Related Links:Baseball America Story University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball rising sophomore
Lake Bachar (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) has been selected as the No. 1 prospect in the Northwoods League as part of Baseball America's 2015 Summer College League Top Prospects Index.
Bachar, a right-handed pitcher, competed over the summer for the Lakeshore Chinooks. He was named to the Northwoods League Post-Season All-Star team after tallying a 2.46 earned run average and 63 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings over 12 appearances, including 11 starts.
During his first season with the Warhawks, Bachar garnered first team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and D3baseball.com Midwest Region Rookie of the Year accolades in helping the team reach the NCAA Division III Tournament and win the league regular season championship. He finished 7-1 with a 2.24 ERA in 60 1/3 innings pitched. Bachar, who is also an all-conference punter for the UW-Whitewater baseball team, also held opponents to a .231 batting average and registered 46 strikeouts.
Below is the full excerpt on Bachar from the Baseball America story.
Bachar is lean and projectable with low-90s heat and the potential for two average or better breaking balls. He is also relatively new to college baseball, with this past spring being his first season after going to college as a punter/kicker. He had 42 touchbacks in 106 kickoffs and an average of 38.4 yards on his punts. He also totally laid the wood on a returner in UW-Whitewater's win in the Division III national title game. The reduced mileage on his arm can only serve to increase his stock. After initial apprehension about even playing summer ball, Bachar pitched extremely well for the Chinooks, allowing just 49 hits in 66 innings and racking up 63 strikeouts. He works from a low-three-quarters arm slot that gives him tail and sink on his fastball, and he repeats his delivery well enough to make his command profile as at least average. Bachar, listed at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, typically sits more in the lower 90s but has touched 95 mph, including at the league's Major League Dreams showcase. Bachar's go-to breaking pitch tends to be a mid-70s curveball with a huge 12-6 break. The curve doesn't have plus bite yet, but its present shape is encouraging and Bachar is confident throwing it. He also flashed an 84-85 mph slider in the showcase with hard downer action. That's the pitch Wisconsin-Whitewater coach John Vodenlich said looked like a mediocre slurve early in the college season but gained velocity and depth as Bachar threw it more often. Now, it's a legitimate putaway offering. Given that Bachar has made this much progress with his offerings in just six months, his ceiling is truly something to dream on.
