Prep Baseball Report

PA Preseason ID: Last Chance: Positional Data Dive


Nick DiBenedetto
Northeast Content

On February 28th, the Prep Baseball Pennsylvania staff hosted the 2026 PA Preseason ID: Last Chance at Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. Over 85 players participated in a pro-style workout, gathering unrivaled access to data through our state-of-the-art tech partners, as well as in-depth scouting analysis from our Prep Baseball Pennsylvania staff.

Today, we will take a further in-depth look at the top positional players with the help of our tech partnerships, broken down by the categories down below:


VALD

60-YARD

Rank Name State School Class Pos 60-yd
1 Ryan Marmolejos PA Wilson HS 2027 SS 6.87 s
2 Kellen Veilleux PA Port Allegany 2027 2B 6.97 s
3 Ethan Strawn PA Nazareth Area 2028 OF 7.00 s
4 Fletcher Thompson PA Williams Valley 2028 C 7.04 s
5 Cole Buckley PA Marple Newtown SHS 2028 SS 7.06 s
6 Kaden Cortez PA LA Salle College High School 2027 SS 7.11 s
^ Vincent Boland PA Hollidaysburg Area 2027 RHP 7.11 s
7 Salinger Kehs-Rossi PA Schuylkill Valley HS 2027 SS 7.12 s
^ William Rittenhouse PA North Penn 2027 OF 7.12 s
8 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 7.17 s
9 Daxton Kreiger PA Bellefonte Area 2027 OF 7.24 s
^ Connor Guenot PA Philipsburg-Osceola Area 2027 2B 7.24 s
10 Pierce Nealy PA Great Valley 2027 OF 7.28 s


TRACKMAN

We'll continue to roll out the data we gathered from this event, starting with the analytics we have at our disposal from our TrackMan units. Below we'll look at which players had noteworthy batted ball and pitch data.

EXIT VELOCITY (MAX)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (max)
1 Markus Jones PA Salisbury 2027 3B 105.5 mph
2 Cam Rakaczewski PA Greencastle-Antrim 2028 SS 105.2 mph
3 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 101.9 mph
4 Cooper Williams PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 LHP 101.0 mph
5 Matt Zisa NJ West Morris Central 2027 C 100.4 mph
6 Salinger Kehs-Rossi PA Schuylkill Valley HS 2027 SS 100.1 mph
7 Kayden Witter PA Pope John Paul II 2027 C 99.9 mph
8 John Burke PA Great Valley 2027 C 99.3 mph
9 Ben Gracie-Griffin PA State College Area 2028 RHP 99.2 mph
10 Kaden Cortez PA LA Salle College High School 2027 SS 99.2 mph
11 Joel Weaver PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 RHP 98.6 mph
12 Ryan Marmolejos PA Wilson HS 2027 SS 98.1 mph
13 William Rittenhouse PA North Penn 2027 OF 96.4 mph
14 Ryan St. Julien PA Girard 2027 1B 96.3 mph
15 Cameron Lorei PA Cumberland Valley 2027 SS 96.0 mph
16 Wyatt Lanyon PA Harbor Creek 2029 3B 95.5 mph
17 Daxton Kreiger PA Bellefonte Area 2027 OF 95.3 mph
18 Will Mackiewicz PA Downingtown West 2028 1B 95.3 mph
19 Braden Hatch PA Hollidaysburg 2028 C 95.0 mph
20 Brett Pollock PA Souderton Area 2027 C 95.0 mph

EXIT VELOCITY (AVERAGE)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (avg)
1 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 98.2 mph
2 Markus Jones PA Salisbury 2027 3B 97.6 mph
3 Cam Rakaczewski PA Greencastle-Antrim 2028 SS 96.6 mph
4 Kayden Witter PA Pope John Paul II 2027 C 93.5 mph
5 Cooper Williams PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 LHP 92.9 mph
6 William Rittenhouse PA North Penn 2027 OF 91.8 mph
7 Salinger Kehs-Rossi PA Schuylkill Valley HS 2027 SS 91.8 mph
8 Parker VonGunden PA Bellefonte Area 2027 3B 91.5 mph
9 Will Mackiewicz PA Downingtown West 2028 1B 90.5 mph
10 Joel Weaver PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 RHP 90.1 mph
11 Kaden Cortez PA LA Salle College High School 2027 SS 89.9 mph
12 Ben Gracie-Griffin PA State College Area 2028 RHP 89.8 mph
13 Ryan St. Julien PA Girard 2027 1B 89.6 mph
14 Cameron Lorei PA Cumberland Valley 2027 SS 88.4 mph
15 Nicholas Rinaldi NY St Peters Boys High School 2027 SS 87.8 mph
16 Dominic Marranca PA Holy Redeemer 2028 SS 87.6 mph
17 Jackson Taylor PA Avon Grove Cs 2028 1B 87.2 mph
18 Matt Zisa NJ West Morris Central 2027 C 87.1 mph
19 Wyatt Lanyon PA Harbor Creek 2029 3B 86.9 mph
20 Gaston Watkins PA Bedford SHS 2027 OF 86.9 mph

Exit Velocity: This metric measures the speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.

Batted Ball (MAX)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Distance (max)
1 Kaden Cortez PA LA Salle College High School 2027 SS 379 ft
2 Markus Jones PA Salisbury 2027 3B 373 ft
3 Dominic Marranca PA Holy Redeemer 2028 SS 359 ft
4 Kayden Witter PA Pope John Paul II 2027 C 356 ft
5 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 352 ft
6 Will Mackiewicz PA Downingtown West 2028 1B 350 ft
7 William Rittenhouse PA North Penn 2027 OF 348 ft
8 Brody Knight PA Bishop Shanahan 2027 1B 346 ft
9 Cooper Williams PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 LHP 346 ft
10 Salinger Kehs-Rossi PA Schuylkill Valley HS 2027 SS 346 ft
11 Wyatt Lanyon PA Harbor Creek 2029 3B 345 ft
12 Jackson Wierzbicki PA Bishop McDevitt 2028 OF 338 ft
13 Robert Reed PA Crestwood 2027 3B 337 ft
14 Ethan Strawn PA Nazareth Area 2028 OF 337 ft
15 Cam Rakaczewski PA Greencastle-Antrim 2028 SS 330 ft

Sweet Spot %

Rank Name State School Class Pos Sweet Spot %
1 Seamus Gray PA salesianum 2028 C 90 %
2 Jaxon Ream PA Central Dauphin 2028 SS 81 %
^ Jackson Taylor PA Avon Grove Cs 2028 1B 81 %
3 Robert Reed PA Crestwood 2027 3B 75 %
4 Giovanni Patrisso PA Honesdale 2029 C 72 %
5 Gage Boland PA Hollidaysburg Area 2029 C 66 %
^ Cam Rakaczewski PA Greencastle-Antrim 2028 SS 66 %
^ Braden Hatch PA Hollidaysburg 2028 C 66 %
^ Cooper Williams PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 LHP 66 %
6 Noah Elder PA Red Land 2028 C 63 %
^ Salinger Kehs-Rossi PA Schuylkill Valley HS 2027 SS 63 %
^ Chase Sabol PA Central Bucks-West 2027 OF 63 %
^ Daxton Kreiger PA Bellefonte Area 2027 OF 63 %
^ Kayden Witter PA Pope John Paul II 2027 C 63 %
7 Pierce Nealy PA Great Valley 2027 OF 62 %
8 Kaden Cortez PA LA Salle College High School 2027 SS 61 %
^ Ethan Strawn PA Nazareth Area 2028 OF 61 %

Sweet Spot percentage: This metric is determined by how often the player produces a batted ball during the session with a launch angle between 8 to 32 degrees.


BLAST

With the help of our Blast Motion sensors, we're analyzing the swing metrics measured at this open showcase.

HAND SPEED (AVERAGE)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Hand Speed (avg)
1 Joel Weaver PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 RHP 24.0 mph
2 Gaston Watkins PA Bedford SHS 2027 OF 23.9 mph
3 Markus Jones PA Salisbury 2027 3B 23.2 mph
4 Cam Rakaczewski PA Greencastle-Antrim 2028 SS 23.2 mph
5 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 22.6 mph
6 Kayden Witter PA Pope John Paul II 2027 C 21.9 mph
7 Cooper Williams PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 LHP 21.7 mph
8 Will Mackiewicz PA Downingtown West 2028 1B 21.7 mph
9 Connor Guenot PA Philipsburg-Osceola Area 2027 2B 21.6 mph
10 TJ Bolivar PA Westtown 2027 1B 21.3 mph
11 Gage Boland PA Hollidaysburg Area 2029 C 21.3 mph
12 Ryan St. Julien PA Girard 2027 1B 21.2 mph
13 Crosby Williams PA State College Area 2028 RHP 21.2 mph
14 Breckin Boland PA Hollidaysburg Area 2027 C 21.0 mph
15 Brendan Phelan PA Commonwealth Charter Academy CS 2027 C 20.9 mph

Hand Speed: The observed speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.

BAT SPEED (AVERAGE)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Bat Speed (avg)
1 Markus Jones PA Salisbury 2027 3B 75.5 mph
2 Matt Zisa NJ West Morris Central 2027 C 73.4 mph
3 Cam Rakaczewski PA Greencastle-Antrim 2028 SS 73.0 mph
4 Cameron Lorei PA Cumberland Valley 2027 SS 72.5 mph
5 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 72.3 mph
6 Kayden Witter PA Pope John Paul II 2027 C 71.8 mph
7 Ryan St. Julien PA Girard 2027 1B 71.3 mph
8 Kaden Cortez PA LA Salle College High School 2027 SS 70.3 mph
9 Cole Buckley PA Marple Newtown SHS 2028 SS 70.2 mph
10 Tyler Daugherty PA Wilkes-Barre Area 2028 1B 69.9 mph
11 William Rittenhouse PA North Penn 2027 OF 69.7 mph
12 Cooper Williams PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 LHP 69.4 mph
13 John Burke PA Great Valley 2027 C 69.2 mph
14 Daxton Kreiger PA Bellefonte Area 2027 OF 69.2 mph
15 Will Mackiewicz PA Downingtown West 2028 1B 69.1 mph

Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.

ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION (AVERAGE)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Rot. Acc (avg)
1 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 26.7 g
2 Cam Rakaczewski PA Greencastle-Antrim 2028 SS 26.2 g
3 Connor Guenot PA Philipsburg-Osceola Area 2027 2B 24.5 g
4 Crosby Williams PA State College Area 2028 RHP 23.7 g
5 Gaston Watkins PA Bedford SHS 2027 OF 21.6 g
6 Ryan St. Julien PA Girard 2027 1B 21.3 g
7 Joel Weaver PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 RHP 21.0 g
8 Vincent Boland PA Hollidaysburg Area 2027 RHP 20.9 g
9 Declan Murray PA Owen J. Roberts 2029 3B 20.8 g
10 Fletcher Thompson PA Williams Valley 2028 C 20.2 g
11 Markus Jones PA Salisbury 2027 3B 20.1 g
12 Cooper Williams PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 LHP 19.5 g
13 TJ Bolivar PA Westtown 2027 1B 18.1 g
14 Brendan Phelan PA Commonwealth Charter Academy CS 2027 C 18.1 g
15 Chase Binker PA Wilkes-Barre Area 2027 RHP 17.6 g

Body Rotation: A swing that has the appropriate relative contributions of body and bat rotations is an efficient and Powerful swing that maintains proper sequencing. An efficient baseball swing is one in which the body creates the initial movements, which is then transferred to the arms and out to the bat, thereby maximizing Bat Speed through this proximal-to-distal kinematic sequencing movement pattern.

ON-PLANE EFFICIENCY %

Rank Name State School Class Pos On Plane Eff (avg)
1 Joel Weaver PA Lampeter-Strasburg 2027 RHP 90 %
2 Chase Sabol PA Central Bucks-West 2027 OF 86 %
3 Alex Arndt PA Montrose Area 2029 C 85 %
4 Crosby Williams PA State College Area 2028 RHP 84 %
5 Fletcher Thompson PA Williams Valley 2028 C 84 %
6 Layne Rider PA Grove City Area 2027 3B 83 %
7 Kellen Veilleux PA Port Allegany 2027 2B 81 %
8 Gage Boland PA Hollidaysburg Area 2029 C 79 %
9 Braydon Wilson PA Holy Ghost Prep 2027 C 79 %
10 Jackson Taylor PA Avon Grove Cs 2028 1B 78 %
11 Cole Shapiro NJ Livingston 2028 SS 78 %
12 Brandon Bechtel PA Spring Grove Area 2027 C 78 %
13 Chase Binker PA Wilkes-Barre Area 2027 RHP 77 %
14 Breckin Boland PA Hollidaysburg Area 2027 C 76 %
15 Kaden Cortez PA LA Salle College High School 2027 SS 76 %

On-Plane Efficiency %: measures the percentage of your swing where the bat is on the swing plane. Your Vertical Bat Angle (VBA) at contact establishes the plane for that specific swing. A high % is a great indicator of making consistent contact and barreling balls. Blast recommends an average of 70% or higher, with a range in the 65% to 85%.


VISUAL EDGE

A look at the top Vizual Edge scores from the event.

EDGE SCORE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Edge Score
1 Pierce Nealy PA Great Valley 2027 OF 81.57
2 Brendan Phelan PA Commonwealth Charter Academy CS 2027 C 81.30
3 Jacobo Jackson PA The Episcopal Academy 2028 RHP 80.79
4 Jackson Taylor PA Avon Grove Cs 2028 1B 80.70
5 Jack Bucci PA Germantown Academy 2027 LHP 80.21
6 Brett Pollock PA Souderton Area 2027 C 80.01
7 Shaun Kemble PA Marple Newtown SHS 2028 C 79.78
8 Daxton Kreiger PA Bellefonte Area 2027 OF 79.37
9 Matt DiFelice PA Unionville 2027 SS 79.19
10 Braden Hatch PA Hollidaysburg 2028 C 78.96

The Edge Score is a comprehensive score out of 100 that takes the core-six visual skills into account, providing athletes, parents, coaches and scouts with a benchmark number for asessing an athlete’s overall visual ability. In general the higher the Edge Score, the higher chance of athletic success. Think of the Edge Score as the 'Sixth Metric' in the standard Five-Tools that make up a ball player.

The average Edge Score for the 2020 MLB Draft Class was 79.3 (of hitters who completed a Vizual Edge test). MLB players we've worked with typically show stronger scores, with elite hitters scoring consistently above 87.0 on their Edge Score.

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.