Taking into consideration the late fall, winter season and national events such as the Super 60 scouted over the last couple of months, we have updated the Illinois 2019 rankings once again.

Over the course of the last four months, the depth of the class has continued to strengthen as well as some of the high-end talent at the top. This year’s senior class has a number of guys at the top who should draw plenty of pro interest this spring.

Leading the way, is RHP Quinn Priester (Cary-Grove), who has been a mainstay at the top of the class since the spring of 2017. Priester, a TCU commit, is the No. 20 HS prospect in the 2019 Overall rankings and the No. 47 prospect in the PBR Draft Board, which factors in all players eligible for the 2019 MLB Draft. Priester is one of the more polished arms to come through the Chicagoland area in quite awhile. He sits comfortably in the upper-80 to low-90’s, touches 93 and features four pitches all featuring above-average action.

Right behind Priester is LHP Michael Prosecky (Nazareth), a Louisville commit. Prosecky, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound, strong, projectable left-hander has a smooth delivery and his arm works clean and easy. Prosecky saw his stock skyrocket late last spring and into the summer when he started running his fastball up to 93 mph and pairing it with a sharp slider. He should a highly-sought after arm for pro scouts this spring.

Marist HS, our Preseason No. 1 team in the state, features Kendal Ewell and Jason Hodges; now the No. 3 and No. 4 prospects in the state. Ewell, made the biggest jump in the Top-10, moving from No. 6 to No. 3 and now finds himself in the HS Draft 100. Ewell, an Eastern Kentucky commit, has arguably made bigger gains in his game than any other player in the state over the past year. The always highly-projectable prospect, due to his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame and advanced tools, started to produce at a high-level in game this fall. Ewell has carried it over into the winter and turned in one of the more impressive performances at the February Super 60. Ewell ran a 6.53 60, was 94 mph from the outfield and was 102 mph off a tee with a wood bat. Beside the electric tools, his round of BP was eye opening. Ewell has a simple swing with extremely easy power in his bat. He stays short to the ball, has quick-twitch in his hands, and the ball jumps off the bat to all fields. Ewell is entering the spring season as one of the biggest buzz names in the state.

Kendal Ewell (2.6.19)

Hodges, an Arkansas commit, is a household name in the Midwest and rightfully so. Hodges has produced in game, against quality arms, in high-profile events. Hodges, along with Ewell, has some of the best raw power in the class and has shown it in game. Look for him to have a huge spring once again and draw plenty of pro interest leading up to the MLB Draft in June.  

Behind Hodges, at No. 5 in the state, is C Matt McCormick (St. Laurence), the most polished bat in the class. McCormick a 6-foot, 205-pound, left-handed bat, has been a middle-of-the-order mainstay for perennial power St. Laurence since his freshman year and was PBR Player of the Year last spring. All McCormick does is hit and hit at a high-level. He has loose, quick twitch hands, stays through the zone a long time, covers the entire plate and uses the whole field. He has advanced hand/eye, has a keen eye for the strike zone (struck out twice last spring) and can hit to all fields with authority. One can only guess the type of numbers the talented left-handed hitter will put up once again this spring.

Take a look at the rest of the Top-10 below:

TOP 10

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Quinn Priester	IL	Cary Grove	2019	RHP	Texas Christian
2	Michael Prosecky	IL	Nazareth	2019	LHP	Louisville
3	Kendal Ewell	IL	Marist	2019	OF	Eastern Kentucky
4	Jason Hodges	IL	Marist	2019	OF	Arkansas
5	Matt McCormick	IL	St. Laurence	2019	C	West Virginia
6	Zachary Lee	IL	Effingham	2019	RHP	Kentucky
7	Alex Helmin	IL	Providence Catholic	2019	OF	Arizona State
8	Andrew Wiegman	IL	Carmel Catholic	2019	SS	Louisville
9	Grant Leader	IL	Lyons Township	2019	RHP	Illinois
10	Brody Harding	IL	Moline	2019	SS	Illinois

 

For a complete look at the Top-275, CLICK HERE for Illinois 2019 Rankings.

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