CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – A year ago last weekend, highly regarded 2017 right-hander Nathan Burns traveled here from his home in West Bend, Wis., for the 2015 Perfect Game Pitcher-Catcher Indoor Showcase. He was ultimately named to the event’s Top Prospect List after showing off a fastball that sat at 81-83 mph, and a slider and changeup that both topped-out at 75 mph.
On Saturday, Burns returned to the Perfect Game Headquarters’ indoor facility for the 2016 PG Pitcher-Catcher Indoor Showcase, only this time he brought along a secret weapon: his junior classmate and baseball teammate at West Bend West High School, one of his best friends and, most importantly, his long-time catcher Jack Thelen.
With Thelen as his battery mate, Burns turned in another TPL performance with a fastball that now sat 85-89 mph, a slider that topped-off at 77 and an effective changeup that crossed the plate at 79 mph.
The two asked to be paired with one another when they signed-up for Saturday’s live pitcher-catcher-hitter session and the 16-year-old Burns said he felt especially comfortable pitching from the mound to his 17-year-old career-long catcher while dozens of scouts looked on.
“We have a really good relationship; he knows me really well,” Burns said after the session was complete. “Sometimes when we’re out there I’ll be holding a grip in my hand for what pitch I want to throw and that will be the first sign he puts down. We have a pretty good idea of what we want to do.”
Thelen echoed his friend’s remarks: “I have a great relationship with him,” he said. “He’s one of my best friends and he’s been one of my best friends for quite some time now. I see the work that he puts in and I just have a great comfort level with him. We work together really well.”
Both Burns and Thelen are relative newcomers to Perfect Game but they weren’t completely off the radar when they arrived here Saturday morning. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Burns, an Oregon State commit, is ranked 247th nationally in the class of 2017 and the No. 1 right-handed pitching prospect in Wisconsin; this is the fourth PG event he has been involved with.
“I came down here last year and it was one of the best events I had ever went to,” he said. “I wanted to come back this year, too, more for the professional scouts because I’m already committed (to Oregon State). It’s one of my favorite events and I’ll probably come back down here next year, too. It’s just a great atmosphere. It’s just you and the hitter and the catcher out there and it’s all wide open – it’s just pretty fun.”
Burns said he felt pretty relaxed throwing to Thelen during his warmup but once he got out the mound those all-too familiar jitters began to kick in.
“I don’t know why, but whenever I see all those people behind the screen I always just tense-up,” he said. “I had the same feeling I had last year. No matter what it is or who it’s with, when you got the big crowd behind me I always just get a little adrenaline rush.
“I’m really tough on myself; real competitive,” he continued. “I hate losing more than I like winning and I just want to go out there and compete and succeed.”
Thelen had his own reasons for making the 250-mile trip to Cedar Rapids from West Bend, which sits about 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee. He is yet to make a college commitment, and lists Northwestern, Texas State, Notre Dame and West Virginia among the schools he’s interested in.
“It was really important for me to come down here to Perfect Game because they have such a great reputation nationwide,” he said. “I’m just trying to get better and (generate) more college interest.”
At 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, Thelen admits he exhibits more of a pitcher’s frame than that of a catcher, but he’s been a catcher his entire baseball life and doesn’t plan on changing positions. He’s a top-600 national prospect but his ranked as the No. 3 class of 2017 catcher prospect in his home state.
“Honestly, I would probably get a little bit bored playing out on the field, although I do play a little bit of first base,” he said with a laugh. “As a catcher, you’re just so in to the game, and with the leadership involved with it, I just love that part of the game. You can see every part of the field and you’re a key part of the game; I love that.”
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) offers both a spring and summer baseball season and West Bend West plays during the summer. The PG P-C Indoor provides an excellent mid-February diversion for players from the Midwest, especially for those from Iowa and Wisconsin who attend schools that opt for summer seasons instead of the traditional spring campaigns (Iowa offers only a summer season; a sizable majority of the Wisconsin schools play a spring schedule with 50 playing a summer schedule).
Burns and Thelen are part of a pretty strong program at WBWHS, where Bill Albrecht is the long-time head coach. The Spartans have been to the WIAA summer state tournament nine of the last 12 years, although they did not make it in 2015 after losing in a sectional tournament semifinal game.
With the return of Burns and Thelen – along with junior shortstop Anthony Schlass, the state’s No. 1-ranked shortstop prospect (class of 2017) and a U. of Oklahoma commit – WBWHS should come back strong this season.
“This will be my third year up on varsity and I have high expectations for this year. It’s kind of all us (the junior class) because we don’t have many seniors this year,” Thelen said.
Both Burns and Thelen play with STiKS Academy out of Oconomowoc, Wis., in the spring and the fall and train the year around (Thelen’s time spent there is limited because he also plays football and basketball at WBWHS).
Burns makes baseball his year around pursuit although he takes some time off. This past year, he was named to the all-tournament team at the PG WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship played here in Cedar Rapids Oct. 2-5, and then shut himself until Dec. 1. Once he got going again, he did a lot of lifting and training mixed in with Sunday practices at STiKS the rest of winter before arriving here Saturday.
“I’m really just looking to perform and succeed,” he said. “I had some stuff I wanted to work on today and I feel like I executed it pretty well. This is a learning experience, seeing what I need to work on when I’m out there. This is just a good time with Perfect Game, and I enjoy coming to their events.”
Fourteen Wisconsin preps were scheduled to be at the PG P-C Indoor either Saturday or Sunday, including six ranked in the top-600 nationally, like Burns and Thelen. Heading that list was a trio from Hartland Arrowhead High School – 2016 No. 100 right-hander Nate Brown, 2016 top-500 right-hander Ryan Schmitt and 2018 No. 300 catcher Jeffrey Holtz – along with 2016 No. 275 right-hander Alec Marsh (Reagan College Prep, Milwaukee) and 2016 No. 480 Connor Kimple (Marquette University HS, Whitefish Bay).
Every one of those players were eager to represent their states well, as were all the other prospects in attendance. They came from points near and far, and after being in the building for only a couple of hours Thelen reported that he had already spoken with age-group peers from Kentucky and Ohio. He may have felt a little bit like he had something to prove.
Thelen had a decent workout session Saturday morning. His catcher velocity (throw from home plate to second base) was 75 mph (tied for seventh at the event), his Pop Time was 2.01-seconds (t-6th) and his exit velo during batting practice was 84 mph (t-8th).
“I put a lot of pressure on myself but I’m a firm believer that being calm is going to translate into (a stronger) performance,” he said. “It was difficult today because obviously I see all the (radar) guns and all the stopwatches but at the end of the day you just have to calm down and be yourself because that’s what (the scouts) want to see.”
The PG scouts on hand Saturday morning were impressed with Burns’ efforts. They noted his “smooth, easy delivery” and his “solid command to both sides of the plate.” They concluded that his “arm works really well with good extension out front (and) shows a developing slider and a changeup with late cutting action.”
The positive reviews had Burns thinking about when he was here a year ago, and the positive steps forward he had taken over the last 12 months, this time with one of his best friends on hand to witness it all. And why not? Thelen has been his catchers since they were both 9 years old.
“I’ve making good velocity progressions, my breaking ball is tightening up and my changeup is getting more sink on it and I’m getting more consistent,” Burns concluded. “I’m really happy with my progression and I’m excited for the future.”