On Feb. 25, the PBR Illinois staff hosted the Preseason All-State: Upperclass showcase at The MAX in McCook, Ill., featuring many of the state’s top players inside the 2024 class. This event helped our staff gain a clearer picture of the on-the-rise prospects in Illinois, and we’ll begin to break down the event thoroughly today and throughout the week. Inside today’s Quick Hits post, we’re highlighting the best of the best – the talent that exited the event with arrows pointed way up headed into the spring.

Last week, we took a closer look at some of the immediate standouts who caught our attention with our Quick Hits. Yesterday, we published our statistical analysis, where we broke down the stat leaders from the more traditional categories. Today, we will take a further in-depth look at the top positional players with the help of our tech partnerships, broken down by the categories down below: 

SYNCRO ATHLETIC TESTING

60-YARD DASH

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	60-yard
1	Jalen House	IL	Downers Grove South	2024	OF	6.76
2	Drew Phillips	IL	John Hersey	2024	OF	6.82
3	Brady Gilroy	IL	Burlington Central	2024	OF	6.83
4	Cooper Malamazian	IL	Nazareth Academy	2024	SS	6.85
5	Khamaree Thomas	IL	Kenwood	2024	OF	6.89
6	Jake Parpet	IL	Conant	2024	C	6.91
^	Michael Kuska	IL	Pontiac	2024	OF	6.91
7	Cael Karczewski	IL	Joliet West	2024	SS	6.92
^	Joe Dolenga	IL	Stevenson	2024	SS	6.92
8	Will Potter	IL	Downers Grove South	2024	SS	6.95
9	Blake Crancer	IL	Normal West	2024	SS	6.97
^	Charlie Vercruysse	IL	Normal University	2024	SS	6.97
10	Alex Schimmel	IL	Moline	2024	SS	6.98
^	Jackson Smith	IL	Providence Catholic	2024	SS	6.98

10-YARD SPLIT

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	10-yd
1	Jimmy Janicki	IL	Downers Grove North	2024	C	1.64 s
2	Camden Raddatz	IL	Effingham	2024	3B	1.65 s
3	Cooper Malamazian	IL	Nazareth Academy	2024	SS	1.67 s
^	Jameson Martin	IL	St. Laurence	2024	SS	1.67 s
4	Jalen House	IL	Downers Grove South	2024	OF	1.68 s
^	Cael Karczewski	IL	Joliet West	2024	SS	1.68 s
^	Khamaree Thomas	IL	Kenwood	2024	OF	1.68 s
^	Jackson Smith	IL	Providence Catholic	2024	SS	1.68 s
5	Will Potter	IL	Downers Grove South	2024	SS	1.69 s

PEAK VERTICAL JUMP

Traditionally, the 60-yard dash has been the in-event standard to help measure a player's speed tool. While the measurement still has its utility, the 10-yard split has started to become more and more applicable in determining the player's burst and reaction time in-game, whether that's in the outfield or on the basepaths.

The ability to develop force quickly is a requisite ability in most sports. The reactive strength index (RSI) has been developed as a measure of explosive strength and is derived by evaluating jump height divided by ground contact time during the depth jump. Regarding vertical jumps and its application to baseball, there have been studies conducted that show a correlation between max jump height for an athlete and their ability to generate power and strength, especially on the mound.

 

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TRACKMAN

EXIT VELOCITY (MAX)

EXIT VELOCITY (AVG.)

Exit Velocity: This metric measures the speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.

BATTED BALL DISTANCE (MAX)

SWEET SPOT%

Sweet Spot percentage: This metric is determined by how often the player produces a batted ball during the session with a launch angle between 8 to 32 degrees.

 

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BLAST MOTION

HAND SPEED (AVG.)

Hand Speed: The observed speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.

BAT SPEED (AVG.)

Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.

ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION (AVG.)

Body Rotation: A swing that has the appropriate relative contributions of body and bat rotations is an efficient and Powerful swing that maintains proper sequencing. An efficient baseball swing is one in which the body creates the initial movements, which is then transferred to the arms and out to the bat, thereby maximizing Bat Speed through this proximal-to-distal kinematic sequencing movement pattern.

 

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VIZUAL EDGE

EDGE SCORE

The Edge Score is a comprehensive score out of 100 that takes the core-six visual skills into account, providing athletes, parents, coaches and scouts with a benchmark number for assessing an athlete’s overall visual ability. In general the higher the Edge Score, the higher chance of athletic success. Think of the Edge Score as the 'Sixth Metric' in the standard Five-Tools that make up a ball player.

The average Edge Score for the 2020 MLB Draft Class was 79.3 (of hitters who completed a Vizual Edge test). MLB players we've worked with typically show stronger scores, with elite hitters scoring consistently above 87.0 on their Edge Score.

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.

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