Giles
Groothousen

RHP/INF Giles Groothousen (Flambeau, 2024) entered Tuesday’s showcase as one of the most intriguing uncommitted prospects, who popped as a high follow from the inaugural Western Wisconsin Open in 2022. Groothousen stands at an athletic 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame, and continues to make strides as a two-way prospect in the future. Entering the showcase ranked at No. 57 in a loaded 2024 class in the state of Wisconsin, Groothousen proved his status with an excellent all-around performance, starting at the plate. The right-handed hitter presented a whippy barrel that allowed him to finish with a max exit velocity of 91.9 mph. After a clean showing from the shortstop position, Groothousen showcased his improvement on the mound. During his outing, the right-hander reached 88 mph with a live fastball and quick arm, featuring a leg kick into his windup, maintaining 87-88 mph throughout. He also spun the pitch at an average 2,387 rpm on each fastball, with a max at an advanced 2,521 rpm. The electric fastball was complemented by a curveball, featuring a sharp break as a secondary pitch. Groothousen completed his arsenal with a unique knuckleball, thrown with confidence and could be used as an out-pitch in the future. With his showing on Tuesday, Groothousen continued to establish himself as one of the top uncommitted two-way prospects in the state’s 2024 class, especially on the bump.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-11, 170-pounds. Athletic build with some strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Wider stance, elevated back elbow, strong hands, sits backside, leg lift load. Compact swing with quick hands. Uphill path with up-the-middle approach. Flashed pull-side pop.  66.8 mph bat speed with 15 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 79.9 mph. 311’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 83 mph. Strong arm. 3/4 slot with carry to bag.
Defense: Quick first step. Athletic actions. Bounce. Range to both sides.
Run: 7.12 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Kick out into leg lift, upright through landing, intentful delivery, open foot land.
Arm Action: RH. Quick arm action, gets around the ball, full arm arc, 3/4 arm slot.
FB: T88, 87-88 mph. Life out of the hand with feel for the zone. T2521, 2387 average rpm.
CB: 75-77 mph. Tight break with depth, flashes sharp. T1758, 1352 average rpm.
KN: 75-77 mph. Thrown at arm speed with tumbling action.

Stands at 5-foot-11, 160-pounds, and presents an athletic and mobile frame as a two-way uncommitted prospect. Currently ranked No. 57 in Wisconsin’s 2024 class, and performed well on the mound on Saturday, running his fastball up to 87 mph. Was solid in his outing, mixing in a 12/6 BB, used as a consistent out-pitch on Saturday, as the Eau Claire A’s Blue earned a victory over the Milwaukee Hitmen to advance to bracket play.

Groothousen a two-way prospect standing 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, with projection to the body with a high waist and sloped shoulders. Hits from a stock set up with consistent toe tap back timing and lower hand launch position. Quick rotational swing allowing him to drive the ball to both gaps. Displayed athletic actions at shortstop with a quick first step, and clean transfer from ball to glove. Threw the ball 81 mph across the infield from ¾ slot with carry through the bag. And while impressive positionally, Groothausen really stole our attention when he hopped on the mound.

There, the Flambeau incoming junior reached an 85.7 mph high on a fastball that averaged a spin rate of 2,337 rpm with noticeable hop through the zone that matched the carry it measured on the TrackMan device, and he was also able to throw a true mid-80s sinker that profiled much differently than the four-seamer. Groothausen threw the four-seam in the zone consistently, too, and he utilized both an authentic knuckleball and a knuckle-curve. While he killed the spin on the knuckleball effectively, the breaking ball is what really separated his arsenal from his peers. The pitch featured sharp, late bite under the zone, working off the same plane as his fastball, making it that much more deceptive to opposing hitters.

Positional ProfileSS/RHP
Body: 5-11, 160-pounds. Athletic build, high waight, sloped shoulders
Delivery: Up tempo, high closed tuck, cross fire land
Arm Action: RH. medium arc, 3 quarters wide slot, quick arm
FB: T85.7, 83-86 mph. High-spin, large horizontal action and carry. Also utilizes legitimate sinker; reduces spin and increases drop. T2409, 2337 average rpm.
CB: 72-74 mph. Biting, sharp action; 11/5 plane. Flashed late, though still gaining the feel to spot it. Projects as a swing and miss. T1742, 1461 average rpm.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-11, 160-pounds. Athletic build, high waight, sloped shoulders
Hits: RHH. stock set up, toe tap gather back, lower hand trigger rotational path, transfer weight mostly, slightly back and uphill path through ball, can drive to both gaps
Power: 88 max exit velocity, averaged 80 MPH. 320' max distance.
Arm: RH. INF-81 mph .3 quarters slot, medium effort with carry,
Defense: Quick first step, mostly clean transfers, athletic actions
Run: 7.41 runner in the 60.
Vizual Edge: 77.39 Edge Score

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-11, 155-pounds. Wiry frame, long limbs with a high waist.
Hit: SH. Crouched, even setup. High back arm. Quick toe tap into slightly closed stride.  Vertical entry, tight swing. All fields.
Power: 86.5 max exit velocity, averaged 76.3 mph. 211’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph.
Defense: Hands play through the baseball, showed body control.
Run: 7.43 runner in the 60.