Uncommitted Spotlight: '26 OF/LHP Isaiah Tillman
March 14, 2025
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VENTURA, CALIF. - The Uncommitted Spotlight Series returns as we officially have begun the 2025 CIF High School baseball for the 2025 spring. With than in mind Prep Baseball California will continue highlighting some of the top uncommitted class of '26 athletes for college programs to be following throught the spring schedule and into the summer. The player featured today is one of the top players in the state of California and figures prominently in our Class of 2026 Rankings.
We invite you to get to know them through the eyes of our Prep Baseball California staff of scouts both through our in person looks at players and/or the data-backed numbers collected at our events with our partnered companies. TrackMan, Blast Motion, and VALD Performance provide comparable data to project and evaluate players. All of these systems come together to give a clear picture at what colleges will get when a players steps onto their campus.
Today, we put the spotlight on the #179 ranked player in the 2026 class in SoCal '26 OF/LHP Isaiah Tillman from Royal High School in the Simi Valley, Calif.. The Los Angeles area based two-way talent has been a strong performer over the last year plus at Royal High School and was outstanding in his appearance at the 2025 Central California Preseason All State event. During his Soph. campaign at Royal Tillman strung together a very solid overall season on each side of the game. At the plate the LH hitter slashed .264/.337/.351 over 105 plate appearances and 91 at bats with six doubles, one triple while driving in 16 runs and scoring 16 runs himself plus added eight stolen bases hitting in the top to middle of the Highlanders order. On the bump he threw 47.1 innings to lead the Highlanders staff while collecting five wins, one save with 37 strikeouts and allowed just 28 hits on the spring. In the early portion of the 2025 campaign Tillman has posted one double, five runs scored with three RBIs in 20 at bats at the plate. On the mound he has made four appearances in relief throwing five total innings while punching out 10 hitters and allowing no hits with a 1.40 ERA.
With compact athletic wiry frame Isaiah checks in at 5'9 160 lbs. with emerging wiry strength in his frame. During his live outing at the Central California Preseason All State event Tillman flashed a strong three pitch mix with a 85-87 MPH FB that touches 88-89 MPH showing strong riding life in the movement shape. Tillman posted an average IVB of 14.7" while maxing out at 18.7" on IVB during his outing against five hitters. He throws the FB from an average 5'8" release height with an average of 4'1" of extension. Backing up his quality FB Tillman throws a pair of interesting offspeed pitches that both show swing/miss life (live looks and from Central California Preseason All State) in his CB and CHG. The CB for Tillman shows vertical depth in the shape coming in at 73-76 MPH with 2500+ RPMs and averaging -6.7" of IVB with a peak of -11.3" of IVB throwing it from a 5'6" average release height giving it a similar look at ouf the hand to his FB. His CHG shows real potential for both an offering to LHH and RHH coming in at 78-79 MPH with -7.6" of horizontal movement to his arm side on average peaking with -10.4" of arm side fade with a solid 50% in zone rate, but he does drop down to 5'4" of average release height on the offering which could tip it off at times and could be polished long term to keep his release height closer to his FB/CB.
At the plate Tillman has showed a strong bat to ball profile with emerging impact from an operation that includes an aggressive forward move with good use of the hands in his swing and an aggressive turn with his hips. On Blast Motion Tillman posted strong present bat speed up to 70.3 MPH with 22.1 MPH of hand speed and an impressive 31.2 Gs of rotational acceleration during batting practice. His batted ball data was intriguing speaking to his upside as a LH hitter with a max Exit Velocity of 94.6 MPH while reaching a 345' max distance with a 71% sweet spot rate. His batted ball angles are interesting with a 100% Fly Ball/Line Drive rae (29% line drive and 71% fly ball) showing his offensive potential.
With strong tools across the board Tillman shows the ability to help a program for a pair of high demand spots (LHP and LH hitter) and still has upside in his overall profile and is one that college programs would be well served to keep eyes on going forward for the 2026 class.
College coaches and fans be sure to click on TIllman's profile to see full video and information.
Upcoming Events
| Showcase | State | Date | Location |
| Central California Rising Stars ID (2029-2030 Grads) | CA | 03/23 | Ventura College - Ventura, CA |
| Inland Empire Rising Stars ID (2029-2030 Grads) | CA | 03/30 | Corona High School - Corona, CA |
| Los Angeles Rising Stars ID (2029-2030 Grads) | CA | 04/27 | O'Malley Field - Sepulveda Basin, CA |
| 2025 Future Games Tryout: Fullerton | CA | 05/31 | Fullerton College |
| 2025 Future Games Tryout: Los Angeles | CA | 05/31 | Loyola Marymount University |
| 2025 Future Games Tryout: Malibu | CA | 05/31 | Pepperdine University - Malibu, CA |
| 2025 ProCase - West | CA | 06/01 | Loyola Marymount University - Los Angeles, CA |
| 2025 Future Games Tryout: Central California | CA | 06/07 | Antelope Valley College - Lancaster, CA |
| 2025 Future Games Tryout: Northern California | CA | 06/14 | Consumnes River College - Sacramento, CA |
MORE PREP BASEBALL NEWS
- CA WEEK 9 GAMES 4/20/25
- CA CIF Daily Roundup: April 18th 4/19/25
- CA Uncommitted Spotlight: '26 C/INF Michael Nonis 4/18/25
- CA CIF Daily Roundup: April 17th 4/18/25
- CA Uncommitted Spotlight: '26 RHP/OF Caden Atkinson 4/17/25
- CA CIF Daily Roundup: April 16th 4/17/25
- CA Uncommitted Spotlight: '26 C/OF Ian Brooke 4/16/25
- CA CIF Daily Roundup: April 15th 4/16/25
- CA CIF Daily Roundup: April 14th 4/15/25
- CA California Pitcher of the Week: Ben Lewis 4/15/25
Scouting Report
Yet again, Tillman provides a look that continues to grow his profile for me. Started in the OF and hitting in the middle of the lineup showed ability to adjust at back to at bat after rolling over a CHG in first at bat made the adjustment to stay back on a outer half FB lining it just foul before letting a CHG travel to shoot it to the left side for an RBI while beating out the throw. The better look on this game came in his 1IP on the mound. With an up-tempo delivery and loose quick arm, he pitched at 86–88 with his FB touching 89 multiple times. Flashed his CB with depth at 71–74 while throwing his CHG at 78–79 during warm-ups. Picked up one K during his work. The profile for me gives 2 – way potential as both a LHH OF and versatile LHP.
Isaiah Tillman, Royal High (CA), 2026
Positional Profile: LHP/OF Highly intriguing 2-way profile as a LHH OF who could play CF defensively and shows feel to hit with rising impact, plus an arrow LHP profile with upper 80's velo and a pair of really good offspeed pitches.
Body: 5-9, 161-pounds. Wiry athletic build with some leanness but emerging strength
Delivery: Hands set up above the chest off his body and remain quiet as he shifts his weight back to the balance point with his leg lift. Drops down into rear leg with a drop/drive movement down the mound that has athleticism and tempo. Shows feel to block his front leg and let his hips rotate around the front leg well. Aggressive tempo that he controls well.
Arm Action: LH. Shows loose fast arm speed with extension on his pitches from a full arm path with depth that gets to a high 3/4 release point and has some recoil after release.
FB: T87, 85-87 mph. Lively FB which has solid present velocity and life at the top of the zone with a straighter movement profile. Can get whiff. T1896, 1763 average rpm.
CB: 72-75 mph. Sharp vertical breaking CB with power to the break shows ability to get whiff T2510, 2252 average rpm.
CH: 78-78 mph. CHG tunnels well with his FB out of the hand and fade to the arm side with ability to kill spin and generate deception T1419, 1350 average rpm.
ATH: 7.29 runner in the 60. Builds low with burst off the line and shows short quick strides throughout.
Isaiah Tillman, Royal High (CA), 2026
Positional Profile: LHP/OF Highly intriguing 2-way profile as a LHH OF who could play CF defensively and shows feel to hit with rising impact, plus an arrow LHP profile with upper 80's velo and a pair of really good offspeed pitches.
Body: 5-9, 161-pounds. Wiry athletic build with some leanness but emerging strength
Hit: LHH. Wider set up with his feet with even toes and slight knee bend and hip hinge. High back elbow with hands set at ear height closer to his head with a flat bat angle. Deep shift onto his backside with a lengthy double toe tap that creates an aggressive forward move but he controls it with balance. Turns with quickness in his hips and ability to sink into his rear leg and use the ground. Rear shoulder drives through contact. Hands are direct into the zone with a shorter barrel path that stays flat through the zone for leverage. 67 mph bat speed with 26 G's of rotational acceleration.
Power: 95 max exit velocity, averaged 85.1 mph. 345' max distance. Keeps the ball of the ground with consistency and showed an interesting ability to catch the ball out front with authority and lift while adding strong top end EV which gives him pullside HR impact while profiling to middle of the field doubles power.
Arm: LH. OF-86 mph. Some depth in the path out of the glove with an aggressive arm action that gets carry to his throws while showing accuracy. Gives him 3 position versatility.
Defense: Aggressive defender who can cover ground shows instincts for the ball in the air and confidence to make plays which gives him a solid CF profile.
ATH: 7.29 runner in the 60. Builds low with burst off the line and shows short quick strides throughout.
Tillman is a bundle of energy who from the moment he entered the field at Antelope Valley College made it readily apparent how much he enjoys playing baseball. Then you add in the fact he is quite a talented two-way player who can perform and there is a lot to like about the rising '26 at Royal High School. Wiry athletic in his build with solid athleticism he looks the part of a CF/LF defender including making a pair of really good catches highlighted by covering a wide swath of turf to run down a tailing fly ball in foul territory down the LF line. Tillman demonstrated interesting impact from the LH side for his size and ability to use his body/hands to get the barrel to the baseball with authority. He peaked at 94.6 MPH on EV while posting a 71% sweet spot rate during BP. I'm a believer in the LH bat/OF profile for Tillman, but getting to stand behind him during his outing on the mound there is so much to like about what he does there. Tillman showed a FB in the 85-87 MPH range which he controls for strikes with a delivery that has intent and arm speed. I'm torn on whether I like his vertical breaking CB that he throws at 72-75 MPH and has bite downward coming out of the hand with a FB shape or his 77-78 MPH CHG which he kills spin on (1300 RPM range) that tumbles down in the zone. Tillman throws with confidence and competitiveness on the mound, but in reality he shows confidence/competitiveness across everything he does on a baseball field and is a name coaches need to be keeping close eyes on for the '26 class.