Kanon
Baxley

Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 8 in the state. Athletic, high-waisted 5-foot-9, 159-pound frame. Batted leadoff and played shortstop for the Knights. Baxley showed athleticism on both sides of the ball in this look. Defensively, he showed to have easy range up the middle, while displaying confident hands and an accurate arm from across the infield. Offensively, the right-handed hitter worked a quality at-bat in his third plate appearance, working a walk after getting down 0-2 in the count. Baxley also showed to have foot speed out of the box, posting a 4.45 down the line in his second at-bat. Baxley is a young name to continue to follow in the state’s freshman class.

INF/RHP Kanon Baxley (Kaneland, 2028) had one of the more eye-opening days from a metrics standpoint. On the mound, Baxley showed a minimal effort delivery with a long, loose and quick arm path. His fastball came out of the hand clean and sat 85-87 mph. Easily his most impressive offerings were his curveball and slider, which both had sharp actions. His curveball played with sharp, 12/6 shape, averaging 3096 rpm and -19.4 inches of IVB, and his slider averaged 2580 rpm. Baxley also threw a changeup with slight fade at 78-79 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter was able to create bat-speed through the zone with a longer and flat path, working on the barrel up the middle of the field with some twitch to create a max EV of 98 mph. Baxley was highly-athletic on the infield as well, showing range up the middle, and he tied for the strongest arm for the event, reaching 89 mph across the diamond. Also a 7.00 runner, Baxley has emerged as a must-know name in the state’s freshmen class.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-9, 150 pounds. High-waisted frame with strength.
Hit: RHH. Wide, crouched setup, small up/down leg lift. Bat-speed, longer through the zone with a flat path, whippy with some twitch, on the barrel up the middle. 72.3 mph bat speed with 14g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 98 mph max exit velocity (90.3 avg.).
Arm: RH. INF - 89 mph. Strong, compact arm action, ¾ slot.
Defense: Two-hand gather out front, glove-pat transfer, shuffles through to target, has range up the middle, clean double play turn.
Athletic Testing: 7.00 runner in the 60-yard dash; 23.50-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 82.17 Edge Score.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-9, 150-pounds. High-waisted frame with some present strength throughout.
Delivery: Clean, simple mover, high leg lift, drop/drive down the mound.
Arm Action: RH. Long, loose arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T87, 85-87 mph. Clean out of the hand, some arm-side run. T2125, 2076 average rpm.
CB: 75-76 mph. 11/5 shape, sharp action, depth. T3279, 3096 average rpm.
SL: 78-78 mph. Short, horizontal shape. T2613, 2580 average rpm.
CH: 78-79 mph. Plays with tumble and fading action. T1176, 1125 average rpm.

The right-hander had one of the more dominant performances in the entire tournament, firing a no-hitter Friday evening. Listed at 5-foot-9, 150-pounds, Baxley moves athletically down the mound with the ability to repeat his delivery, working quickly downhill while displaying flexible hips. His fastball cruised around 79-82 mph, still sitting 77-80 in his seventh inning of work. He also showed some feel for a slider at 68-70 and changeup at 71-73 mph.