2022 Big Ten Recruiting Classes
December 9, 2021
Prep Baseball Report is conducting its annual review of recruiting classes, in which Nathan Rode and Shooter Hunt evaluate the current senior talent committed to programs in each of the Power Five conferences, as well as notable mid-majors—or as we like to call them, Power Majors—and the draft risk each of those classes carry. Numbers in the charts below denote where players are ranked in the 2022 Overall Rankings.
ILLINOIS
OVERVIEW: The Illini have consistently pulled in solid Midwest talent for several years and the 2022 class is no different. Sanchez is broad chester with a strong lower half at 6 feet, 215 pounds. He throws a heavy fastball that has been up to 94 and he hides it well with a short arm action. He also mixes in a sharp 11/5 curveball that tunnels well in the high 70s. Swartz was up to 94 at the Midwest ProCase last summer, thanks to good internal rotation velocities that give him a better fastball than expected out of his 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame. Illinois did venture a bit outside its usual recruiting territory to get Bennett, who stands at a strong and compact 6 feet, 190 pounds. He profiles as a top-of-the-order hitter with his blazing speed, but has the strength to leave the yard too. A pair of Canadians will cross the border for Champaign in SS Dylan O’Rae (Northern HS, ON) and RHP Liam Adamson (Oakridge HS, ON). O’Rae gives the Illini another dynamic runner with his sub-6.5 speed and it translates to the field where he shows feel for the barrel and aggressiveness on the bases. Adamson is undersized, but maintains his high-80s velocity, repeats his delivery well and throws strikes. A family lineage will continue in 2022 with SS Jayden Comia (Sandburg HS, IL), the younger brother of Branden, a fourth-year junior shortstop, and cousin to Jared, a freshman outfielder. The youngest Comia has a line-drive approach, working the middle of the field. Primarily a shortstop, he has seen time behind the plate where he has quiet, clean footwork, soft hands and advanced blocking ability.
DRAFT RISK: Low. The upside of Sanchez and Swartz, as well as the dynamic tools in Bennett, should intrigue scouts, but Illinois should see its class arrive intact.