New Trier High School left-hander Ben Brecht delivers a pitch during action this past spring. Photography by George Pfoertner
He’s sort of like the silver Ferrari in the garage.
Ben Brecht, blessed with an ideal pitcher’s frame, has not been overused through the years.
Not excessively.
He remains in mint condition.
His coaches, especially those at New Trier High School, love having a pitcher of his make on their team, and they have been smart not to overwork him. They have not burned him out.
And, despite standing 6-foot-8, being left-handed and throwing a baseball 90 miles per hour, Brecht — unlike the Ferrari — has not been overpublicized.
But that’s changing. Rev up the hype machine.
Brecht, who has the size and ability to suffocate hitters and make them feel very uneasy at the plate, has been shiny good for some time.
But, according to Sean Duncan of the Prep Baseball Report (PBR), the rising New Trier High School senior has made a meteoric rise this summer.
He’s getting a lot of buzz.
“He’s definitely made a big jump,” Duncan says.
In mid-June, Brecht shined brighter than most at the PBR ProCase-Midwest showcase in Joliet’s Silver Cross Field. He put the pedal to the medal.
“I know he was pretty good this spring, but he’s now on the pro scouts’ radar,” Duncan says. “He’s high on the list. He was one of the biggest winners at the ProCase.”
“I tried to make the most of it,” Brecht says.
He didn’t mind putting his wealth of talent on full display.
“I went out there and tried to block everything out. Just throw strikes,” says Brecht, who possesses a three-pitch repertoire (fastball, curve, change-up). “I tried not to think about who was watching me or who was hitting.”
Brecht, who verbally committed to University of California-Santa Barbara prior to his junior season, is on the fast track, when it comes to player ratings. PBR just came out with its new list earlier this month, and he’s ranked No. 6 in Illinois’ class of 2016.
“If he continues to progress, things are going to be very interesting for him,” says Duncan. “He’s got an athletic arm.
“Typically, with a kid 6-8, there’s a lot of moving parts,” Duncan adds. “Guys like that aren’t fully coordinated. And it takes a lot to repeat their delivery.”
But that’s not the case with Brecht. As the ace hurler for the Trevians this past spring, he exhibited remarkable control. In 47.1 innings, allowing only six walks.
“That (six walks),” says New Trier pitching coach Scott Klipowicz, “is a pretty tremendous feat, especially for a power pitcher. He didn’t get to a three-ball count too often.
“You can see why he catches the eyes of scouts,” Klipowicz adds. “His ball has a lot of movement and gets up on hitters pretty quickly. He ties them up. And he’s got that free and easy delivery. He throws very efficiently.”
And efficiency rules.
Brecht made a concerted effort to cut down on his pitch count.
“My main goal going into the (spring) season was improving my command,” says Brecht, who ended up earning all-league honors with a 4-0 record and 0.59 earned run average.
And the strikes? They just kept coming. He was in the K zone all season. He finished with 79 strikeouts.
“I’m very grateful where I am right now,” Brecht says. “But I can’t take anything for granted. I’m not going to rest on my laurels. The key is to keep getting better.”
And the big lefty appreciates the way the NT coaches, including head coach Mike Napoleon and Klipowicz, have handled him. He threw 100-plus pitches in only one game this past spring.
“I see where some coaches ride and ride their pitchers,” says Brecht. “My coaches haven’t done that with me. They have a great awareness of the situation.”
Brecht started to realize his pitching potential in the seventh grade. And by the time freshman year rolled around, it started to reveal itself and he knew that “pitching was ticket.”
Further proof? That came during the 2014 season. Specifically, May 1, 2014.
Unafraid and hardly bashful, the then-sophomore toed the rubber against the league’s best hitting team — Glenbrook South — and went right after it.
Brecht turned out to be very Clayton Kershaw-like that day. He struck out the first eight batters he faced.
Double takes? There were plenty of those. Five of his punch-outs were backward Ks.
“My sophomore year was pretty good,” says Brecht. “My ERA (1.93) and strikeouts (58 Ks in 29 innings). But I walked a lot of hitters (18). My pitch count would get up, and I’d only be able to pitch four or five innings.
“He had a good stuff as a sophomore, but he wasn’t sharp,” said Klipowicz. “He took a giant leap this spring. He’s a more complete pitcher.
“He’s got a high level of competitiveness,” the coach adds. “He’s got a good understanding of the game. He figures out hitters’ weaknesses.”
Watch for the radar guns. A la Glenbrook South 6-foot-9 right-hander Fitz Stadler, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 32nd round in June, Brecht figures to get plenty of attention next spring.
“With the way he’s progressed, I expect there will be a lot of interest in him,” said Klipowicz. “He’s got people talking.”
Brecht is keeping things in perspective. Like he tends to do, he’s staying ahead in the count.
“It all remains to be seen,” he says. “I’ll decide things when the time comes.
“But my goal is to play professionally some day,” Brecht adds. “Whatever gets me there.”
Notable: Pitching most definitely is Brecht’s No. 1 priority. But he can’t hide the fact that basketball tugs at his heart a little.
Well, he is 6-8.
Before focusing solely on baseball, he played freshman and sophomore basketball at New Trier.
“I’m seriously thinking about going out for the team,” Brecht says.
He plans to show up for open gym this fall.
The basketball thing makes sense. His 6-foot-6 dad, Tom, played college basketball for Columbia University in New York.
Brecht, a weight room and workout fanatic, also has another dream.
“I’d like to run a marathon someday,” he says.
Prep Baseball Report ranks Brecht No. 6 in the Illinois Class of 2016. Photography by George Pfoertner