Prep Baseball Report

Underclass Games: Quick Hits


By Illinois & Wisconsin Scouting Staff

Prep Baseball Report hosted the sixth annual Underclass Games, exclusive to invited class of 2021 prospects, from the state of Illinois and Wisconsin. The event, which took place on Monday, July 23rd was held at Curtis Granderson Stadium at the University of Illinois-Chicago. This year's event featured over 50 rising sophomores. Illinois and Wisconsin had their fair share of standouts from the day.

Today we take an early look at a few of the standout performances from the day:

QUICK HITS

 

TWO-WAY STANDOUTS

+ Athletically-built two-way prospect Nicholas Demarco (St. Charles North, IL) showed off all the tools, posting some of the best numbers and excelling in gameplay. With a loose arm action Demarco was 83 mph across the infield before stepping on the mound and topping out at 86. At the plate, Demarco put up an 89 mph exit velocity with a quick twitch swing.

+ LHP/1B/OF Adam Dowler (Oswego East, WI) impressed with his overall strength. With a power approach at the plate, Dowler made hard contact with an 85 mph exit velocity from the left-side. On the mound, Dowler pounded the zone with his fastball, running it up to 83 and complimenting it with a 1/7 curveball.

+ RHP/INF Owen Washburn (Webster, WI) brings a slightly different profile than his older brother Jack. Owen is a smaller framed left-handed hitting two-way player that can get it done on the infield as well as on the mound. At 5-foot-10, 150-pounds he’s athletic on the infield and will likely stick at one of the middle infield spots with an arm that flashed carry, at 77 mph across the infield, and enough for the left side. He brings that arm strength to the mound as well where he sat 80-82, touching 83, with an above average breaking ball as well.

ATHLETIC INFIELDERS

+ Another Wisconsin 2021 product with an older brother and last name you will recognize is Noah Miller (Ozaukee, WI). Noah, a younger brother to Owen (Ozaukee, 2015), a third-round draft pick this past June, shows a similar knack and feel for the game. He’s a heady middle infielder who can swing it from both sides of the plate equally well with a spray type approach.

+ Sun Prairie HS’s 2021 infield crop looks to be in good shape. Liam Moreno may have been one of the best right-handed bats of the day. Moreno shows tremendous feel for the barrel in BP and carried it into game play. He’s defensive profile may still be a question mark on the infield but his bat will carry him as an everyday player into any lineup. Moreno posted one of the top exit velocities of the day at 92 mph. Likely to play alongside Moreno on the dirt in the Cardinals’ future is Carson Shepard. Shepard’s bat may not be as far along as Moreno, but he competed for hard hit balls in game and his best tool comes from his glove. Shepard is a natural in the middle of the dirt showing excellent hands, a quick release and athletic body control when on the move.

+ Dylan Scafuri (Romeoville, IL), a 6-foot-3, 205-pound, corner infielder, continues to impress with his left-handed bat. Scafuri has loose hands, controls the barrel and flashes pull-side power at times.

CATCHERS

+ C Joey Spence (West Bend East, WI) featured a short, compact swing from the left-side with pop to all fields, posting an 88 mph exit velocity. Spence translated his strength into game, hitting a double in his second at-bat.

+ C Camden Janik (Wauconda, IL) put up some of the top pop times of the day with his 2.08 effort, thanks in part to his arm strength, 79 mph of the crouch. The 5-foot, 185-pound athletic catcher also made consistent hard contact offensively during BP.  

+ C Mason Roehr (Granite City, IL) made his impact on the offensive-side. With explosive bat speed and a gap-to-gap approach, Reohr recorded one of the top exit velocities at 94 mph, showing it in BP as the ball jumped off his bat.  

PHYSICAL RIGHT-HANDED ARMS

+ One of the most impressive performances of the day resided from the small 1A school of Toledo-Cumberland HS in RHP Brennyn Cutts. The physical 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-handed pitcher featured a quick, loose arm action out of a ¾ window. With a mid-80s fastball and an advanced CB/SL combo, Cutts competed with a presence on the mound and clearly commanded his innings on the bump.

+ Similar in stature to one another, RHPs Ben Hess (Charleston, IL), Kyle Walter (Minooka, IL), and Mason Ruh (Wisconsin Lutheran, WI) all ran their fastball’s up to at least 84 mph (Ruh up to 85 and Walter up to 86). Standing no-less than 6-foot-3 and weighing 200-pounds, this trio of pitchers are already projectable and intriguing prospects.

OUTFIELDERS

+ OF Q Phillips (Marquette, WI) projects as a top of the lineup centerfielder. A switch hitter, he proved to be a tough at bat from both sides of the plate, but most notably a plus potential defender in center. Phillips showed natural actions and made it look easy, putting his head down to put away a fly ball in deep center in game. Putting his speed to numbers, Phillips ran a 4.29 down the line.

+ OF Cameron Hill (Kenwood, IL) comes in at 6-foot-2, 172-pounds, with a lanky projectable frame. The highly-projectable Hill took multiple competitive in-game at-bats and flashed some bat strength in BP. Defensively, he had one of the top outfield arms of the day at 84 mph.

+ OF Tanner Marsh (Mondovi, WI) may have been the biggest revelation of the day. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound L/L outfielder from Division 3 Mondovi, just south of Eau Claire, is a natural athlete who looks as comfortable as it gets on a baseball diamond. Marsh showed a clear desire to play the game fast and loose with a ton of confidence. His bat stood out in BP and in game play with an RBI triple. Defensively he showed loose and easy actions and is an above average runner that may play in centerfield at the next level.

+ Julian Jimenez (Romeoville, IL) was another under the radar outfielder that has raised his stock. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound outfielder has a long rangy frame that should project well and fill out. His hands are loose from the left side of the dish, and takes a short path to the baseball with ability to hit to all fields and showed fell for his barrel. Defensively he likely projects at a corner, but a well above average corner as he plays through the baseball and showed above average arm at his age.

+ Stay tuned for a look at the Statistical Analysis coming soon.

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the full roster from the event.

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