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High School | General | 2/24/2015

Regional HS Preview: Midwest

David Rawnsley

Photo: Perfect Game

2015 Perfect Game High School Baseball Preview Index

For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2015 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.

Midwest Region: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin

The Midwest Region, highlighted by a very talented junior class that places seven different players on the region's Dream Team, would be competitive with any other region in the country over a seven game series. That's not something that can annually be said about this collection of states but is certainly true this year.

There really isn't a weakness in this group. They have a collection of very accomplished power hitters led by catcher/first baseman T.J. Collett, outfielder Nick Plummer and third baseman Joey Polak. Nick Dalesandro and Cooper Johnson are two of the best defensive catchers in the country, while junior middle infielders Gavin Lux and Tyler Fitzgerald are both All-American candidates. And a starting rotation that begins with righthanders Ashe Russell, Chandler Day and Luke Shilling is going to be a challenge to match up with for any region.

Midwest Region High School Dream Team

C - Nick Dalesandro, Sr., Joliet Catholic (Ill.)
Dalesandro is a very highly athletic catcher, the type of athlete who can play anywhere on the field and excel defensively. That is where he does his best work, with very good quickness for a 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver and a cannon throwing arm. In fact, there are scouts who feel that it might be hard to keep Dalesandro off the mound permanently in the future, as he already touches 92 mph from the hill with plenty of projection should he not be working full-time behind the plate. Dalesandro hit .409-3-28 as a junior and went 7-1, 1.39 on the mound. He is signed with Purdue.

1B - T.J. Collett, Jr., North Vigo (Ind.)
Collett is a primary catcher at present but may profile better at first base defensively long-term, a position he has experience at already. What he can do is hit and hit with power. The lefthanded hitter posted eye-opening .536-17-51 numbers as a sophomore and added 12 doubles for good measure. Collett then showed during the summer that he could handle national level pitching with the same authority. He may have the best power bat in the 2016 class.

MIF - Gavin Lux, Jr., Indian Trail (Wis.)
Lux and fellow junior middle infielder Tyler Fitzgerald both stand out for their athleticism in a region that usually doesn't produce toolsy premium position players. Although he is a quick-twitch athlete who projects to stay at shortstop, Lux's best tool might be his lefthanded bat. He has a short and quick swing with very good bat speed and has shown surprising pull power against high level pitching. Lux hit .459-2-22 as a sophomore with 12 stolen bases. He has verbally committed to Virginia Tech.

MIF - Tyler Fitzgerald, Jr.,Rochester (Ill.)
Fitzgerald, the son of former Cardinals first round pick (20th overall in 1984) Mike Fitzgerald, is one of the most tooled-up middle infielders in the 2016 class. Along with having a loose and projectable 6-foot-3, 185-pound build, Fitzgerald is an easy plus runner with a 6.5 60-yard dash time to his credit. He has plenty of arm to stay at shortstop and has shown the type of bat speed that leads you to believe that he could become a middle-of-the-order run producer when he fills out. Fitzgerald hit .370-1-24 with 14 stolen bases as a sophomore and has a verbal commitment to Louisville.

3B - Joey Polak, Jr., Quincy Notre Dame (Ill.)
Polak is one of the top hitters nationally in the 2016 class and is currently ranked 34th overall in the PG class rankings. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound righthanded hitter has a short and compact swing for his size and the ball comes off the barrel with a different sound than most high school hitters. He's also a polished hitter who has already shown he recognizes pitches and handles national level caliber pitching. While Polak has nimble feet at third base and a strong throwing arm, he may eventually outgrow third base and take the same path as a very similar player at the same age, Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks, moving across the diamond. Interestingly, Polak will likely be catching at Notre Dame High School this spring, adding another potential position to the mix. He has a verbal commitment to South Carolina.

OF - Nick Plummer, Sr., Brother Rice (Mich.)
Plummer was the hottest commodity in the scouting community last August when he went from an obscure Michigan outfielder to a potential first round draft choice over a dominant 10-day span at the East Coast Professional Showcase and the Area Code Games. The Kentucky signee has a dynamic set of offensive tools, with big pull power combined with the ability to square up the ball consistently and plus running speed to go with it. Plummer's only tool that doesn't grade out as average or higher is his throwing arm. He hit .573-8-34 as a junior.

OF - Luke Miller, Sr., Cowan (Ind.)
Miller, T.J. Collett and Nick Plummer can draw straws for the honor of being the top high school performance player in the region, as Miller hit .544-9-25 with 26 stolen bases and 18 walks as a junior at Cowan High School, throwing in 49 strikeouts in 34 innings and a perfect game in the state playoffs on top of that. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound righthanded hitter has a loose and strong swing and has shown impressive power to right field against top pitching, always a nice thing to see in a young hitter. Miller, who is ranked 104th overall in the Perfect Game 2015 class rankings, has signed with Indiana.

OF - Darryl Wilson, Sr., Canton (Ohio)
Darryl "D.J." Wilson reminds some scouts of the Yankees Brett Gardner for his size, tools and the way he plays the game. At 5-foot-9, 170-pounds with a short and crisp lefthanded swing and 6.5 speed in the 60-yard dash, Wilson is a prototypical center fielder/leadoff hitter. A Vanderbilt signee, Wilson also plays the game at a 100 percent energy level whether on the bases or going after balls in the outfield.

UT - Luke Shilling, Sr., Notre Dame Prep (Mich.)
Shilling was an oversized 6-foot-5, 250-pound catcher/first baseman until he took up pitching last summer after playing around in the bullpen and catching the attention of his coach. He was also a very productive power hitter, having hit .430 with nine home runs his junior year. But Shilling's athleticism and arm strength immediately clicked on the mound and he is going to be flying up draft lists as cross-checkers get their first look at him. Shilling pitched in the 92-94 mph range at the PG Pitcher/Catcher Indoor Showcase in early February from a simple low effort delivery that belied his lack of mound experience. He also threw a very high level power curveball and a credible changeup. He has signed with Illinois.

P - Ashe Russell, Sr., Cathedral (Ind.)
Russell is ranked No. 6 overall in the Perfect Game 2015 class rankings and is the No. 1 ranked righthanded pitcher. He'll show two plus pitches at times in a fastball that touches 96 mph with heavy life down in the zone along with a low-80s slider from a three-quarters arm slot that has curveball depth at times. Russell also throws a pretty good changeup that should continue to improve. The PG All-American starter for the East squad went 8-1, 0.88 last spring with just eight walks versus 74 strikeouts in 49 innings, so he's able to pound the strike with his elite stuff as well.

P - Chandler Day, Sr., Granville (Ohio)
Day has a fairly unique build in that he's 6-foot-4, 162-pounds and doesn't really project to get much thicker or stronger. His raw stuff, however, doesn't really need to project to get much better, either. He throws three quality pitches, including a fastball that will reach 93 mph along with a curveball that ranks as one of the better breaking balls in the country. Day's changeup is a weapon as well and he throws all his pitches for strikes, as evidenced by him issuing just 12 walks in 50 innings last spring (6-3, 1.52 with 79 strikeouts). He has signed with Vanderbilt.

P - Nolan Watson, Sr., Lawrence North (Ind.)
Watson hasn't received much national attention but he is very well known to scouts around the country. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound righthander has a solid four-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball and a power curveball that teases you with slider velocity at times. Watson throws from a very sound delivery with a smooth arm action, and like so many of the top pitchers in this region this year, he has the ability to pound the strike zone and work ahead of hitters. Yet another Vanderbilt signee, Watson walked only 12 hitters in 51 innings last spring while striking out 65 hitters and posting a 1.49 ERA.

P - Drake Fellows, Jr., Joliet Catholic (Ill.)
Fellows is currently the 14th ranked player in the Perfect Game 2016 class rankings and has the potential to move up higher than that as his 6-foot-5, 190-pound frame fills out. He pitches in the low-90s with his fastball and has been as high as 94 mph at PG events, but his best pitch might be a low-80s slider that flashes plus at times. Fellows throws from a mid three-quarters release point that is a bit lower than most top pitchers, but he still manages to get good plane to the plate and two-plane depth on his slider. He went 6-1 as a freshman with a microscopic 0.66 ERA. Fellows is also a top level athlete and high level basketball player, which further enhances his overall projection.

P - Easton McGee, Jr., Hopkinsville (Ky.)
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound McGee is one of the most projectable high school pitchers in the country, with loose athletic actions and the frame to hold plenty more strength. He's been on a steady progression of velocity increase over the past couple of years, gaining about four miles per hour each year, with a high of 90 mph last fall, and there is no reason that should stop now at 16 years old. McGee also throws a slurve-type breaking ball around 73 mph and a nice changeup in addition to his fastball. He's verbally committed to Kentucky.

Midwest Region Top Tools

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