Prep Baseball Report

Inside The Illinois Rankings: 2022 Newcomers


By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

After another long winter showcase season was in the books, we updated and expanded the states 2022 rankings. With a number of showcases and events taking place, in that time, a plethora of new prospects and information was brought into the limelight.

The rankings expanded by over 50 prospects, meaning a number of new names and faces cracked the 2022 list for the first time. Today we take an inside look at some of the top newcomers to the list. 

The top newcomers in the state are dominated by a host of high-quality arms, all of which are still uncommitted except Kendall Lyons, the first newcomer on the list.

All of the newcomers listed below currently sit within the Top-150 in the state.

2022 NEWCOMERS

UIC commit, RHP Kendall Lyons (Warren), is the highest ranked newcomer on the updated list, coming in at No. 47. Lyons is a durable 6-foot-3, right-hander who showed off a well-rounded, effective three-pitch mix – while also adding newfound velocity at the South Milwaukee Preseason ID.. Up from an 84 mph high in 2020, Lyons sat at an easy 89-90 mph at the event and committed shortly there-after.

Kendall Lyons (3/7/21)

Uncommitted, RHP Christopher Bieniek (Niles Notre Dame) has seen his velocity climb 10 mph since our previous look in August of 2019 and has emerged as a high-follow arm still on the market. Bieniek is an intriguing upside RHP with a live, loose arm. At this winter’s Preseason All-State, the 6-foot-3, 197-pounder worked with a long, loose, upside arm action while sitting 86-89 mph, T90 mph (T2491 rpm) while showing an above average curveball at 70-74 mph with T2372 rpm.

6-foot-2, 175-pound, uncommitted, RHP Joseph Swanson (Pekin), enters the Illinois rankings after transferring to Pekin HS from Missouri. The live-armed right-hander emerged at last summer’s Chicagoland Open where he showed one of the livelier, high-ceiling arms in the class. Swanson topped at 89.4 mph according to TrackMan, sitting comfortably at 88 mph, with a max spin rate of 2,435 rpm. The slider was inconsistent but he flashed a couple good ones late in the bullpen with a max spin rate of 2,319 rpm. Upside arm with seemingly more velocity to come.

RHP Adam Guazzo (Huntley; uncommitted) impressed multiple times over the winter, most-recently at the Preseason All-State. At the event, Guazzo featured a polished repertoire with feel for four pitches. He worked the bottom of the zone with a running fastball that sat comfortably in the upper-80’s this winter and a deceptive changeup with fading action. Of both his breaking balls, the curveball looks slightly ahead, but both were able to land for strikes.

RHP Nathan Chapman (Jacobs; uncommitted) is another arm we were able to get multiple looks at this winter, with his strongest bullpen coming at the Preseason All-State. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed pitcher touched 89 mph (up three mph from January), sat 86-89 and showed off a hard-biting 78-79 mph curveball, thrown with aggression and feel. Chapman filled up the strike zone throughout and showed two present above-average offerings.

If you are looking for big spin rate metrics to dream on, RHP Max Hansmann (York; uncommitted) features some of the more intriguing stuff in the class. Built at a proportionally athletic, 6-foot, 173-pounds, Hansmann strung together an all-around impressive bullpen at the Lockport Preseason I.D. where he pumped his fastball in at 82-85 mph, topping 86 (up from 79-81 this past October) with a 2,364 rpm average. The separator for Hansmann is his curveball – a true swing-and-miss offering with sharp, late biting action that averaged a spin rate of 2,792 rpm, reaching a 2,856 high. Hansmann emerged as a high-follow with more velocity likely to come.

RHP Chase Martin (Roanoke-Benson; uncommitted) emerged at the final showcase of the winter season, the Joliet Preseason I.D. There, the long and lanky 6-foot-3, 146-pound right-hander showed an innate ability to spin the baseball. Martin features two distinct breaking balls, both well-above-average, with spin rates ranging from 2,400 rpm to north of 2,700 on his curveball. They both showed tight/sharp action on separate planes, giving him an intriguing four-pitch arsenal bookended by an 85-87 mph fastball and a changeup. 

One of the biggest surprises and winners from the Preseason All-State was RHP Carter Prochaska (Plainfield Central; uncommitted). The 6-foot-2, 170-pound, high-waisted, wide-shouldered, right-hander, featured one of the higher floors of the uncommitted arms in attendance. Still raw and figuring out his full arsenal, Prochaska seemed to be playing light catch during his bullpen, pounding the zone with his fastball that sat an effortless 86-87 mph. Prochaska’s slider is thrown at 69-71 mph with more conviction than his curveball, with his changeup showing feel for the bottom of the zone at 77-79 mph. High-upside 2022 arm.

Carter Prochaska (3/20/21)

The Peoria Preseason I.D. is known for bringing new names into the frey and this year was no different. One name that popped up from the event was RHP Jacob Pate (Beardstown, 2022). Pate is a strong bodied, strong armed RHP with an uptempo delivery creating energy down the mound over a high front side. He topped at 88 mph with a true four seam type fastball that flashed carry. Pate paired it well with good feel for a steep breaking ball that played with depth off of the riding fastball. At 72-73 mph his curveball showed confidence and conviction with occasional sharp bite.

Like the aforementioned Hansmann, RHP Matthew Cuzco (St. Ignatius; uncommitted) emerged at the Lockport Preseason I.D. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander brings a competitive, physically imposing presence to the mound. He routinely attacked the zone with an aggressive 83-86 mph fastball that topped at 87 mph, the second hardest bullet in the entire event. Cuzco backed that up and then some at the Preseason All-State sitting an even firmer 86-88 mph. Cuzco complements his fastball with both a slider and splitter, the former being the more presently advanced offering of the two - a tight spinning offering that flashed late, cutter-like action off a 10/4 plane. 

C/RHP Jacob Filip (Lakes Community; uncommitted) has legitimate two-way ability that he showed off multiple times this winter. Listed at 6-foot, 180 pounds, Filip is a left-handed hitting catcher with arm strength that offers intrigue on the mound as well. As a position player, Filip has an athletic, fluid left-handed swing, stays through the zone and works gap-to-gap. He also flashes sub-2.0 pop times and topped at 81 mph from the crouch at the McHenry Preseason I.D. On the mound, he shows advanced arm strength, sitting 86-88 mph (89.4 max), while flashing sink and running action at times. The offspeed is currently behind his lively fastball, but his slider showed promise, spinning at a max measured rate of 2,310 rpm.

INF Alex Vasquez (Evanston; uncommitted) showed some of the better infield actions that we saw at an open event this winter and earned an invitation to the Preseason All-State because of it. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound shortstop is a smooth defender with fluid, quick feet, plays natural on the move with soft confident hands and a quick arm that tops at 85 mph across the infield. He also has a compact right-handed swing, works the middle of the diamond and runs a 6.87 60.

 OTHER NEWCOMERS TO KNOW

Andrew Randazzo OF / Maine South , IL / 2022

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound, right-handed hitting outfielder made a statement at his first-ever PBR event. The highly-athletic outfielder ran a 6.68 laser-timed 60, has a compact simple swing with bat strength (92 mph exit velocity) and topped at 88 mph from the outfield.

Jack Armstrong RHP / Shiloh, IL / 2022

Armstrong immediately looks the part on the mound thanks to his 6-foot-5, 230-pound, extra-large, well-proportioned frame. At the Chicago Preseason I.D. his fastball came out of the hand with ease and pounded the bottom of the zone at 83-84 mph. His curveball plays with late, tight action on an 11/5 plane, consistently landing for strikes at 73 mph. The changeup is also an above-average offering with feel for the bottom of the zone at 76-78 mph. Armstrong is a high-floor pitchability arm with what seems to have more in the tank.

David Smith RHP / Tremont , IL / 2022

Smith, who made his PBR-debut at the Peoria Preseason I.D. is an extra large 6-foot-5, 225-pound, right-hander who ran his fastball up to 85 mph with a max spin rate of 2263 rpm. He also showed a curveball with depth at 67-69 mph (2118 max rpm) and a changeup in the mid-70’s.

Ryan Ball 1B / RHP / Lincoln Way East, IL / 2022

Ball made a strong first impression on the mound at the Lockport Preseason I.D. Built at a physical 6-foot-3, 215-pound broad-shouldered frame, Ball routinely attacked the zone with his 85-87 mph fastball that played straight with some occasional downhill tilt to it. He showed the ability to confidently spot up a fading changeup on the arm-side of the plate and also landed several curveballs with 12/6 spin for strikes.

Matt Miscik RHP / Highland , IL / 2022

The 6-foot, 210-pound, Miscik, who hails from Southern Illinois, has a strong, lively arm that sat 87-89 mph during his bullpen at the Preseason All-State. Miscik also features a four-pitch repertoire which includes a tight-spinning curveball in the upper-60's with an average of 2492 rpm, T2572.

Wes Hunt RHP / Peoria Christian, IL / 2022

The 6-foot-7, 195-pound, Hunt, was one of the more projectable arms in attendance at the Peoria Preseason I.D. Hunt is still growing into and harnessing his long, loose-limbed frame but his arm works clean and quick and he ran his fastball up to 88 mph this winter. Don't be surprised to see this name continue to climb the board over the rest of his high school career.

Trent Koehler SS / Lincoln Community , IL / 2022

Koehler was one of the biggest surprises from the Peoria Preseason I.D.  The 5-foot-10, 175-pound, right-handed hitter, showed a plus arm across the diamond that topped at 91 mph, ran a 7.13 laser-timed 60 and took a noteworthy round of BP. Koehler stays short and level to the baseball and consistently made hard, line-drive contact up the middle of the diamond with a top exit velocity of 92 mph.

Jake Collins OF / Lockport , IL / 2022

Collins has an impressive combination of tools to go along with an intentful/strong right-handed swing. Collins ran a 6.69 this winter, was 88 from the outfield and registered an exit velocity of 101 mph during BP. His furthest ball during BP also travelled 367 feet. 

CLICK HERE for the updated Illinois 2022 rankings.

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