Prep Baseball Report

PBR IL - Rock Valley Scout Day: Takeaways


By: Peter Hamot
Associate Scout

On Tuesday, October 12, the PBR Illinois staff traveled to Rockford, Illinois, to host the Rock Valley College Scout Day. There were 25+ prospects from the Golden Eagles’ roster that participated in a pro-style workout in front of our staff, all of which are still uncommitted.

Shortly after the event’s conclusion, our scouting staff collaborated to roll out several different content pieces from the day, including a Statistical Analysis, TrackMan Files, and Blast Motion Board.

Today, we’ll wrap up the post-event content coverage from this event with takeaways and standout performers that impressed our staff, below.

POSITION PLAYERS:

+ Evan Tocmo, OF/SS, Huntley (IL), 2020
Tocmo, one of the top returners for Rock Valley (22 doubles in 2021) took perhaps the most polished round of BP on the day. He showcased a smooth, repeatable swing with a level bat path to contact, peppering the entire field with a consistent line drive approach. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound outfielder also showed athleticism throughout the day, running a 6.93 laser-timed 60 and possessing fluid actions both in the outfield and on the infield. Tocmo’s arm also showed well during the event, reaching up to 86 mph from the outfield and 83 mph across the infield.

+ Payton Matthews, OF, Neuqua Valley (IL), 2021
One of the most impressive all-around showings from the event came from the highly-athletic, left/left prospect Neuqua Valley product. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Matthews started his day by cruising to an event best 6.46 laser-timed 60. His athleticism transferred to the outfield as well, showing fluid footwork with a strong arm, topping at 86 mph, with carry to home plate. Offensively, the left-handed hitter possesses a twitchy swing (T82.70 mph bat speed) with quick hands, and his bat works level through the zone with aggression. Matthews’ top exit velocity on the day was 93.78 mph while his max distance was 321 feet, per TrackMan.

+ Lucas Rick, 1B, Rockford (MI), 2021
The loudest round of BP on the day came from Rick’s bat. The strong right-handed hitter works from an open/upright setup, moving into a loose/easy swing that is direct and repeatable to the ball. He owns above-average feel for the barrel and made consistent hard, line-drive contact with occasional backspin to both gaps. Rick produced an event-best max exit velocity of 96.63 mph and also led the event in hard-hit percentage with 50%, as well as a 40% line-drive rate.

+ Ethan Glossa, C, Oak Park River Forest (IL), 2021
Glossa stands at 5-foot-11, 195-pounds with a strong, compact frame. The right-handed hitting catcher put on a show during BP with impressive bat-strength, leading to an event best max distance of 355’ and a max exit velocity of 92.85 mph. Glossa uses a long and level path to the ball with intent to lift and drive the baseball with authority. From behind the plate, Glossa possesses soft hands with a quick, clean transfer, producing a best pop-time of 2.01.

+ AJ Christoffer, OF, Barrington (IL), 2020
Christoffer had a strong showing during the event as an athletic outfielder while flashing some power in his swing. The 6-foot, 175-pound Christoffer started off his day by running to a 6.99 laser-timed 60. From an offensive standpoint, the right-handed hitter starts in a wide stance with a minimal stride and level path to the ball, featuring a repeatable swing that flashed strength to his pull-side. Christoffer produced a max exit velocity of 91.24 mph and a max distance of 340’ during the event.

+ UTL Matt Heinrich (T92.30 mph, 325’ max distance), C Matthew Cusumano (T91.33 mph, 344’ max distance) and OF Tyler Bayless (T90.28 mph, 316’ max distance) all had noteworthy Trackman numbers on the day as well.

PITCHERS

+ Steven Kleyheeg, RHP, Franklin (WI), 2020
6-foot-4, 180-pound, athletic, wide-shouldered, pitcher’s build. Kleyheeg showed well on the mound with a clean arm and repeatable mechanics. The right-hander’s fastball sat 87-88 mph (T2234 rpm) with life through the zone and the ability to locate for strikes. Klayheeg showed feel for two distinctly different breaking balls; an 11/5 curveball in the 68-71 mph range (T2232 rpm) and a 10/4 slider at 70-74 mph (T2382 rpm). The right-hander also showcased a fading changeup at 77-79 mph with feel for the zone to round out his four-pitch mix. With his repertoire, Kleyheeg projects to be an impactful starter for the Golden Eagles this spring.

+ Ryan Wilwers, RHP, Marengo (IL), 2019
After a strong showing at the Region IV Showcase just a few weeks ago, Wilwers showed well once again for our PBR Staff. Boasting a strong 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame, Wilwers is an impressive athlete who’s strength translates over to the mound. He repeats an athletic delivery, featuring a loose, clean arm. The right-hander’s fastball sat 84-87 mph with the ability to fill up the zone. Wilwers showed the ability to spin a tight slider with 10/4 action in the 75-76 mph range. He also displayed a 79-82 mph changeup kept down in the zone with arm-side fading action.

+ Drew Burkholder, RHP, Eastland HS (IL), 2021
Ranked No. 53 overall in the Illinois’ 2021 class. 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame. Burkholder’s fastball sat 85-86 mph (T2281 rpm) throughout the duration of his bullpen. The right-hander also showed feel for two different breaking balls; a curveball at 69-72 mph with 11/5 downer break and a sweeping slider at 72-75 mph. He also featured a changeup at 78-79 mph, kept down in the zone. With his four-pitch mix, Burkholder is another key piece nestled inside this Rock Valley rotation.

+ Michael Spano, RHP, Downers Grove South (IL), 2021
Spano put together a noteworthy bullpen which included some of the best spin rates in the entire event. The right-hander’s fastball sat 84-86 mph, T87 (T2412 rpm) throughout the duration of his bullpen with arm-side life through the zone. Spano also impressed with a sharp breaking ball in the 73-74 mph range (T2403 rpm). He rounded off his three-pitch mix with a changeup in the 77-80 mph range with the ability to land the pitch for strikes.

+ Kody Kleve, RHP, South Winneshiek (IA), 2020
Ranked No. 115 in the Iowa 2020 class. Kleve featured one of the best four-pitch mixes in the entire event. The right-hander’s fastball sat comfortably in the 85-86 mph range, topping at 87 with the ability to locate to both sides of the plate. Kleve impressed with a sharp 74-76 mph curveball (T2314 rpm) that he was able to fill up the zone with. He also showcased a sharp slider at 76-77 mph (T2331 rpm) with 10/4 action. The last pitch Kleve featured was a fading changeup at 81-82 mph. With his polished repertoire, Kleve is another impact starter type for Rock Valley.

+ Ryan Sell, LHP, Muskego (WI), 2021
6-foot-1, 175-pound, wide-shouldered, athletic left-hander. Big winner during the event after showcasing an easy fastball that plays clean out of the hand and touched 84 mph (T2225 rpm). He paired a fading changeup in the 77-79 mph range off of his fastball, starting them both on similar planes. The left-hander also featured a 69-71 mph slider (T2203 rpm) and a 66-67 mph curveball (T2197 rpm).

+ AJ Hamilton, RHP, Sussex Hamilton (WI), 2021
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander notched a noteworthy fastball velocity; touching 86 mph on his best bullet, sitting comfortably at 83-85 with occasional arm-side life. He also featured a 10/4 slider at 71-73 mph and an 11/5 curveball at 70-72 mph. 

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

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