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Final Class of 2016 Rankings Released

June 17, 2016

By Matt Huck
Area Scout

The final rendition of the Class of 2016 Player Rankings were made live last week. There wasn’t much movement at the top, but a few interesting notes on some players with the draft over and one pop up guy.

15 players from the class of 2016 in Illinois were chosen in the MLB Draft, with some being courtesy picks. Overall the strength of the Class of 2016 is its depth, Though most of the high school players that were taken will not sign, look for this class to make an impact on the 2019 draft similar to what the Illinois Class of 2013 did this year.

Rank Name State School Class Pos Commitment
1 Cooper Johnson IL Carmel Catholic 2016 C Mississippi
2 Tyler Fitzgerald IL Rochester 2016 SS Louisville
3 Drake Fellows IL Joliet Catholic Academy 2016 RHP Vanderbilt
4 Cal Coughlin IL Lake Forest 2016 RHP Texas Christian
5 Ben Brecht IL New Trier 2016 LHP UC Santa Barbara
6 Brenden Heiss IL Jacobs 2016 RHP Arkansas
7 Jack Suwinski IL Taft 2016 OF Indiana
8 Jordan McFarland IL Waterloo 2016 OF Arkansas
9 Sam Ferri IL Notre Dame 2016 C Arizona State
10 Dalton Parker IL St. Joseph Ogden 2016 RHP Purdue


CLICK HERE for complete 2016 Class Rankings.

Going from general obscurity to the No. 15 spot in the class Jean Casanova (RHP, Waukegan) burst on to the scene this spring showing advanced feel for his three pitch mix. His performance this spring made him a 35th round selection of the Texas Rangers, without a commitment to a college there is a chance he signs with Texas despite the late round pick. Here is some video on Casanova from the spring.

One of the biggest risers in the rankings is Illinois State commit Brent Headrick (LHP, Reed-Custer) as he rises from No. 31 to No. 12.  Headrick had a big spring leading the Comets to the Class 2A State Title.  The 6-foot-6, 185-pound left-handed pitcher fits the profile of a high-end professional prospect, his fastball sits in the upper 80s and tops out at 90 mph. He went undrafted out of high school, but look for him again after three years at Illinois State.

Jack Suwinski (OF, Taft) jumps up two spots from No. 9 to No. 7. Suwinski was the first high school player drafted going in the 15th round by the San Diego Padres. Suwinski is committed to Indiana, but it could come down to the wire whether he signs or heads to Bloomington. Suwinski profiles as a corner outfielder with an above average hit tool.

Two undrafted players that made a little jump in the rankings were Tyler McAlister (RHP, Waterloo) and Christan Bullock (OF, Morgan Park) McAlister moves from No. 22 to No. 13 and Bullock goes from No. 19 to No. 15.

Look for this class of 2016 in Illinois to make some noise again in the 2019 MLB Draft after three years in college.

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