Chicago Preseason I.D.: Statistical Analysis
March 3, 2021
On Feb. 28, the PBR Illinois team hosted the third annual Chicago Preseason I.D. at the Pullman Community Center in Chicago, Ill. The event featured nearly 50 players from high school graduates from classes 2022-2025 across the Chicagoland area, including a handful of prospects from across the Indiana state line.
On Tuesday, our staff collaborated to highlight the biggest takeaways and highlights from Sunday’s showcase, and we published them within our Quick Hits piece. Over the next couple of days we’ll be diving deeper into all of the data we collected rolling out even more coverage from the event, starting today with our traditional statistical analysis of Sunday’s event.
OF William Hill (Brooks, 2023) strung together the most impressive all-around statistical performance of the event, running the fastest 60-yard dash and uncorking the hardest throw home from the outfield, topping out at 94 mph – comfortably the highest velocity measured from the outfield by any player at a PBR Illinois event this winter. Hill also recorded one of the day's hardest exit velocities (94 mph), a couple ticks behind the day's leader, INF Ryan Kramer (Latin School of Chicago, 2022), who also managed to earn some attention for himself on Sunday.
Built at a strong 6-foot-1, 220-pounds, Kramer took an aggressive, loud round of batting practice, and his best batted ball registered an exit speed of 96 mph, an event high. He translated that physicality to defense where he paced the showcase in infield velocity at 86 mph, and he reached an 85 high from the mound later in the day.
RHP Waylon Deck (Homewood Flossmoor, 2022) came away from the event looking like one of its best arms. He added a couple ticks over the offseason, reaching an 87 mph high on Sunday, up from 85 back in August.
INF Richard Gomez (St. Laurence, 2023) has come a ways in between looks over a year apart. He repeated hard, barreled contact from the right side on Sunday to land a 94 mph high off the barrel – way up from a 79 mph best recorded in October of 2019. Gomez also averaged the second highest exit speed of the event (87.2 mph), per TrackMan.
3B Donyae Smith (Brooks, 2022) made a loud PBR event debut after reaching a max exit speed of 95 mph. He's a sturdy, strong 5-foot-8, 175-pound right-handed hitter to follow on an increasingly interesting Brooks roster.
Let's take a look at the top statistical performers from Sunday's event.