Class of 2025 Showcase: Pitching Data Dive
October 17, 2023
On Sunday, October 8th, the PBR Illinois staff traveled to The MAX in McCook, Ill., to host the Class of 2025 Showcase. This annual event is for players who just started their junior years, in this case the state’s 2025 class, and hosted more than 40 players from across the state.
For a closer look at the showcase details and the technologies we'll have on-site to assist our in-person evaluation for all in attendance, click here. For a complete look at those registered to attend this event, view the most up-to-date version of the roster by clicking here.
Monday, 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. Now, we will take a further in-depth look at the top pitchers with the help of our tech partnerships, broken down by the categories down below:
TRACKMAN
FASTBALL
VELOCITY (MAX)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Velocity (max) |
1 | Will Burke | IL | Plainfield North | 2025 | RHP | 85.4 mph |
2 | Patrick Kennedy | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | RHP | 84.0 mph |
3 | Ryan Frano | IL | Glenbard East High School | 2025 | LHP | 83.7 mph |
4 | Evion Rodriguez | IL | Morgan Park | 2025 | 3B | 81.8 mph |
5 | Braylon McNair | IL | Lindblom Math & Science | 2025 | 1B | 81.6 mph |
Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.
SPIN RATE (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | 2223 rpm |
2 | Joseph DalPonte | IL | Lockport | 2025 | SS | 2207 rpm |
3 | Braylon McNair | IL | Lindblom Math & Science | 2025 | 1B | 2131 rpm |
4 | Nick Francis-Miller | IL | Metamora | 2025 | OF | 2087 rpm |
5 | Ryan Frano | IL | Glenbard East High School | 2025 | LHP | 2036 rpm |
Spin Rate: This metric calculates the rate of spin on the baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Historical data shows that high-spin fastballs lessen the impact of gravity, allowing for more ‘rise’ (or less fall, in other words) as it carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate the pitch has greater horizontal action, often making it tougher to square up, but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls, while high-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Braylon McNair | IL | Lindblom Math & Science | 2025 | 1B | 21.7 in |
2 | Nick Francis-Miller | IL | Metamora | 2025 | OF | 19.3 in |
3 | Nicholas Zoberis | IL | Benet Academy | 2025 | RHP | 18.4 in |
4 | Luke Krumwiede | IL | Paxton-Buckley-Loda | 2025 | 1B | 17.7 in |
5 | Joseph DalPonte | IL | Lockport | 2025 | SS | 17.4 in |
6 | Patrick Kennedy | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | RHP | 17.3 in |
7 | Oliver Brandow | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | SS | 17.1 in |
8 | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | 16.2 in |
9 | Ryan Frano | IL | Glenbard East High School | 2025 | LHP | 15.6 in |
10 | Wyatt Pierson | IL | Delavan | 2025 | RHP | 15.1 in |
Induced Vertical Break: Used in short form as "IVB," this metric is most important on fastballs for creating rise and on curveballs for creating depth – it can also have some use when measuring sliders and cutters as well. Sliders tend to be closer to zero inches while cutters are generally between 5 and 15 inches. Usually fastballs and curveballs with large IVB have higher spin efficiencies as well. Sliders generally have very little (closer to zero) IVB and very low spin efficiency. You could also categorize IVB into spin rate as this is part of the “useful movement” you’re looking for. IVB is also a huge part of the vertical approach angle.
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Bernabe Astorga III | IL | Morgan Park | 2025 | SS | 15.4 |
2 | Roan Orlanes | IL | Naperville Central | 2025 | SS | 15.0 |
3 | Evion Rodriguez | IL | Morgan Park | 2025 | 3B | 14.0 |
4 | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | 13.3 |
5 | Jackson Newton | IL | Dunlap | 2025 | OF | -13.0 |
6 | Nick Francis-Miller | IL | Metamora | 2025 | OF | 12.8 |
7 | Sean Campbell | IL | Riverside-Brookfield | 2025 | SS | 12.1 |
8 | Oliver Brandow | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | SS | 11.8 |
9 | Nicholas Zoberis | IL | Benet Academy | 2025 | RHP | 11.7 |
10 | Luke Krumwiede | IL | Paxton-Buckley-Loda | 2025 | 1B | 11.3 |
Horizontal Break: Outlined on TrackMan’s own website: “... horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release. A positive number means the break was to the right from the pitcher’s perspective, while a negative number means the break was to the left from the pitcher’s perspective.”
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Patrick Kennedy | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | RHP | 100 % |
2 | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | 80 % |
^ | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | 80 % |
3 | Wyatt Pierson | IL | Delavan | 2025 | RHP | 60 % |
Average MLB pitchers throw 62% strikes, and better pitchers throw strikes 65% of the time, or roughly 2:1 strikes to balls.
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CURVEBALL
SPIN RATE (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Joseph DalPonte | IL | Lockport | 2025 | SS | 2256 rpm |
2 | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | 2255 rpm |
3 | Braylon McNair | IL | Lindblom Math & Science | 2025 | 1B | 2249 rpm |
4 | Will Burke | IL | Plainfield North | 2025 | RHP | 2218 rpm |
5 | Ryan Frano | IL | Glenbard East High School | 2025 | LHP | 2136 rpm |
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | -13.7 in |
2 | Braylon McNair | IL | Lindblom Math & Science | 2025 | 1B | -13.0 in |
3 | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | -11.7 in |
4 | Oliver Brandow | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | SS | -9.8 in |
5 | Jackson Newton | IL | Dunlap | 2025 | OF | -9.6 in |
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Joseph DalPonte | IL | Lockport | 2025 | SS | -13.5 |
2 | Will Burke | IL | Plainfield North | 2025 | RHP | -12.3 |
3 | Wyatt Pierson | IL | Delavan | 2025 | RHP | -11.1 |
4 | Oliver Brandow | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | SS | -9.6 |
5 | Ryan Frano | IL | Glenbard East High School | 2025 | LHP | 9.3 |
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Ryan Frano | IL | Glenbard East High School | 2025 | LHP | 75 % |
^ | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | 75 % |
2 | Will Burke | IL | Plainfield North | 2025 | RHP | 60 % |
3 | Sean Campbell | IL | Riverside-Brookfield | 2025 | SS | 50 % |
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SLIDER
SPIN RATE (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | 2367 |
2 | Joseph DalPonte | IL | Lockport | 2025 | SS | 2309 |
3 | Will Burke | IL | Plainfield North | 2025 | RHP | 2253 |
4 | Jackson Newton | IL | Dunlap | 2025 | OF | 2250 |
5 | Evion Rodriguez | IL | Morgan Park | 2025 | 3B | 2122 |
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | -6.7 in |
2 | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | -5.1 in |
3 | Nick Francis-Miller | IL | Metamora | 2025 | OF | 4.6 in |
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | -18.9 |
2 | Ryan Frano | IL | Glenbard East High School | 2025 | LHP | 14.3 |
3 | Joseph DalPonte | IL | Lockport | 2025 | SS | -11.7 |
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Roan Orlanes | IL | Naperville Central | 2025 | SS | 100 % |
2 | Will Burke | IL | Plainfield North | 2025 | RHP | 80 % |
3 | Max Russ | IL | Immaculate Conception Catholic | 2025 | OF | 50 % |
^ | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | 50 % |
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CHANGEUP
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Roan Orlanes | IL | Naperville Central | 2025 | SS | 15.7 |
2 | Patrick Kennedy | IL | Champaign Central | 2025 | RHP | 15.4 |
3 | Wyatt Pierson | IL | Delavan | 2025 | RHP | 15.2 |
4 | Nick Reno | IL | Lemont | 2025 | RHP | 15.2 |
5 | Sean Campbell | IL | Riverside-Brookfield | 2025 | SS | 12.1 |
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Score (max) |
1 | Mercer Krantz | IL | Lyons Township | 2025 | RHP | 30 |
2 | Joseph DalPonte | IL | Lockport | 2025 | SS | 29 |
+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.
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