Prep Baseball Report

Chicagoland Open: Quick Hits


By Illinois Scouting Staff

On Sunday, Aug. 21, the PBR Illinois team hosted the Chicagoland Open at the Triton College in River Grove, Ill. The open event featured close to 90 prospects from all high school classes (2023-2026), and gave our staff an ample look at a number of prospects to follow moving forward.

We will be rolling out follow up content over the coming days and weeks, but for now check out some of the early standouts from the event below.

POSITION GUYS

+ OF Timmy Leark (Oak Park-River Forest, 2025) was one of the top overall prospects in attendance, regardless of class. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound, left/left outfielder took a focused, polished round of BP that was on the barrel throughout while back spinning line-drives to all fields. The swing is highly-repeatable, stays flat and above the baseball, with above-average hand/eye; 90 mph max exit velocity. He played with a bounce in his step in the outfield, athletic actions and direct routes to the baseball. He plays through with strong, confident hands and quick exchange. His arm played strong, flashing carry at 85 mph. Name to know in the 2025 class.

+ Another  2025 who showed well was INF Peyton Panazzo (St. Rita). Panazzo swung the bat from both sides of the plate at a high level with all kinds of barrel feel while staying on plane and driving hard contact to both gaps. The 5-foot-8, 155-pound middle infielder then showcased natural infield actions, playing with body control and comfort on the move. His hands play soft with a clean glove to hand release. He is also able to deliver from multiple arm angles depending on the feel for the play; topping at 76 mph across. 

+ 1B Ryne Crum (Springfield, 2023) found himself towards the top of a number of offensive categories after a loud, impressive round of BP. Crum has strong, loose hands and creates big bat strength and bat speed while staying on the barrel throughout his round. The left-handed hitter  Crum, listed at 6-foot, 270-pounds, led the event in average bat speed at 75.3 mph and max exit velocity at 97.7 mph. He averaged 91.5 mph off the bat, max batted ball of 356’ and 90% hard-hit percentage. On top of that he showed nimble feet for his size at first base and a feel for the position. Potent left-handed bat with power in the 2023 class. 

+ C/INF Matthew Carrano (St. Laurence, 2024) is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound, right-handed hitter who creates leverage and lift to the pull-side of the diamond with some jump off the barrel. The swing has some length with strong, physical hands and some noteworthy measurables to-boot; 336’ max batted ball distance, T91.6 mph exit velocity and 70% sweet-spot percentage. Defensively showcased behind the plate and on the infield.  He has a fundamentally sound approach from both areas of the field, clean footwork and plays quick out of the crouch at times. Soft hands, repeatable mechanics and throws played true. 2.11 low pop time, 70 mph from the crouch and 76 across the infield. 

+ OF Carlito Collins (Notre Dame College Prep, 2023) took an aggressive, intentful round of BP with twitchy fast, strong hands and well above-average hand speed; 24.2 mph, second-best at the event. Collins topped at 92.3 mph off the bat and his furthest batted ball traveled 344’. Defensively, crisp, active footwork and gets behind the baseball and plays through with balance and rhythm. Topped at 79 mph and ran a 7.22 60 (has been 6.95 in the past). 

+ Another loud round of BP came off the right-handed bat of C Joey Russo (Mount Carmel, 2023). Russo, listed at 6-foot, 215-pound, has a strong, compact frame and his swing is very similar possessing all kinds of physicality in the box. Russo has a confident look in the box and looks to drive the baseball with authority on every swing while staying connected and repeatable and on the barrel for hard contact. Russo recorded a 94.6 max exit velocity off the bat with a max batted ball distance of 341’. Defensively, he was clean and easy out of the chute with an upright release and arm that topped at 72 mph with a 2.12 low pop time. Imposing right-handed bat in the 2023 class.   

+ 2024 OF Morgan Wachler (Palatine, 2024) earned a spot in the updated rankings after his performance at the event. Wachler has a 6-foot-1, 195-pound, strong, wide-shouldered frame, ran a 7.07 60 (has been 6.99 in the past) and has strength in his right-handed swing. Showed above-average bat speed, jump off the barre and strong hands. Wachler registered a max exit velocity of 95.8 mph and max batted ball distance of 338’. Defensively, he has confident athletic actions in the outfield and his arm played at 84 mph. 2024 outfielder to follow moving forward.

+ CIF Logan Tomlinson (Maine South, 2024) was another right-handed hitter that was worth noting from the day. Tomlinson has a relaxed, quiet look in the box with strong, athletic hands, fluid rhythm and feel for the barrel. Tomlinson stayed balanced and worked to both gaps consistently throughout his round. Defensively, he flashed soft hands and a clean glove-to-hand release.

+ OF/INF Alex Galindo (LaSalle-Peru, 2024) took a polished round of BP with a quiet, repeatable swing that played with loose, quick hands and a lot of hard contact back up the middle of the field. He also showed easy actions, playing light on his feet in the outfield. 7.32 runner in the 60.

+ Another 2024 worth noting was INF Evan Olesker (New Trier). Olesker has a lean, upside frame at 6-foot, 140-pounds and a projectable right-handed swing. The 7.39 runner has a loose, quick swing that stays on plane and made a lot of hard, on the barrel contact right back up the middle of the field.

+ A trio of right-handed hitters to know moving forward in the 2025 class were Russell Oros (Downers Grove North), Rhett Ozment (Crystal Lake Central) and Tayden Washington (Plainfield East). Oros showed advanced feel and polish in his round with well-above average bat speed. Ozment was on-plane with a lot of hard contact and Washington has a loose swing with extension through contact and a gap-to-gap approach. 

TWO-WAY PROSPECTS

+ One of the biggest winners from Sunday’s event was LHP/1B Chris Rogers (Grayslake Central, 2023). Standing at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, Rogers is lean and athletically built with room to add on more strength in the coming years. On the mound, he moves athletically throughout his delivery; working with a smooth tempo into a high athletic leg-lift, coiling slightly into his balance point before pushing off the mound with a drop/drive lower-half, remaining in-line to the plate throughout his stride. His arm works long out of the glove and plays quick to release from a high ¾ slot. His fastball showed above-average carry through the zone with a max IVB of 20, sitting comfortably in the 85-87 mph range throughout his ‘pen with his top being 87.5 mph (T2325 RPM). To pair off his fastball he went to a tight 1/7 breaking ball at 69-71 mph and a late fading changeup at 70-73 mph. Offensively, Rogers showed an intriguing right-handed bat with well above-average bat speed and bat strength as well. Rogers swings with controlled aggression and when the swing syncs up the ball jumps off the barrel with authority. Rogers had the furthest ball off the bat 366’ to go along with a max exit velocity of 96.4 mph. 

+ OF/LHP Hank Gomric (Althoff Catholic, 2024) is listed at 6-foot-4, 185-pounds with room to fill out in the coming years. Gomric showed well as a two-way player but it is his upside at the plate that is easy to dream on. The left/left prospect has an easy, loose swing with long-levers that work flat through the zone with a line-drive pull-side approach. Gomric was consistently on the barrel as well, leading the event with a 92.9 mph average exit velocity and his furthest batted ball traveled 357’. He also had the fourth-best average bat speed at the event at 76.3 mph. He is also a long, easy strider in the outfield who ran a 7.31 60 with a max run speed of 18.8 mph. As tall as he is, Gomric showed the ability to repeat his simple tall/fall delivery with a ¾ release. The southpaw worked his fastball up to 78 mph with slight sinking action to set up a tight 1/7 curveball at 67-69 mph and straight change at 69-72 mph.

+ Another left/left two-way prospect who popped up at the event was OF/LHP Owen Klosinski (Warren, 2025). Listed at 5-foot-10, 160-pounds with all sorts of room to add on strength in the coming years, Klosinski ran a 7.16 60 and took one of the better BP rounds on the day. He stays short and quick to the baseball and was all over the barrel in his round; 70% sweet-spot percentage and 60% line-drive percentage throughout his round. He also topped at 81 mph from the outfield with clean actions. On the mound he works with a simple operation on the mound, moving with a high leg-kick into balance point before going into a drop/drive lower-half, striding in-line with the plate and landing with a closed front foot. His arm shows looseness throughout its path, coming from a ¾ release. One of the more impressive aspects to Klosinski is his legitimate four-pitch mix, starting with his sinking fastball at 75-79 mph, T79.6 mph. To pair off his fastball he went to a sharp 1/7 curveball at 64-66 mph, a fading changeup at 70-71 mph and a cutter that plays with sharp horizontal 2/8 action, 67-71 mph. 

+ INF/RHP Ryan Rossi (Glenbrook North, 2024) stands at a projectable 6-foot-2, 180-pounds with room to fill out his wiry frame. The right/right two-way prospect has all kinds of upside at the plate. Rossi has a fluid, easy look in the box with loose hands, creating easy whip through the zone and stays flat. Rossi has the ability to backspin and elevate the baseball into both gaps with seemingly much more power to tap into down the road as he continues to add strength; T96.2 mph exit velocity and 342’ max batted ball. On the mound he moves with a controlled pace throughout his delivery, moving with a high leg-kick into balance point and striding in-line with the plate. His arm works with a long stab out of the glove, moving into a ¾ release. Rossi’s fastball sat in the 77-80 mph range, playing with running action to his arm-side. His breaking ball plays with short 11/5 shape, coming in at 68-70 mph. He showed both a changeup and a splitter throughout his ‘pen, with his changeup fading to his arm-side at 70-72 mph and splitter dropping vertically at 70-71 mph with killed spin.

+ INF/RHP Ryan Block (Glenbrook North, 2024) hopped on the bump and came away as one of the more impressive arms in attendance on Sunday. The right-hander ran his fastball up to 81.7 mph and also flipped in a sharp curveball 11/5 at 62-65 mph and changeup at 68-70 mph. His delivery is athletic, utilizing a drop/drive lower-half to create power, also remaining in-line with the plate throughout. He also took a notable round of BP, swinging with controlled aggression and intent from the right-side of the plate. He has athletic hands, creates bat speed and utilizes a gap-to-gap approach with 70% of his swings resulting in fly balls.

PITCHERS

+ One arm that showed off some high-level spin was RHP Nicholas Tinajero (Fenton, 2023). The 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander reached up to 2,721 RPM on his slider at 70-73 mph, pairing off his 83-84 mph fastball (T2346 RPM) with up to 18 inches of horizontal movement. He also showed the ability to spin his changeup at a high-level, reaching up to 2,514 RPM with heavy running action at 78-79 mph. His delivery is athletic and flexible, moving with a high leg-kick into balance point before transitioning into a drop/drive lower-half, creating above-average hip/shoulder separation at footstrike. With the high-level spin Tinajero possesses paired with his athleticism on the mound, it would be no surprise to see some velocity jumps in the coming years. 

+ RHP Mason Denlow (Evanston, 2023) came away a winner and name to know for college coaches. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound right-hander works with a controlled tempo on the mound, moving into a drop/drive lower-half that remains in-line with the plate, landing with a closed front foot. His arm works short out of the glove with a repeatable arm circle into a high ¾ slot, producing a fastball up to 85.5 mph with life through the zone and running action to the arm-side at times. His curveball plays with 11/5 shape, flashing sharp action at times at 69-73 mph (T2258 RPM). His final offering was a changeup that flashed heavy fading action, 73-74 mph. 

+ Another intriguing 2025 on the mound was RHP Michael Boenzi (Lake Zurich). The 6-foot, 170-pound rushing sophomore worked his fastball up to 80 mph, sitting in the 78-79 mph range. His curveball plays with sharp 11/5 action at 68-70 mph with an average RPM of 2,349 (T2416 RPM). His second breaking ball was a 10/4 slider at 69-71 mph with shorter shape than his curveball, kept mostly down in the zone. His final offering was a changeup at 71-73, playing with sinking action to the arm-side and maintaining arm-speed into release. 

+ An incoming freshman that popped in front of our scouting staff was RHP Joshua Kurcell (Judah Christian School, 2026). The 6-foot-1, 150-pound right-hander cruised in the 77-79 mph range with his fastball, playing with some life through the zone. He went to two different breaking balls throughout his ‘pen, the first being an 11/5 curveball at 63-65 mph, and the second being a 10/4 slider at 63-66 mph. His final offering was a changeup at 70-72 mph, fading late at times to the arm-side. 

+ RHP David Anderson (Homewood-Flossmoor, 2023) had a strong showing on Sunday, showing off above-average spin and a four-pitch mix. The right-hander’s fastball plays with slight sinking action through the zone and to his arm-side, sitting in the 81-84 mph range and topping out at 85 mph (T2334 RPM). He went to two different breaking balls throughout his ‘pen - the first being a sharp 11/5 curveball at 67-69 mph (T2308 RPM) and the second being a tight 10/4 slider that he was able to land for strikes consistently, 70-72 mph. He also went to a changeup at 76-78 mph, playing with heavy running action to his arm-side. 

+ One of the cleanest ‘pens of the day came from LHP Ryan Greifelt (Notre Dame, 2023). The fluid-moving southpaw works with a controlled tempo on the mound, moving with a drop/drive lower-half from balance point, striding slightly across-body at-times but creating a tough angle for would-be left-handed hitters. His arm works long out of the glove, coming out of a high ¾ release. Greifelt cruised with his fastball in the 81-82 mph range, topping out at 82.6 mph with sinking action to the arm-side. His curveball looked to be his best off-speed offering throughout, playing with tight/sharp 2/8 sweeping action and late bite (T2467 RPM), landing it for strikes routinely. To cap off his arsenal he went to a late fading changeup at 77-78 mph, kept mostly down in accordance to the zone. 

+ RHP Antonio Brown Jr. (Homewood-Flossmoor, 2026) had maybe the most eye-opening ‘pen of the day, reaching up to 81.3 mph with much more in the tank. The 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander can easily add velocity with a couple easy mechanical tweaks and engaging his lower-half more in his delivery. His pure arm-strength makes him a big winner on the mound nonetheless. 

+ RHP Ethan Kelby (Lemont, 2026) is an intriguing arm that popped up on Sunday. Standing 5-foot-11, 140-pounds, the right-hander has room to fill out as he continues to develop in the coming years. On the mound, Kelby moves with a controlled tempo throughout his operation while utilizing a short/repeatable arm circle into a ¾ slot. The incoming freshman ran his fastball up to 78 mph with slight running action to the arm-side. He displayed two off-speed offerings; the first being a tight 11/5 curveball at 72-73 mph, and the second being a short 10/4 slider at 66-68 mph. His final offering was a changeup at 68-70 mph, fading heavily at times to his arm-side. 

+ RHP Conor Mulcrone (Lyons Township, 2023) catches your attention before he even steps on the mound. Standing 6-foot-4, 195-pounds, Mulcrone still looks to have room to add on strength to his large frame. On the mound, he moves with a simple/repeatable operation, moving with a tall/fall lower-half and striding in-line with the plate. His fastball enters the zone with some tilt thanks to his high release, sitting in the 79-81 mph range (T2335 RPM). To pair off his fastball, Mulcrone went to an 11/5 curveball at 64-66, a short 10/4 slider at 72-73 mph and a running changeup at 76-78 mph.

CLICK HERE for a look at the event in its entirety.

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