’s fastball worked 76-79 mph with mostly straight actions. Both offspeed offerings are still being developed, but his changeup looks to be his best present offspeed. Sitting in the low-70s, the pitch had some fading actions to the armside. Dekeyrel’s wiry build and athletic actions show signs of a potential increase in velocity as he continues to physically mature.

+ 3B/RHP Jacob Armstrong (Timothy Christian, 2024) is a rising senior that gave an intriguing two-way look on Sunday. Armstrong stands at a long-levered 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame with plenty of room for added strength. Defensively, he stood out as one of the top infield defenders of the event. Armstrong moves with clean, smooth footwork, easy on the move, athletic actions and sure hands while topping at 81 mph. At the plate, he stays on-plane and flat through the zone from the right-side of the plate while creating occasional back spin off the bat while registering a peak exit velocity of 91 mph. On the mound, Armstrong operated from an athletic delivery and paired it with a loose arm action. His fastball sat primarily in the low-80s, T84 mph with an average of 18.6’’ of horizontal movement (2nd best in event). Armstrong also spun a quality slider which had 2500 RPMs with late bite. Two-way unsigned senior to know.

+ OF Kyle Boma (St. Patrick, 2024) is an athletic, left/left outfielder who stood out during his outfield defense portion of the event. The 7.12 runner plays with all kinds of pace and intent in the outfield, moving with a quality quick first step, aggressively attacking the baseball and playing through with quality actions while topping at 79 mph. Offensively, he lets the ball travel, stays inside the baseball and has a line-drive, opposite field approach.

+ C/OF Owen Chael (York) and INF Ben Geary (St. Laurence) are two 2025 right-handed bats to know from the event. Chael has a 6-foot, 180-pound, strong frame, ran a 7.31 60, stayed on-plane and was on the barrel driving line-drives to both gaps. Geary has a 6-foot-1, 165-pound, long-limbed, upside frame and loose, athletic swing that works with fluidity throughout and ran a 7.19 60. Geary stayed inside the baseball and drove balls to the big part of the diamond. Geary was consistently on the barrel with an 83.3 mph average exit velocity and registered a 63.6% line-drive percentage during BP. 

+ Aidan Calvey (Minooka) is a 2024 infielder who had a strong all-around showing at the event. Calvey has a 6-foot, 185-pound frame with strength throughout and a quiet, simple, right-handed swing that was consistently on time and on the barrel. 

+ RHP Jackson Beiler (Mount Zion, 2025) gave a high-upside look during his showing on the mound Sunday. The long-levered right-hander stands at 6-foot-3, 175-pounds with plenty of room for added strength. Beiler displayed a clean operation on the mound, working from a methodical delivery with a loose, fluid arm action. The fastball worked in the low-80’s, T83 mph with considerable carry through the zone (21’’ of IVB). Beiler also flashed feel for a sharp 11/5 curveball, as well as a short-moving cutter. An ultra-projectable frame paired with clean movement on the mound makes Beiler an arm to watch going forward. 

+ RHP/OF Antonio Brown Jr. (Homewood-Flossmoor, 2026) continues to impress with his raw arm-strength each time he steps in front of our scouting staff. Listed at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, Brown has made noticeable progress to his frame with a now leaner and stronger build. On the mound, the right-hander worked his fastball up to 85 mph while sitting right at 84 mph throughout his ‘pen with arm-side run. He showed some feel for his changeup, thrown with arm-speed and heavy fading action at 72-74 mph, kept mostly down. He also went to a curveball and slider combination, both playing in the 68-70 mph range with developing spin.

+ OF Carson Maltby (South Anchorage, 2024, AK) and INF Chase Mascelli (South Anchorage, 2025 AK) were two left-handed hitters who traveled to the event from Alaska that are worth a mention. Both have simple, repeatable left-handed swings with polished, middle of the field approach. Mascelli also showed fundamentally sound actions and sure hands on the infield.

CLICK HERE for a look at the entire roster and stats from the event. 

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