Prep Baseball Report

ESP Scout Day: Takeaways


Illinois Scouting Staff

On Wednesday, September 4th, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff ran the ESP Scout Day at Romeoville High School in Romeoville, IL. This event was host to nearly 30 players, and gave our staff a good look at some of the top prospects in the ESP organization.

For a look at the statistical analysis from the day, click HERE

Today, we are highlighting some of the standouts from the day with scouting reports and videos, found below.

POSITON PLAYERS 

OF Thomas Anderson (Oswego East, 2025) took a loud round of BP in his workout, reaching up to 95.2 mph for his max EV, working on the barrel with intent to his pull-side. Fluid defender in the outfield, plays in-rhythm and has some feel for the position. 

INF Noah Hensley (Aurora Christian, 2026) stood out with a strong round of defense on the infield. Listed at a compact 5-foot-9, 145-pounds with an athletic build, Hensley is a natural, smooth defender on the dirt, boasting soft hands with confidence in his glove to both sides, funnels and plays with rhythm. 

TWO WAYS 

RHP/OF Nick Brennan (Oswego East, 2026) featured some of the highest upside at the event. Trim, athletic 6-foot, 152-pound build, still holds room for added strength. The right-handed hitter has an athletic, intentful swing with some jump off the barrel, working with a level path and pull/middle approach, easy and balanced operation. Reached as high as 91.7 mph for his max EV with a max distance of 350’. Steady defensive actions with a quality arm (T83 mph OF). On the mound, Brennan showed an easy tall/fall delivery with an over-the-top slot, creating some angle on his pitches through the zone. His fastball cruised around 80-81 mph, topping out at 82 mph with carry traits. Showed some feel for his curveball with over 2,300 rpm at times, downer action, 68-73 mph. Changeup played mostly straight at 73-75 mph. 

C/RHP Isaiah Wolter (Oswego East, 2028) gave a highly intriguing two-way look in his workout. The right-handed hitter creates bat-speed throughout his operation with a flat, intentful path through the baseball, stays compact throughout while working mostly up the middle and to his pull-side. Easy jump off the barrel with a max EV of 98 mph, averaging just under 90 mph with a max distance of 356’. Worker behind the plate, always looking to present pitches around the zone and body up the baseball, strong arm from the chute (T78 mph), creating a pop-time of 1.95 seconds. On the mound, Wolter has an extremely strong arm for his age, topping out at 87 mph with the fastball, cruising comfortably in the 82-85 mph range and gaining velocity as he went. Showed some feel for the changeup that played in the low-70s, flashed some feel for the pitch. Developing feel for the slider, flashed some depth at times, 65-69 mph. 

OF/RHP Nicholas Whitford (Romeoville, 2025) is a two-way prospect to note. Whitford was on plane, consistently on time and lifting balls into the gaps throughout his round of BP. His furthest batted ball traveled 315’ and he topped at 82 mph from the outfield. On the mound he showed an above-average, high-spinning curveball that averaged 2465 rpm, T2522. Fastball topped at 80.9 mph with a distinct four-pitch repertoire.

OF/LHP Primo Pasqualini (Oswego East, 2026) is a name that stood out from the day. The left-handed hitter has a simple operation with barrel control, working with a flat path and staying up the middle of the field. On the mound, the southpaw landed his fastball consistently for strikes in the mid-70s, T76.6 mph. Complimented the fastball with a curveball/changeup combination, both sitting in the upper-60s. 

PITCHERS 

LHP Noah Martinez (Minooka, 2025) is a 5-foot-10, 140-pound, left-handed pitcher who moved fluidly down the mound throughout his bullpen. The arm works loose out of a ¾ to high ¾ slot, he topped at 81.7 (T82.5 in the past) with sink. His splitter showed as his potential best secondary offering playing around 70 mph, landing in the zone 67% of the time with action to the pitch and swing and miss potential.

RHP Dylan Baker (Oswego East, 2025) stands in a 5-foot-11, 140-pound frame with all sorts of room to add on strength in the coming years. He’s a controlled mover with an easy operation, boasting feel for his three-pitch mix. The fastball played in the 78-80 mph range, setting up a short, downer slider with sharp bite at times and straight change, both playing in the low-70s. 

RHP Carter Davis (Oswego East, 2026) stands out immediately thanks to his highly projectable and high-waisted 6-foot-4, 166-pound frame. The right-hander worked his fastball up to 80 mph (T2316 rpm) in his ‘pen with a slider/curveball and changeup mix to pair. 

RHP Michael Holmes (Plainfield South, 2027) is an intriguing follow from the event. 5-foot-10, 132-pounds, lean and wiry with plenty of room to fill out. Loose mover with a lower, whippy release. Fastball sat in the 77-79 mph range, topping out at 79.6 mph with up to 15.4 inches of run. Curveball showed shorter 10/4 shape, played with depth at times, 68-72 mph. Changeup runs naturally to his arm-side, sells the pitch with arm-speed, 70-73 mph (T18.1” HM). 

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