Updated 2016 Overall Rankings: Where the Illinois Prospects Fit

November 25, 2014

By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

Today we released our updated 2016 overall rankings and several Illinois prospects hold prominent positions in the Prep Baseball Report coverage area of 19 states and a Canadian province (Ontario). Illinois is well represented as three prospects make appearances in the top ten and six overall in the top twenty.

Overall, 44 Illinois Class of 2016 prospects are represented in the overall rankings, which have extended to 350 total prospects. The high number speaks to the deep and talented class Illinois boasts, and it is conceivable that over 100 prospects in the state may make Division-I commitments in the next two years.

Joliet Catholic’s Drake Fellows rides a fastball that touched 94 mph this fall at the WWBA Underclass World Championships all the way to the No. 5 overall spot. Fellows generally sat in the 90-91 mph range from a deceptive, rotational delivery. The Vanderbilt commit also possesses one of the class’ better off-speed pitches, as he’s shown advanced command of a 78-82 mph slider that changes planes and breaks late. Though it is more than a year and a half away, his projectable 6-foot-5, 185-pound frame makes him one of the Midwest’s more intriguing 2016 draft prospects.

Carmel Mundelein’s Cooper Johnson is talked about in recruiting circles as one of the top 2016 catch-and-throw prospects not only in the Midwest, but the entire country. The Mississippi commit has reeled off 1.79-1.90 pop-times in showcase settings, and has shut down running games on the national stage, leading to his No. 7 overall rankings.

Jacobs High School’s right-handed pitcher Brenden Heiss is still uncommitted, with several offers on the table from national powerhouses. Heiss is third Illinois prospect in the top ten at No. 9 and impressed with easy low 90’s velocity this summer, touching as high as 95 mph at the PBR Future Games in early August.

Louisville commit Tyler Fitzgerald (Rochester HS) rises from No. 23 to No. 14 overall. The athletic and rangy shortstop is the highest ranked middle infielder in the coverage area. His speed was evident this fall on the basepaths (6.89 runner as a freshman in high school), and he projects to be able to stay at shortstop at higher levels.

Power hitting third baseman Joey Polak (Quincy Notre Dame) had a monster fall, impressing with his light tower power at several tournaments. Polak has garnered national attention for his bat, and has entered the discussion as one of the top power hitting prospects in the 2016 class.

Lake Forest’s Cal Coughlin, a switch-hitting third baseman who has also shown upper 80’s to low 90’s fastball velocity in the past, comes in at No. 19. The right-hander impressed in Jupiter against the Orlando Scorpions, loaded with 2015 national draft prospects such as Florida shortstop Brendan Rodgers (who’s in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick in the June MLB Draft) and Michigan outfielder Nick Plummer. Coughlin profiles as an everyday third baseman who may also be a shut-down reliever if his velocity stays at the higher end.

Click Here to view the Updated 2016 Overall rankings, extended to 350 prospects.

Over the next few days we will highlight Illinois prospects who have risen in the rankings, as well as those making their overall rankings debut.

Let’s take a look at where the rest of Illinois’ Top Prospects fit in our Updated 2016 Overall Rankings: