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PBR ProCase - Midwest: Preview

July 2, 2021
Diego Solares
Staff Writer, Associate Scout

On Tuesday, July 6, multiple Prep Baseball Report scouting staffs will collaborate to host the PBR ProCase - Midwest event at Triton College in River Grove, IL. This annual invite-only event serves as a kick off to identifying the top prospects in the 2022 draft class along with select 2021 prospects. With the MLB draft moving back into July, this will be one of the first events of the summer that will turn pro scouts' attention directly toward the 2022 class.

For a look at all the information from this event, including a more detailed look at our TrackMan and Blast Motion partners, click here. To view the event roster, click here.

We first started hosting this event back in 2015 and have since seen several high-end draft prospects come through the years. RHP Alec Marsh (Kansas City Royals, 2019; 70th overall), RHP Jackson Rutledge (Washington Nationals, 2019; 17th overall), LHP Antoine Kelly (Milwaukee Brewers, 2019; 65th overall), OF Alek Thomas (Arizona Diamondbacks, 2018; 63rd overall), and 1B Alex Binelas (Oak Creek, 2018; Louisville). For a complete look at previous event rosters, click here.

coming this tuesday...

For some time now, OF Alex Stanwich (Lincoln-Way East, 2022; Tennessee) has held the top spot in the Illinois’ 2022 rankings. Built at a muscular and physical, 6-foot-2, 195-pounds, Stanwich has one of the louder tool-sets in the country; he’s a 6.58 runner, has topped at 95 mph from the outfield, and his batted-ball data is some of the best in the Midwest, per TrackMan.

Both OF Brendan Summerhill (Whitney Young, 2022; Kentucky) and INF Estevan Moreno (Montini Catholic, 2022; Notre Dame) are two more high-level bats set to attend Tuesday’s event. Summerhill has one of the higher upside frames in the class, standing at an extremely projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pounds with a smooth left-handed stroke that creates natural loft through contact. The physicality within Moreno’s 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame is rather noteworthy, especially when he steps into the batter’s box. He’s a true middle-of-the-order type thumper with advanced raw power for his age and he’s always shown capable of translating it to games in our looks.

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Brendan Summerhill (3/20/21)

We’ll see a trio of highly-touted pitching prospects from the Prairie State on Tuesday: RHP Owen Murphy (Riverside-Brookfield, 2022; Notre Dame), RHP Ethan Patera (Downers Grove South, 2022; Louisville), and RHP Ashton Izzi (Oswego East, 2022; Wichita State).

Murphy is coming off an extremely successful spring season with Riverside-Brookfield that ultimately resulted in a PBR Illinois Player of the Year award. He’s extremely athletic on the mound, pumping a low-90s fastball with above-average spin characteristics into the zone. His curveball is a quality complimentary to that heater, showing sharp actions and feel for strikes in the past at a 2,450+ RPM average

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Owen Murphy (3/20/21)

Both Patera and Izzi have arrows next to their names, too. Committed to Louisville, Patera boasts a traditional starter’s frame; 6-foot-4, 230-pounds with broad shoulders and a thick lower half. He looked much improved from a mechanical standpoint this spring, controlling a 90-94 mph fastball that touched 95 mph once in our looks. He has a true swing-and-miss slider in his arsenal that plays at 79-82 mph with conviction, showing late action off a 10/4 plane. As for Izzi, the wiry 6-foot-3, 175-pound right-hander showed some impressive velocity this spring. He attended our Joliet Preseason I.D., where he bumped his fastball up to 94 mph, sitting at 92-93 mph throughout his pen, and showed a much improved slider that he landed for strikes.

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Ethan Patera (3/20/21)

The lone 2023 in attendance is amongst the top players in the state’s incoming junior class: C Ryan Bakes (Huntley; South Carolina). Bakes is coming off a strong spring for the Red Raiders as a key piece to their offense in his first year at the varsity level. He’s a strong 5-foot-10, 185-pound athlete with a fairly physical skill-set; 6.70 runner, 84 mph high from the chute, and regular exit speeds in the 90+ mph range.

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Ryan Bakes (3/27/21)

Wisconsin will be well-represented on Tuesday, particularly on the mound. We’ll see some of the top arms that the state’s 2022 class has to offer, in RHP Theo Zeidler (Bay Port; Bradley), LHP Michael Mulhollon (Westosha Central; Wichita State), and RHP Caden Capomaccio (Notre Dame Academy; Minnesota).

Zeidler’s been trending up since the winter when he topped at 91 mph at our Fox Cities Preseason I.D., settling in at 89-90 mph and spinning several breaking balls at 2,300+ RPM, too. There’s plenty of projection to dream on with Zeidler given his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame, athleticism, and the ease at which he works on the mound.

The upside attached to the 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame of Mulhollon is what makes the Falcons’ southpaw so enticing. He’s fairly athletic on the mound with a mid-to-high-80s fastball that’s topped at 89 mph in the past. As for Capomaccio, the Tritons’ ace may arguably be the biggest winner in the state over the past six months, resulting in his eventual commitment to Minnesota. He started to harness his high-octane arsenal, locating a low-90s fastball in the zone and developed his slider into a true swing-and-miss pitch at a 2,400+ RPM average.


STILL UNCOMMITTED

There will be a handful of players still on the market representing multiple states that are set to attend Tuesday’s event. MIF Gable Mitchell (Iowa City, 2022) leads that group, as last year’s PBR Midwest Future Games MVP has continued to trend up since that performance. Mitchell is a scrappy, top-of-the-order type switch-hitter with a quality glove at both up-the-middle positions.

RHP Alex Alberico (Providence Catholic, 2022) is one of the top uncommitted names in the Illinois’ 2022 class. An athletic right-hander, Alberico has been up to 91 mph with his fastball in the past, working mostly in the 87-90 mph range. Left-handed hitting INF Brady Small (Lemont, 2022) is coming off a strong weekend at the Illinois State Games and remains one of the top uncommitted incoming senior offensive threats in the state.

EVENT INFO

CHECK-IN TIMES

+ Position Players: 9:30 - 9:45 a.m.

+ Pitcher Onlys: 11:00 a.m.

+ Simulated game play will begin at 12:00 p.m.

CHECK-IN PROCESS

In an effort to continue and develop a simplified, contactless check-in process, upon arrival, players will scan a QR Code with their smart phone camera that will lead them to a Google Form. On that Form, players will enter their name (matching the spelling on their PBR profile) and hit submit. Upon submission, players will be prompted to click a link that will direct them to their jersey color and number, located next to their registered name. From there, players will be instructed to the area where they’ll pick up their designated jersey color and number.

MORE EVENT DETAILS

Click here to learn more about our tech partners that have enhanced our players showcase experience. Partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, Driveline, and Vizual Edge will enhance the players’ data collection both in-event and post-event. These technologies will assist our evaluation process, while providing players with insight on their own skills in addition to areas of improvement for the betterment of their abilities.

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