Caleb
Larson

4.20.18 - Currently ranked No. 24 in the Illinois’ 2018 class. University of Illinois commit. 6-foot-3, 190-pound, right-handed pitching prospect, long-limbed, athletic frame. Plenty of room for physical development, will thicken out. Stretch only delivery, repeatable mechanics, solid balance point, simple leg up and down, utilizes lower half and frame well, stays tall. Hides ball on back side, short, clean arm action, present arm speed, high ¾ slot. Fielded his position well. Utilized a three-pitch mix for strikes all game long getting ahead of hitters early. Fastball had tilt and run, controlled the zone, ranged 85-86 mph, topped 88 mph. 1.30 time to home on fastball slide step. Touched 87 mph in the 7th inning. Curveball, 11/5 shape, changed speeds, feel for pitch, swing and miss depth, ranged 70-75 mph. 1.57 time to home on leg lift curve. Changeup maintains arm speed, faded, 76-79 mph. Overall solid outing against a talented Neuqua lineup. Gave up only one extra base hit on the day, keeping hitters honest with the sharp breaking ball. Finished with a line of: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 0 BB, 1 HBP.

9.23.17 - Illinois commit. 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed pitcher, lean projectable frame. Delivery works with a quick rocker step out of the wind up, athletic lift to directional landing. High ¾ arm slot, quick clean arm. Showed ability to command fastball, sat 86-88 mph, topped at 89 mph. Curveball played at 69-73 mph, 12/6 action.

5.27.17 - Illinois commit. Currently ranked No. 41 in the Illinois’ 2018 class. 6-foot-3, 190-pound, athletically built, long-limbed, right-handed pitcher with room for continued physical development. Started on the mound for Wheaton Warrenville South. Works from the stretch-only. Delivery works on-line, lands slightly closed and finishes athletically. Arm is clean and quick out of a high ¾ slot. Fastball, arm-side-run, late life, flashed  tilt and sink action at times, sat 85-88 mph, touching 89. Was mostly 87-88 mph early on. Changeup was his best secondary pitch on the day; threw it in any count to both lefties and righties, good feel, locates it down in the zone, maintains arm speed, 78-80 mph. Curveball, inconsistent feel, flashed depth, 11/5 shape, 68-73 mph. Arm action and body type project more velocity gains in the future.

9.4.16 - Verbally committed to the University of Illinois.

6.27.16 - 6-foot-3, 190-pound, strong, athletic build. Uptempo delivery. Loose, live arm from a high 3/4 slot. Fastball flashed arm-side-run and sat 83-85 mph. Curveball worked 11/5 and sat 66-68 mph. Changeup sat 76-79 mph.

1.17.16 - Large, physical build, strong 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed pitcher. Up-tempo delivery and works fast. Regular effort, quick arm, tall and fall delivery from a high ¾ slot. Tendency to get underneath and work uphill at times. Fastball flashed some run and sat 80-83 mph. Curveball worked 11/5 and clocked at 68-71 mph. Changeup showed sink at times, thrown near fastball arm speed, 71-73 mph.

12.16.14 - The 6-foot-1, 155-pound right-hander is one of the most advanced freshman prospects we’ve seen in the 2018 class. Larson’s fastball sat 81-82 mph from a high ¾ delivery. He repeats his delivery well, with plenty of projection remaining in his plus, athletic frame. His two secondary offerings were both thrown hard; a tumbling 70-71 mph split/change hybrid, and a 69-70 mph curveball with 12/6 shape.

6/23/19: In his third start, and eighth appearance, of the summer, Illinois’ rising sophomore righty ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Kalamazoo’s potent offense, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks in just three innings of work. The 6-foot-3 Larson worked exclusively from the stretch off of a two-pitch combo consisting of an 86-to-90 mph fastball and quality two-plane curveball that sat 75-to-77 mph with good shape and depth. While Larson has struggled to throw strikes at times during this young Northwoods season, this most recent start saw him working fairly consistently in the zone, though his command was loose – particularly with his fastball, which too often caught the fat of the plate and the meat of the barrels. His curve is a hard breaker and Larson shows a high level of comfort with the pitch, wielding it effectively in all counts and to both lefty and righty bats alike. Despite the below-average fastball velocity, Larson can generate empty swings and soft contact when he’s hitting his spots thanks to the quality of his breaker and his ability to hit the same release with both offerings. After logging just six innings this spring for the Illini, Larson should enter the fall with a chance to carve out a larger role in the pen, and there is a foundation here for a potential starting arm down the line if he can develop a dependable third offering. He’s already punched out 14 batters in 15 innings of work this summer and is worth a follow. (Faleris)