Prep Baseball Report

Preseason I.D. - Peoria: Catcher Analysis


By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

Preseason I.D. - Peoria

The inaugural Preseason I.D. - Peoria, held at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex, took place on Saturday, January 27th. The event featured close to 90 prospects, mostly from the Central Illinois area. Today we begin the positional analysis from the event with a look at the catchers.

There were a handful of 2020 catcher’s to keep an eye on moving forward. Max Jones (Pekin), Connor Stephenson (Normal West), Ben Kouri (Peoria Notre Dame), Chase Mason (Washington) and Tyler Wessels (Elmwood) held their own.

Despite being in the middle of basketball season, Jones showed he could handle the bat and ran a 7.07 60. Despite being undersized Stephenson takes aggressive swings at the plate and has a high motor behind the plate. Kouri is a switch-hitter that can handle the bat from both sides of the plate. Mason was 78 mph from the crouch and Wessels has quick twitch and a fast left-handed bat.

2019 Jalen Ping has a loose right-handed swing and should impact a once again talented Chatham-Glenwood squad.

2021 Ben Hartl (Springfield) is a versatile prospect who looks to have a future behind the plate and on the infield. At the plate he has good feel for the barrel.

Below is a look at all of the catchers in attendance.

CATCHERS (Listed Alphabetically)

Mason Burns, RHP/C, Normal Community, 2020
6-foot-2, 165-pound, athletically built, two-way prospect with plenty of room for continued physical development. Highly projectable on the mound. Right-handed pitcher, pounded the zone with three pitches. Smooth, repeatable delivery, stays on-line, lands square and finishes athletically. Short, clean arm action, high ¾ slot and easy effort throughout. Fastball thrown for strikes, sat 78-80 mph early on and warmed up to 83-84 mph late in his bullpen. Curveball, feel, occasional depth, 11/5 shape. 67-68 mph. Changeup, thrown for strikes, 74-78 mph. At the plate, right-handed hitter, open setup, short stride. Bat stays flat through the zone at times, line-drive approach and ability to backspin the baseball occasionally. Defensively, behind the plate, tall setup, clean transfer and throws topped at 75 mph. Pop times ranged between 2.22-2.36. Ran a 7.82 60.

Daniel Frank, C, Eureka, 2019
6-foot-3, 160-pound, catcher, lean, projectable build. Tall setup, short stride and finishes on backside. 82 mph exit velocity from a tee. Defensively, short arm action, ¾ slot and throws topped at 71 mph from the crouch. Pop times ranged between 2.22-2.36. 7.70 runner in the 60.

Ben Hartl, C/INF, Springfield, 2021
5-foot-8, 145-pound, lean, athletically built, catcher/infielder. At the plate, right-handed hitter, open, wide setup, short stride, fluid rhythm and maintains balance through contact. Profiles as a top of the order type of hitter. Simple swing, loose hands, feel for the barrel and makes a lot of hard contact; 78 mph exit velocity from a tee. Defensively, showed well behind the plate and on the infield. Behind the plate, clean transfer, stays on-line, short arm action from a high ¾ slot. 72 mph from the crouch. Pop times ranged between 2.15-2.26. On the infield, athletic actions, sure hands, maintains body control on the move. Clean transfer, follows throws and topped at 77 mph. 7.90 runner in the 60.

Matthew Howard, C, Columbia, 2021
5-foot-11, 155-pound, right-handed hitting catcher. At the plate, balanced setup, long, leg-kick trigger. Uphill bat path and 77 mph exit velocity from a tee. Behind the plate, feet work on-line, short, firm arm action from an over-the-top slot. Arm topped at 73 mph. Pop times ranged between 2.35-2.50. 7.74 runner in the 60.

Max Jones, C/INF/RHP, Pekin, 2020
6-foot, 185-pound, strong, well-proportioned, multi-positional prospect. At the plate, right-handed hitter, balanced, athletic setup, smooth load, short stride, good balance and finishes on his backside. Aggressive swing, quick hands, present bat speed, lift in swing, gap-to-gap approach and consistently finds the barrel; 86 mph exit velocity from a tee. On the infield, active feet, some bounce, reliable hands and clocked at 80 mph across the diamond. Behind the plate, quick feet and transfer, short arm action, topped at 70 mph from the crouch. Pop times ranged between 2.17-2.25. On the mound, right-handed pitcher, smooth, repeatable delivery that works online and long arm action. Fastball works mostly straight sat 78-80 mph, touched 82. Mixed in a curveball and a slider. Curveball, tight spin, 12/6 shape, occasional depth, 63-64 mph. Slider, thrown aggressively, 10/4 sweeping action, 71 mph. Changeup maintains arm speed, sinking action at times, 69-71 mph.

Ben Kouri, C, Peoria Notre Dame, 2020
5-foot-11, 175-pound, switch-hitting catcher with an athletic, well-proportioned build. Handles the bat from both sides of the plate. Balanced, athletic setup, simple swing, controls barrel, loose quick hands and consistent hard contact. Short, uphill bat path and 82 mph exit velocity from a tee. Defensively, natural catcher actions, sure hands and clean exchange. Arm works firm and over-the-top, topping at 72 mph from the crouch. Pop times ranged from 2.25-2.33. 7.50 runner in the 60.

Chase Mason, C, Washington, 2020
5-foot-11, 160-pound, wiry, right-handed hitting catcher. Defensively, above-average arm strength from the crouch for his age; 78 mph. Quick arm action from a ¾ slot and throws carry. Pop times ranged from 2.03-2.13. Offensively, open, tall setup, long stride. Uphill bat path, gap-to-gap approach and 81 mph exit velocity from a tee. 7.41 runner in the 60.

Jalen Ping, C, Chatham-Glenwood, 2019
5-foot-11, 175-pound, athletically built, right-handed hitting catcher. At the plate, balanced, athletic setup, smooth load, leg-kick timing trigger and fluid rhythm throughout. Loose hands, feel for the barrel, gap-to-gap approach, lift in swing and consistent hard contact. 88 mph exit velocity from a tee. Defensively, quiet receiver, active blocker, short arm action, high ¾ slot, throws uphill at times, 75 mph from the crouch. Pop times ranged between 2.22-2.30. 7.53 runner in the 60.

Zachary Rocke-White, C, Richwoods, 2019
5-foot-10, 180-pound, catcher with a strong build, thick lower half. 7.25 runner in the 60, laser-timed. Right-handed hitter, balanced, slightly open setup, low hands and short stride. Flashed strength in bat at times; 84 mph exit velocity from a tee. Behind the plate, soft hands, clean transfer and natural catcher arm action; short and over-the-top. Throws topped at 76 mph and pop times ranged between 2.15-2.28.

Jack Schirpke, C, Normal Community, 2019
6-foot, 190-pound, left-handed hitting catcher. At the plate, closed setup, short stride and pre-pitch rhythm, in hands. Exit velocity clocked at 82 mph from a tee. Defensively, behind the plate, long arm action from a high 3/4 slot. Throws consistently around the second base bag, topped at 69 mph. Pop times ranged between 2.30-2.39. 7.99 runner in the 60. 

Nick Sharp, C, Bloomington, 2020
5-foot-10, 215-pound, right-handed hitting catcher/infielder. At the plate, open setup, short stride and lays off the barrel. Uphill bat path, flashed bat strength; 86 mph exit velocity. Behind the plate, clean transfer, short arm action, high ¾ slot, 78 mph from the crouch. 2.12-2.22 pop times. On the infield, throws flash carry, topped at 80 mph. 7.91 runner in the 60.   

Connor Stephenson, C/INF, Normal West, 2020
5-foot-5, 135-pound, right-handed hitting catcher/infielder. 7.06 runner in the 60, laser-timed. At the plate, balanced, open setup, pre-pitch rhythm and leg-lift timing trigger. Aggressive swing, creates bat speed, uphill bat path and 80 mph exit velocity from a tee. Defensively, natural catcher. Flexible, low setup, quick feet and clean transfer. Energy and bounce behind the plate, soft block. Short arm action, throws consistently around the bag, topped at 75 mph. Pop times ranged from 2.06-2.19. On the infield, throws topped at 79 mph.

Jared Sterzinger, C, Bureau Valley, 2020
5-foot-8, 165-pound, right-handed hitting, catcher. Tall setup, short stride, uphill bat path and 62 mph exit velocity from a tee. Behind the plate, throws from a high ¾ slot and topped at 61 mph. Pop times ranged between 2.50-2.62. 7.74 runner in the 60.

Tyler Wessels, C/RHP, Elmwood, 2020
6-foot, 170-pound, athletically built, two-way prospect. Left-handed bat is currently his calling card. Loose hands, quick twitch in swing with advanced bat speed for age. Line drive approach, uses the whole field and 84 mph exit velocity. Defensively, behind the plate, short arm action, high ¾ slot, 72 mph from the crouch. Pop times ranged between 2.12-2.31. 7.41 runner in the 60. On the mound, right-handed pitcher, slow, deliberate wind up, strides open with some effort throughout. Short arm action from the high ¾ window. Fastball sat 78-80 mph, touched 82. Curveball 11/5 shape, 68-69 mph. Changeup maintains arm speed, straight action, 70-72 mph.

Drew Woolley, C, Princeton, 2021
6-foot, 145-pound, high-waisted, athletically built, right-handed hitting catcher. At the plate, tall setup, short stride and some effort throughout. Long, level bat path, exit velocity clocked at 77 mph from a tee. Behind the plate, over-the-top arm action and throws topped at 66 mph from the crouch. Pop times ranged between 2.50-2.69.

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