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High School  | General | 2/19/2019

Regional HS Preview: Midwest

Photo: Quinn Priester (Perfect Game)

For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2019 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.


2019 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

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

Top 10 Midwest Region High Schools
Rk. Nat'l School '18 Rec. '18 Finish
1 33 Marist (Ill.) 29-9 IHSA 4A Sectional Finals
2 42 St. Laurence (Ill.) 30-8 IHSA 4A Sectional Round
3 48 Orchard Lake St. Mary's (Mich.) 28-13 MHSAA Division 2 State Semifinals
4 NR St. Xavier (Ky.) 37-2 KHSAA State Champs
5 NR Fishers (Ind.) 29-7 IHSAA 4A State Champs
6 NR Olentangy Liberty (Ohio)
 30-4 OHSAA Division 1 State Champs
7 NR Detroit Country Day (Mich.)
 21-8 MHSAA Division 2 District Finals
8 NR Brother Rice (Ill.)
 27-13 IHSA 4A Super-Sectionals
9 NR Andrean (Ind.) 31-6 IHSAA 3A State Champs
10 NR Mason (Ohio) 24-6 OHSAA Division 1 State Semifinals




Midwest Region High School Dream Team

C - Nathan Stevens, Sr., Waunakee HS (Wis.)
Stevens earned an invite to the Perfect Game All-American Classic following an outstanding showing at PG National last June, where he showed really good defensive tools behind the plate to go along with pretty substantial raw power from the left side of the plate. Lefthanded power-hitting catchers are rare commodities at any level of baseball and Stevens' tools give him a chance to be an impactful one, be it at Arkansas, where he's signed, or professional baseball. 

1B - Matt McCormick, Sr., St. Laurence HS (Ill.) 
McCormick is a catcher by trade, but has shown the ability to play some corner infield as well, so he's a good fit at first base on this list. A lefthanded hitter with a lot of physical strength, McCormick has shown intriguing raw pop to go along with advanced hitting tools. Defensively, he's a solid defensive catcher whose athleticism has noticeably improved throughout his development and he now has the potential versatility of playing in several spots for West Virginia next year. 

2B - Dillon Kark, Sr., Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep (Mich.)
A Michigan State signee, Kark offers intriguing upside primarily based on his two best tools, his power and his arm strength. A quality defensive infielder who could potentially play anywhere around the infield, Kark's arm could be a plus tool and an obvious defensive asset, while his raw power from the right side of the plate gives him a second above average tool. He's got a chance to hit and hit for power at the collegiate level while playing steady defense at a number of infield spots. 

SS - Ed Howard, Jr., Mount Carmel HS (Ill.)
One of the few underclassmen on this list, Howard earns the nod at the shortstop position due to his advanced abilities both offensively and defensively. One of the most impressive hitters in the 2020 class, Howard had a really loud fall in PG events, OPS'ing around 1.000 both at the Underclass World Championship as well as the big one in Jupiter. He handles the bat extremely well and makes consistent hard contact and projects in a big way for power in addition to being an athletic, rangy middle infielder with plenty of athleticism. 

3B - AJ Vukovich, Jr., East Troy HS (Wis.)
Vukovich could be a candidate for the UT spot on this list as he's a legitimate two-way prospect who could absolutely do both at Louisville, where he's committed. A big, physical righthanded hitter, Vukovich has shown off tremendous power to this point in his development and looks to be one of the best power prospects in the class. He has also been up to 90 mph on the mound, where he's shown really good ability, and that arm strength obviously plays well from the third base spot. 

OF - Jason Hodges, Sr., Marist HS (Ill.) 
Hodges really exploded in Jupiter this past October, where he OPS'd 1.297 while showing off some of the best raw power in the class. A corner outfielder by trade, Hodges likely fits best in left field long term, where he's a solid athlete with a solid arm, but his biggest impact will come in the batter's box. He has plenty of bat speed from the right side of the plate to go along with extreme physical strength, giving him plus raw power right now with the potential for even more. He's a close MLB draft follow this spring. 

OF - Jase Bowen, Sr., Toledo Central Catholic (Ohio) 
A tremendous athlete, Bowen is signed with Michigan State to play both baseball and football where he's a dynamic wide receiver and kick returner. He's a plus runner as well, and his athleticism/speed both play extremely well in center field, where he has a chance to be a dynamic defender to go along with an above average arm. Offensively, he possesses top-of-the-order tools with good contact skills and developing power and he's a threat to run any time he's on base. 

OF - Kendall Ewell, Sr., Marist HS (Ill.) 
Ewell, an Eastern Kentucky signee, has pretty significant upside coming out of the Midwest, mostly in the power department. A quality athlete who likely fits best in an outfield corner, Ewell has a really projectable frame that scouts are optimistic will allow him to develop both more arm strength and more raw power. He has quality pop right now from the right side of the plate and is an intriguing projection-follow for the draft this spring. 

UT - Luke Leto, So., Portage Central HS (Mich.)
One of the more impressive prospects in the country regardless of age, Leto earns the nod on this list at the UT spot given his abilities as a two-way player. An outstanding athlete who plays a really good shortstop, Leto also swings it well from the left side and has tremendous power projection. He's also easily into the 90s on the mound with a sharp, swing-and-miss breaking ball. The upside is supremely vast in Leto's case, who is committed to LSU. 

P - Quinn Priester, Sr., Cary-Grove Community (Ill.) 
One of the top arms in the class, and one of the arms who could be poised for a huge spring, Priester offers some of the more intriguing projection in the 2019 class. With excellent size, long limbs and good athleticism, it's easy to dream on what Priester could end up being at maturity. At present he works comfortably in the low-90s with his fastball, ramping it up to 93-94 mph pretty often, and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see that velocity increase right away this spring to pair with his power curveball, a pitch that already shows plus. 

P - Michael Prosecky, Sr., Nazareth Academy (Ill.)
Prosecky took a pretty intriguing step up the draft board back in Jupiter in October when he worked 89-93 mph with his fastball, flashed an above average slider and threw a lot of strikes. The good-framed lefthander is going to be an especially interesting follow this spring as scouts will look to see if he can be more consistent with his stuff and command while also looking out for any further potential growth of his stuff. He's signed with Louisville. 

P - Avery Short, Sr., Southport HS (Ind.)
Really bursting onto the radar with an eye-opening performance at USA Baseball's Tournament of Stars, Short earned big-time reviews from scouts for his pitchability, deception and overall feel. He's not overpowering, usually working in the 87-90 mph range and touching higher, but does show off an above average slider that features excellent spin and late bite, and he gets a good amount of swings-and-misses on that pitch. He's signed with Louisville where he has a chance to be an immediate impact arm. 

P - Michael Doolin, Sr., Andrean HS (Ind.)
Perhaps the best strike-thrower in the country, Doolin has impressed evaluators with his ability to pound the strike zone for some time now. A good-sized righthander, Doolin's athleticism and ease of operation mechanically allow him to seamlessly repeat his delivery from pitch-to-pitch, and therefore have that aforementioned command. He generally works in the 87-91 mph range or so and has flashed an average curveball before, so scouts will definitely have him high on their lists to see in the early going this spring. Doolin is signed with Vanderbilt. 

P - Mack Anglin, Sr., Highland HS (Ohio) 
Anglin performed extremely well at the Perfect Game National last June, earning an invite to the Perfect Game All-American Classic as a result. With excellent size, projection and arm speed, Anglin evokes some comparisons within the PG scouting staff to fellow former PG All-American Zack Hess, who is now pitching at LSU. Anglin has been up to 93 mph with his fastball and will assuredly throw harder given his projection and arm speed, and has also shown the ability to spin a plus breaking ball at times. 


Midwest Region Best Tools

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