Blake Wolters (Mahomet-Seymour HS, IL, 2023; Arizona commit) was selected with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. PBR Illinois’ Player of the Year took some tremendous steps forward in his development of the last couple of years, which were especially evident in the data we captured first-hand at our showcases and the in-game look we saw at PBR Tournaments and during our spring season coverage. 

Wolters had long demonstrated premium arm talent, but he’d really started to show that he was beginning to harness it in the summer between his junior and senior years of high school.

 From there, the Central Illinois athlete exploded. A diligent offseason helped earn him a late invitation to the prestigious PBR Super 60 where he went on to become an instant MLB Draft follow after reaching 97.7 mph on the first pitch of his ‘pen. Six months prior, Wolters lived in the low-90s mostly, reaching 94 mph at the Midwest ProCase in June of 2022. That’s a substantial four-tick jump for a player who was already capable of sitting in the low-90s.