O'Hare Preseason ID: Top Overall Prospects

1. Jaiden Ponce OF / RHP / St Ignatius, IL / 2026  

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds. Athletic with strength throughout, proportionate and projectable.
Delivery: High leg lift with tuck and coil, clean mover down the mound.
Arm Action: RH. Long, loose arm action, 3/4 slot.
FB: T91, 84-91 mph. Mostly straight out of the hand, firm, carry through the zone. T2825, 2659 average rpm.
CB: 76-82 mph. High spin, developing feel, mostly straight. T2719, 2679 average rpm.
CH: 83-86 mph. Mostly straight, firm out of the hand. T1958, 1796 average rpm.

Positional Profile: OF
Hit: RHH. Stock setup, quiet load and stride. Controlled intent, works on the barrel to the pull-side, easy bat-speed with some length through the zone. 73.6 mph bat speed with 24g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 100 mph max exit velocity (93.1 avg.); 373-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 93 mph. Strong arm, long arm action, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Natural look, quick to the ball, played with body control, sure-handed.
Athletic Testing: 6.94 runner in the 60-yard dash; 19.40-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 82.27 Edge Score.

2. Carson Trivellini SS / 2B / Crystal Lake South , IL / 2027

Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 6-1, 170 pounds.
Hit: RHH. Tall slightly open setup, lower hands, short leg kick stride. Compact turn through the zone with a flat and direct path, balanced finish, works ball to pull side. 66.1 mph bat speed with 6g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 95 mph max exit velocity (88.6 avg.); 335-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. High 3/4 release, quick and natural, can play on the move.
Defense: Highly-athletic, some feel for the position, fluid footwork, plays low and through the ball, plays with some bounce, presents hands out front, quick glove-to-hand release, highly athletic double play turn.
Athletic Testing: 6.97 runner in the 60-yard dash; 24.40-inch max vertical jump.

3. Chase Nelson 2B / SS / Fremd, IL / 2026

Positional Profile: SS/OF
Body: 6-0, 170 pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, slight knee bend, short stride. Quick hands, slightly uphill path, ability to drive the ball in the air, swings with intent.  71.9 mph bat speed with 15g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 101 mph max exit velocity (94 avg.); 381-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 76 mph. High 3/4 slot, short arm action.
Defense: Athletic strides, fluid footwork, soft hands, quick gather.
Athletic Testing: 6.85 runner in the 60-yard dash; 26.10-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 66.1 Edge Score. 

4. Abraham Jose Caseres SS / Lyons Township, IL / 2027

Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-11, 180 pounds.
Hit: SH. Balanced setup, larger stride, small coil. R: Quick hands to ball, lead leg block, uses whole field. L: Quick hands to ball, looks to elevate to the pull side. 66.6 mph bat speed with 11g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 88 mph max exit velocity (81 avg.); 303-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 78 mph. Quick, high 3/4 release, can change slots and play from multiple angles, can play on the move.
Defense: Dynamic defender and natural on the infield, high-level actions, quick feet, innate ability to play on the move, high-level hands and glove-to-hand release, ultra-quick double play turn and feed.
Athletic Testing: 7.45 runner in the 60-yard dash; 19.80-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 32.67 Edge Score. 

5. Jacob Conover 3B / RHP / Wheaton Warrenville South, IL / 2026

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-1, 188 pounds.
Hit: LHH. Stands tall, slight bend in the knees, pre-pitch rhythm in the hands, long stride that gains ground. Weight stays back through impact with balance, quick hands, barrel stays in zone and he works to stay on top of the baseball, utilizes the whole field, effortless power, ball carries off bat with backspin. Put together one of the best all-around offensive performances from the event. 69 mph bat speed with 10g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 102 mph max exit velocity (93.6 avg.); 384-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. 3/4 release, shorter draw out of the glove.
Defense: Two hand gather, presents the glove out front, clean transfers, plays low, shuffle step to target.
Athletic Testing: 7.52 runner in the 60-yard dash; 19.30-inch max vertical jump.

6. Justice Hernandez RHP / OF / New Trier, IL / 2027

Positional Profile: RHP/OF
Body: 5-10, 155-pounds. Athletic with more strength to come.
Delivery: Drop and drive type delivery, some effort, high tucked leg lift, long stride out of stretch only delivery.
Arm Action: RH. Loose, high 3/4 slot, clean quick arm.
FB: T87, 86-87 mph. Heavy spin with some late rising action within the zone. T2288, 2190 average rpm.
SL: 73-76 mph. short tight shape. T2370, 2267 average rpm.
SPLT: 74-75 mph. Some sink, thrown aggressively.

7. Emerson Larson RHP / 1B / Carmel Catholic, IL / 2026

Positional Profile: RHP/1B
Body: 6-6, 235-pounds. Physical, work-horse frame.
Delivery: Stretch only delivery, tall and fall, low effort.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm action, high 3/4 slot, arm strength.
FB: T89, 88-89 mph. Arm-side action T1865, 1818 average rpm.
CB: 75-76 mph. Low spin, lower slot, backup action at times. T1780, 1722 average rpm.
CH: 79-81 mph. Slight fade action, some feel.  T1423, 1334 average rpm. 

8. Hunter Lockefeer C / OF / St. Viator, IL / 2028

Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 5-9, 150 pounds. Athletic frame with room to fill in the future.
Hit: LHH. Wider setup, loads onto back leg with quiet hands.  Smooth, compact, shorter path to the ball.  68.9 mph bat speed with 11g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 93 mph max exit velocity (84 avg.); 362-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 70 mph. OF - 82 mph. INF: Clean, quick arm action, 3/4 slot. C: Short compact arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.22-2.44 pop time range; INF: Athletic, quick mover, clean footwork, moves well to both sides. C: Athletic, quick out of crouch, clean release.
Athletic Testing: 7.30 runner in the 60-yard dash; 23.70-inch max vertical jump. 

9. Jack McDaniel C / 3B / Hinsdale South, IL / 2027

Positional Profile: C/3B
Body: 6-0, 173 pounds. Well-proportioned build.
Hit: LHH. Balanced, quiet setup, fluid pre-pitch load, quiet hands. Balanced, loose easy hands, stays on-plane, natural lift and gap to gap approach, flashed pull side power. 67.6 mph bat speed with 11g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 94 mph max exit velocity (87.8 avg.); 370-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 71 mph. INF - 73 mph. INF: Fluid, easy arm with the ability to throw from multiple platforms. C: Clean, short arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.12-2.19 pop time range; INF: Plays low to the ground, quality glove presentation, soft hands, smooth gather, clean transfer. C: One-knee setup, quiet receiver, works to present pitches in and around the zone. Clean and directional out of the crouch, smooth glove-to-hand release.
Athletic Testing: 7.60 runner in the 60-yard dash; 18.90-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 79.83 Edge Score.

10. Billy Main SS / 2B / Hinsdale Central, IL / 2026

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-11, 179-pounds. Athletic frame.
Delivery: Stretch only delivery, short leg kick into balance point, tall/fall lower-half, lands in-line to the plate.
Arm Action: RH. Short arm action, athletic with whip, arm speed out front.
FB: T90, 87-89 mph. Plays clean out of the hand with life through the zone. Firm. 4-seam characteristics. Strikes. T2319, 2238 average rpm.
SL: 71-75 mph. Flashed sharp spin, tight/late horizontal action at times, plays with depth across the zone, lands for strikes. T2127, 2073 average rpm.
CH: 77-80 mph. Maintains armspeed, plays with fade. Locates to both sides of the plate. T1974, 1869 average rpm.

Positional Profile: SS/2B
Hit: RHH. Wider base, quiet stride, easy weight transfer. Strong hands, direct path to ball, line drive approach, swings with controlled intent. Pull-side tendencies. 67.8 mph bat speed with 10g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 91 mph max exit velocity (82.6 avg.); 334-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 90 mph. Athletic arm action, clean, quick and strong across the diamond. Arm plays from multiple angles and well on the move. Accurate and flashed life.
Defense: Athletic defender, plays with pace, quick feet, gets around the baseball, clean exchange that plays quick and natural on the move.
Athletic Testing: 6.96 runner in the 60-yard dash; 23.10-inch max vertical jump.