Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Updated Illinois Class of 2017 Rankings: Prospects New to the Rankings - Part 3

December 4, 2014

By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

Back in August we released our inaugural 2017 class rankings, which included twenty of the top sophomores in Illinois. Yesterday, we extended that list to fifty prospects, as the fall season allowed the Prep Baseball Report scouting staff to track down emerging talent at tournaments and showcases.

Today we’ll take a look at new prospects to the rankings in the 41-50 range, providing a short scouting report on them. We have a considerable amount of scouting information (video and verified statistics) on prospects who have attended a PBR event, but it is not a prerequisite to enter the rankings as any worthy prospect we come across on the scouting trail merits consideration.

Prospects looking to enter the rankings are encouraged to request an invite to the PBR Underclass Invitational on January 18th at the MAX in McCook, IL. CLICK HERE to request an invite.

Prospects New to the 2017 Rankings

41. Aaron Rot, RHP, Christian Liberty
Lanky 5-foot-11, 165-pound right-handed pitcher sat 80-83 mph from long, loose, high 3/4 arm slot in a showcase setting. Lands 72-73 mph curveball for strikes, the making of a power 11/5 breaking ball. 77-78 mph changeup flashes occasional plus arm side run. Rot was not well known on the travel circuit, and had a coming out party of sorts this fall

42. Bryan Truitt, RHP, Rockford Christian
6-foot-1, 155-pound lanky and athletic right-handed hitting outfielder/right-handed pitcher hits from an open setup, hands load back, short stride, long, slightly uphill bat path produced 76 mph exit velocity off the tee. Defensively, threw 80 mph in the outfield from long, over-the-top arm slot. Impressed more with projectability on the mound. Fastball sat 79-81 mph with downhill angle from long, loose, high ¾ slot, toe up at balance point, tall-and-fall type delivery, works slightly across his body, lands slightly closed, spins off heel, athletic finish, slide steps from the stretch occasionally. 11/5 curveball sat 70-73 mph with sharp break. 74-76 mph slider with 10/4 shape and true slider tilt is a plus pitch for age level.

43. Brady Corrigan, RHP, Plainfield North
6-foot-2, 185-pound strong, athletic pitcher that shows good projectability on the mound impressing as the No. 4 overall prospect at the 2013 Chicagoland Open. He throws from a high ¾ slot, with a long arm and regular effort, with a tall and fall style delivery. He showcased a straight fastball sitting 80-81 mph, touching 82 mph, and was able to throw it for strikes. His curveball has an 11/5 shape to it, showing a touch of depth at 65-67 mph. His changeup flashed quality fading action and came in at 70-74 mph.

44. Michael Gunnart, OF/1B, Niles West
6-foot-2, 175-pound right-handed hitting outfielder/first baseman is a premium athlete who impressed this spring as a freshman playing varsity at Niles West. Gunnart is only the fourth freshman to make the varsity squad at Niles West during head baseball coach Garry Gustafson’s 29-year tenure.

45. Tyler Woynerowski, 3B/RHP, St. Rita
6-foot, 190-pound two way player with high quality projectability impressed at 2013’s Chicagoland Open as the No. 3 overall pitching prospect. On the mound his delivery has rhythm and is athletic. He throws from a high-¾ slot with a short arm that shows solid acceleration. He threw a fastball with occasional run that sat 80-81 mph, touching 82 mph once. His curveball had a sharp sweeping action to it, sitting 66-68 mph. In the infield he showed quality hands while throwing the same high-¾ slot at 73 mph. At the plate he has a balanced setup and uses a leg kick trigger and has solid bat speed. His exit velocity off the tee was 78 mph. He ran a 7.78 60.

46. Andy Lopez, C, Brother Rice
6-foot-1, 197-pound catcher, solid build, typical catchers build, strength with sturdy lower half was named the No. 3 overall catcher at this summer’s 2017 Top Prospect Games. Defensively possesses excellent catch and throw abilities, short arm action, 73 mph out of the crouch, posted pop times at 2.08-2.18. Excellent in game catching instincts, blocks well, knowledge for the game. Offensively hits from the right side, balanced stance, smooth loading action with short stride, good balance throughout. Flashed pop in BP, pull side approach, strong build shows power potential, 86 mph exit velocity from the tee.

47. Kenny Swart, RHP, Lincoln-Way East
6-foot-3, 210-pound physically strong right-handed pitcher was named the No. 7 overall pitching prospect at this October’s Underclass Showcase. Works from a long, loose, ¾ arm slot, easy effort, toe down at balance point, loads front knee over rubber, lead leg swings out and around with toe up, lands towards first base side, shoulders level throughout delivery, lands square. Fastball sat 80-82 with arm side run, horizontal movement. 12/6 knuckle curve thrown hard at 71-74 mph, makings of a power swing-and-miss pitch. 73-75 mph changeup thrown aggressively with arm side run, more sinking action than fastball. Swart has the makings of a three pitch mix, and a prototypical pitcher’s build. He’s a prospect to follow closely in the 2017 class over the next three years.

48. Alex Skibba, RHP/SS, Peoria Notre Dame
5-foot-10, 135-pound two-way player, long legged, thin build, projects well. Skibba was named the No. 8 overall pitching prospect at this October’s Underclass Showcase. Showed higher upside on the mound, delivery has athleticism, arm action is long and loose, high ¾ slot, quick arm. Fastball has run, showed knowledge of the zone, sat 80-81 mph. Curveball played, advanced for age, 12/6 shape, tight spin showed depth, 67-68 mph with feel for the zone. Showed a knuckleball as third pitch, 68-69 mph. Showed presence on the mound, good body language and tempo. Offensively hits from the right side, open stance. Loose hands creates whip, lacks some repeatability, excess pre pitch movement. Raw bat speed, 85 mph exit velocity from the tee. Defensively has a long loose arm action, flashes some quick twitch action in the infield. Arm played at 82 mph across the diamond. Runs the 60 at 7.52. High upside prospect, strong follow.

49. Connor McCormick, C, Manteno
6-foot, 140-pound multi-positional player was named the No. 4 overall catcher at this summer’s 2017 Top Prospect Games. Defensively, shows above-average arm strength behind plate, registering 76 mph from crouch with top pop times of 2.03, 2.04. Accuracy varied, effort in throw. Shows athletic feet behind plate. Offensively, hits from balanced setup, bars arm on load, some length in swing, recorded 80 mph exit velocity. On the mound, has short, quick arm action, over-the-top slot. Fastball ranged between 77-78 mph, while curveball sat between 65-68 mph.

50. Eastin May, C, Joliet West
6-foot, 170-pound lanky, projectable right-handed hitting catcher impressed this spring as the starting varsity catcher on Joliet West’s run to the Sectional Championship. Hits from an open setup with hands starting high, and dropping down to load creating level bat path and 75 mph exit velocity.  Upper body gets rotational at times in swing, opening up early on pitches on the outer half, but showed strength to his pull side.  Defensively, shows solid catch and throw skills with pop times ranging between 2.10-2.19 from short, over the top arm action with carry.  Throws 73 mph from the crouch.  Runs a 7.51 60.

Recent Headlines

1.18.15 IL Underclass Slide