Illinois 2023 Rankings Updated

After a long winter showcase season – and about a month of live looks this IHSA season – we’re expanding and updating the state’s Class of 2023 Rankings. This is an enormous update, expanding from 35 to 125 players, made possible due to the number of impressive performances we have seen in the last handful of months. It is still really early for the crop of sophomores in Illinois, however, the state's 2023 class is looking strong at the top with depth throughout. There is not much separating the players who currently sit in the top-50 range as compared to the players closer to the No. 125 spot, per se.

Today, we’ll start by highlighting the top-10 players, a group that doesn’t look too much different to our previous updates, and we’ll also spotlight the prospects who performed well enough this past winter that they moved north up the board in this update.

We’ll also spend some time in an accompanying piece later on shouting out the players who are making their rankings debuts in this update, and, naturally, the large majority of those players are still uncommitted.

For now, here’s some insight on the news and notes from the top-10 players in the state. As well as the players who are on the rise in the class.

UPDATED TOP-10

+ One of the most substantial news items within this update is the new No. 1 overall prospect in this class: RHP Zander Mueth (Belleville East; Mississippi commit). It shouldn’t be a surprise following his performance at the Underclass Invitational, but Mueth has the makings of the kind of player who can run the table at the top of the rankings throughout the remainder of this class’ prep career. His showing at that event invoked PBR Executive Director Sean Duncan to compare his ceiling to the likes of a pair of big leaguers who passed through the early days of Prep Baseball Report events.

Zander Mueth (3/27/21)

Here’s his latest scouting report featured in the April 14 edition ‘The Hotlist’: “Mueth was hands down the top performer at the Underclass Invitational last month, as the Mississippi recruit is the complete package. Listed at 6-foot-4, 170 pounds, he looks every bit the part of a frontline arm. He works from a clean and easy 3/4 slot. The velo stands out on its own, as he sits 89-91, but the ease in which he does it separates him from others. He has impeccable command of an advanced three-pitch mix, including a slider and changeup.”

+ Zion Rose (Brother Rice; Louisville) remains the top-ranked position player in the state’s 2023 class, and he is ranked inside the national top-50 as well. We’ve been able to get a number of looks at the talented Rose this spring. Rose sits towards the top of the batting order and is athletic enough to play all over the diamond but his preferred spot is behind the plate. Rose has an impressive combination of strength/speed/power and an innate ability to find the barrel with authority in game. 

His report from this spring season (from April 23): “Muscular 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame. Strong lower body with superior strength in his forearms and hands. Short, compact swing with easy power, ball jumps off the bat. Advanced bat speed and works directly to the ball. Featured a leg kick that kept him in rhythm and on time. Defensively, continues to show advanced ability behind the plate; Frames and presents pitches in and around the zone, athletic/willing blocker. Above-average arm behind the plate for his age. Footwork is quick, athletic and efficient out of the crouch.”

+ Huntley has played its way into becoming the No. 1-ranked team in the state on our Power 25, and sophomore C Ryan Bakes (South Carolina) has been heavily involved in the team’s 18-1 start to their season. His compact physicality generates advanced right-handed bat strength, and it translates to premium arm strength from behind the plate. Bakes impressed a couple different occasions this winter moved up a spot on our board, and 16 spots up the national one. 

+ While Bakes rose over a dozen spots nationally, OF Trey Swiderski (Joliet Catholic; Louisville) is almost up 100 spots. He attended the Underclass Invitational and put on one of the most powerful rounds of batting practice we saw from any prospect this winter and of any age. Here’s a report from that event, published inside our Quick Hits (March 29): “... one of the more physically impressive prospects in the 2023 class. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, he looks the part of an imposing middle-of-the-lineup bat, and swings it with similar intent. He finished the day with the top average exit velocity in BP at over 97 mph off the bat, topping 103.6 one one of the day’s best hit balls. He’s a power athlete who adds a 6.80 run time and 93 mph arm to his profile.”

+ OF Dillon Head is yet another high-end prospect who has been standing out on varsity this spring. Head plays a lock-down center field and hits towards the top of the No. 12 ranked Homewood-Flossmoor lineup. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound left/left prospect has top-end speed that plays up on the diamond and he is ultra-aggressive on the bases. Also, a standout on the gridiron, Head is a dynamic athlete who should continue to be a mainstay towards the top of the 2023 rankings over the next few years.

Dillon Head (4/30/21)

+ Matt Sauser (Normal University) is a 6-foot-2, 160-pound right-handed pitcher with one of the highest-ceilings in the class. The Iowa commit has a starter profile and features some of the best spin-metrics in the class. At the Underclass Invitational this winter, Sauser pounded the bottom part of the zone behind an 87-89 mph fastball and paired it with an advanced curveball and slider, both of which spun at 2300+ rpm. Sauser’s curveball has topped at 2669 rpm in the past.  UC Invitational Quick Hits

+ Josh McDevitt, took one of the biggest leaps towards the top of the class, jumping 18 spots, now sitting at No. 10 in the class. McDevitt, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound, right-hander is the top uncommitted arm on our board, largely because of his eye-opening performance at the Underclass Invitational. At the event, McDevitt put on an impressive display of arm strength and spin with pitchability. He’s a low-effort 88-90 mph, topping at 91.7, the day’s highest mark. While he showed plus arm strength for his age, his ability to spin the baseball may be his biggest separator. He showed two distinct breaking balls, highlighted by his curveball that has plus-type depth and spin, revving at 2,600 to 2,800-plus rpm, in the 73-76 mph range. 

RHP Josh McDevitt (Effingham, 2023) is the latest breakout arm this evening. He sat 88-90 mph, T91-92, with jump and run. Advanced feel to spin CB; 2,700 to 2,800-plus rpm. CH features late action under the zone.#UnderclassInvitational | @ShooterHunt pic.twitter.com/D4bR214NVp

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) March 28, 2021

TOP-25 RISERS

Outside of the top-10 there were a number of revelations this winter that caused some high-end talent to rise towards the top of the class. The top three risers; No. 11 OF Kaden Griffitts (Williamsville), No. 12 C Colin Barczi (Naperville Central) and No. 13 UTIL/ATH Cal Sefcik (Marist) are all uncommitted position players who made a statement this winter and have carried it over to the spring. 

+ Griffitts is a hard-nosed left/left outfielder who showed one of the more advanced bats at the Underclass Invitational. Griffitts has a highly-repeatable swing with quick/strong hands, is consistently on time and drives the ball with authority and backspin off the barrel. Griffitts has also seen his foot speed (6.97 60) and arm strength (87 mph) tick up over the off-season.

+ Barczi has been a standout performer with an arrow up next to his name for the last couple of months and the trend only continued with his showing at the Underclass Invitational. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound backstop is an imposing right-handed hitter with 6.69 60 speed and some of the best power in the class. At the Underclass Invitational, Barczi matched the aforementioned Swiderski for the highest max exit speed of the event, measured at 103.6 mph, and also reached a 83 mph high from the crouch. Barczi’s right-handed swing stays inside the baseball and he hammered baseballs with authority to both gaps. A unique combination of physicality and athleticism, combined with highly advanced tools, have Barczi as one of the top 2023s on the market in Illinois.

Arguably the biggest winner from this year’s showcase circuit: C Colin Barczi (Naperville Central, 2023). Physical 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame with loud tools across the board. 6.69 runner in the 60, 101 mph Max EV, topped 83 mph from the crouch. #UnderclassInvitational pic.twitter.com/B4gXgKc3n6

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) March 27, 2021

+ Sefcik continues to add quality lean muscle to his 6-foot, 180-pound frame and showed an advanced combination of tools for his age this winter; ran a 6.90 in the 60, was 89 mph across the infield, and registered a peak exit velocity of 99.6 mph during BP. Sefcik’s bat looks to be his calling card and this spring he has done a little bit of everything for the No. 2 ranked team in the state, Marist. Sefcik has an impact right-handed bat, plays any position on the diamond and has even started on the mound when needed. Sefcik continues to see his stock pointing in the right direction.

+ Notre Dame commit, RHP Ryan Hussey (Providence Catholic) was another winter standout who has been getting his first taste of varsity baseball this spring. Hussey creates easy low-effort velocity with the makings of an above-average three-pitch mix.

+ INF Colin Schmitke (Stevenson) is another uncommitted prospect who continues to trend up. Schmitke has a solid all-around game with middle-of-the-order potential with the bat and the actions, hands and arm to play anywhere on the infield. 

+ RHP Andrew Ressler (Huntley) has long been a performer who continues to see his velocity and stuff tick up. The uncommitted 6-foot-1, 185-pound, right-hander has been getting starts this spring for No. 1 Huntley and runs his fastball up to 89 mph with an ever-improving breaking ball that spins close to 2700 rpm.

+ C/RHP Cooper Cohn (McHenry) was one of the top two-way prospects we saw all winter long. He flashed dynamic stuff on the mound; up to 88 mph with a hard-biting 75-76 mph curveball that spins at an average of 2667 rpm and an impact right-handed bat. At the plate, it is a fluid, quick right-handed bat with sneaky pull-side power and his arm strength plays well behind the plate. 

CLICK HERE for the entire 2023 Illinois Rankings.

Stay tuned over the coming days for more in-depth coverage of the 2023 Illinois rankings.

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