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2023 Illinois Rankings Updated

December 23, 2021
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

The 2023 class in Illinois gets one more shakeup before the year ends, and in this update we look at some of the late fall action, including a couple of showcases and tournaments. The update warranted  the addition of 16 new prospects to the list with a number of others climbing throughout. In total, the Illinois 2023 class has expanded from a top-175 to a top-190 overall.

The order of the top-10 players in the state's class – which is one of the strongest top-10s we have had in many years – did not change in this update.

The top four prospects in the Illinois class each sit inside the top-60 of the national rankings, with RHP Zander Mueth, coming it at No. 11. In total, 18 prospects from Illinois found themselves in the updated national rankings.

TOP-40 RISERS

When looking just outside the top-10, OF Brayden Bakes (Huntley; Wichita State commit) and INF Cal Sefcik (Marist; Indiana), two members of Team Illinois at this summer’s PBR Future Games, jump a couple of spots towards the top of the rankings. Bakes, a physical left-handed hitter with top-end speed and power, now sits at No. 12 while Sefcik, a hard-nosed gamer with advanced bat speed is at No. 15.


Recent Illinois commit, INF Jake Zitella (St. Charles East), had a big 2021 and it continued into the fall. Everytime we got our eyes on the 5-foot-11, 185-pound, right-handed hitter, he proved he is one of the top right-handed bats in the class. Zitella, who jumps 15 spots to No. 21, has a knack for making loud contact and left the yard a number of times in our looks throughout the year.

Jake Zitella (7/16/21)

INF Tony Konopiots (Downers Grove North), is another prospect who capped off an impressive 2021 campaign with a strong fall. Konopiots was one of the top prospects at the Battle For The Arch this fall and committed to West Virginia shortly after the event. Konopiots is a well-rounded prospect with upside to all parts of his game; especially his simple, polished right-handed swing. Konopiots is up seven spots to No. 32. 

St. Louis commit, 3B Graham Mastros (New Trier), showed well multiple times this fall, including the Class of 2023 Showcase in Ocotber. Here is what we had to say about Mastros from the event:

Arguably the top prospect in attendance, CIF Graham Mastros (New Trier) continues to cement himself as one of the top right-handed power bats that is still on the market in the state’s 2023 class. Built at a physical 6-foot-2, 225-pounds with room to add even more muscle, Mastros kicked his workout off by running an impressive 6.73 in the 60-yard dash. He then proceeded to take the day’s loudest round of batting practice, thumping multiple balls deep into the pull-side gap at 98+ mph, peaking at 99.4 mph - leading the event by nearly five miles per hour. His furthest batted ball traveled 362 feet. He held his own on defense as well and showcased a strong, accurate arm that topped at 87 mph across the diamond. Mastros is amongst the state’s top uncommitted prospects.

RHP Calvin Proskey (Oak Park-River Forest) had a lingering injury late this summer that kept him out of the Future Game contention but the recent UC-Santa Barbara commit showed he was back to his old self this fall at The Rock. Here is what we saw at the late September tournament:

Toeing the rubber on Saturday morning for Cangelosi Sparks - North was RHP Calvin Proskey (Oak Park - River Forest), who turned in one of the weekend’s most dominant starts. The long-limbed 6-foot-2, 155-pound Proskey struck out 12 batters in a complete game effort, helping lead the Sparks to a win. He relentlessly attacked hitters with an 83-86 mph fastball that came out clean from a loose, live arm. Proskey started to gain more feel for his breaking ball more as his start went on, landing it for strikes in the latter innings. The ease and fluidity that Proskey worked with downhill suggests a relatively high ceiling moving forward. 

Left-handed hitting infielder Ryan Niedzwiedz (West Aurora) is one of the top uncommitted prospects on the rise from the fall. Niedzwiedz started to tap into his power potential this fall at the PBR Fall Championship and has shown the ability to stay on the left-side of the diamond. Niedzwiedz is up seven spots to No. 36. Here is a report on him from 9/17/21:

The left-handed hitting Niedzwiedz enjoyed a productive weekend offensively throughout the PBR Fall Championships, including on Sunday when we got an up-close look at the 6-foot, 185-pound uncommitted infielder. Hitting towards the top of Elite Baseball Training’s lineup, Niedzwiedz owns innate barrel feel from the left side and showed well, juicing two noticeably hard line drives on Sunday morning. He profiles as a potential middle-of-the-order bat at the next level that’s capable of working to all fields and could also consistently hit for gap-to-gap power should he start to elevate the baseball on a more consistent basis. Niedzwiedz also showed capable, sure-handed actions on the dirt with a strong arm across the infield that played accurately to the bag. Still uncommitted, Niedzwiedz is presently ranked inside the state’s top-50 prospects for the 2023 class.

TOP 100 NEWCOMERS

LHP LeBaron Lee Jr. (Yorkville) is the top newcomer on the list at No. 75. Lee, an Illinois State commit, is a physical specimen with a clean arm and sits comfortably in the low-to-mid 80’s with much more velocity to come down the road. Given the size and easiness in the arm it would not be a surprise tp continue to see Lee move up the list even more moving forward.

INF Cole Funkhouser (Edwardsville) was another standout from the fall Battle For The Arch, and he enters the rankings for the first time at No. 84. Here is a report on Funkhouser from the event:

Funkhouser was yet another first-time PBR participant who left a lasting impression. Funkhouser showed a fluid, loose swing with a feel to hit during BP; routinely lining balls to all fields while staying within himself. He then showed off some of the better infield actions during the workout portion which carried over to game play. Funkhouser looked comfortable on the move, ranging with ease to both sides and showing body control. During game play, Funkhouser made a web-gem type of play on a ball up the middle that he fully-extended for, spun and fired an accurate throw to first. He has an innate feel for the game, confident/sure hands and high-baseball IQ. Upside middle infielder who seems to just be scratching the surface of his potential. Also, ran a 6.93 laser-timed 60.

INF Sohrab Rezaei (University of Chicago Laboratory Schools) was a major winner after this year’s PBR Midwest Fall Championships, debuting on this updated list inside the top-100. A scrappy, gamer-type, here’s a quick nugget on him from that weekend: 

“A standout performer from Sunday’s event, Rezaei made a handful of quality plays in the field for Top Tier Americans in their final game of the day. Rezaei’s glove profiles as an asset up the middle with the foot speed, hands, and instincts to stick there in the long run. He showed strong body control on a run through play and also helped turn an impressive double play in a crucial moment for Top Tier. Offensively, Rezaei worked a deep count in his first at-bat of the game, fouling off multiple pitches and spoiling secondaries before eventually finding his way on base. He also poked a few balls the other way, showcasing bat speed and high bat-to-ball skills with little swing-and-miss.” 

1B Owen Cornett (DuQuoin), like the aforementioned Funkhouser, made his noise this fall at the Battle For The Arch in late September. Report on Cornett:

Cornett made the absolute most of his first-ever PBR event this fall at the ‘Battle for the Arch’ down in Sauget. There, Cornett first stood out physically with his 6-foot-4, 220-pound build that looks fit to occupy the middle of any lineup, complementing his first base profile, too. A left-handed hitter, Cornett has a fluid, strong swing built for elevating the baseball to the pull-side of the diamond with authority. He registered a max exit velocity of 98 mph during batting practice and his best batted ball traveled a distance of 379 feet, leaving the yard on a number of occasions during BP. Cornett’s performance at the event helped earn him a place inside the top-100 this update.

A LOOK AT THE TOP 10 PROSPECTS

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Zander Mueth IL Belleville East 2023 RHP Mississippi
2 Ryan Bakes IL Huntley 2023 C South Carolina
3 Parker Detmers IL Glenwood 2023 RHP Louisville
4 Dillon Head IL Homewood Flossmoor 2023 OF Michigan
5 Zion Rose IL Brother Rice 2023 C Louisville
6 Colin Barczi IL Naperville Central 2023 C Vanderbilt
7 Brady Louck IL Plainfield East 2023 LHP Notre Dame
8 Tore Indomenico IL St. Ignatius 2023 LHP Notre Dame
9 Matt Sauser IL Normal University 2023 RHP Iowa
10 Josh McDevitt IL Effingham 2023 RHP Missouri


*CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED ILLINOIS 2023 RANKINGS *


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