ICYMI: Illinois Week In Review

December 17, 2017
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

This week at PBR Illinois the Overall 2020 rankings were updated and expanded, we rolled out a number of Illinois centric Unsigned Senior Spotlights, Nathan Rode and Shooter Hunt broke down the SEC 2018 Recruiting Classes in two editions of “Coffee and Curveballs” and much more.

Below is a look at all of the Illinois news from December 11th - December 17th:

UPDATED AND EXPANDED 2020 RANKINGS

Not yet half way through its high school experience, the Class of 2020 seems eager to hurry off to college, as more than half of the newly expanded Top 300 has verbally committed to universities across the country. This vicious pace of recruiting has forced recruiters to make earlier decisions, and while talks of change have heated up considerably, change will not happen without action.

Having said this, the elite talent that the 2020 class holds has quickly proven itself to be more than capable of backing up the early commitments. The PBR staff scoured the baseball landscape throughout the fall at events far and wide, giving us the ability to confidently expand the list to 300 players.

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ILLINOIS RECRUITING ROUNDUP

Every Friday National Scouting Supervisor Nathan Rode provides a roundup of insider recruiting information and commitments throughout the PBR coverage area: The Buzz. Click Here to take a look at this week’s National Buzz. With that in mind, let’s take an in depth look at the Illinois prospects who have committed to colleges, with detailed scouting information.

Anthony Mangano, INF, Lake Zurich, 2020
Iowa
9.23.17 - Currently ranked No. 10 in Illinois’ Class of 2020 and No. 188 overall. 5-foot-11, 165-pound, athletic, savvy, left-handed hitting middle infielder. Defensively, smooth, athletic actions, high ¾ slot, quick, fluid footwork, quick, clean on exchanges, maintains body control. Offensively, sees the ball well, loose hands, maintains barrel control, was able to get on top of a high fastball for a base hit.

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“On The Hunt” 2020 RANKINGS UPDATE

The updated and expanded 2020 Rankings was released this week, and is now up to 300 players. On the Hunt, checks out eight players (four uncommitted) who have continued to progress, and could break out even more this spring/summer. Of the players featured, four are left-handed pitchers to go along with two right-handers, a switch-hitting catcher, and a game-changing shortstop.

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“The Hotlist” Unsigned Seniors

Last month, seniors across the country signed National Letters of Intent during the Early Signing Period, making their verbal commitments official. However, the recruiting process never ends and there are still seniors capable of playing at the college level looking for a program. Listed alphabetically below are some of the top available 2018s from Prep Baseball Report’s coverage area.

McCade Brown, RHP, Normal West HS, IL
Brown is a long-limbed, projectable righty with a 6-foot-5, 185-pound frame. He finished the spring as the ace of Normal West’s staff and was earned first-team honors in his conference. In conference play, he struck out 61 in 36.1 innings and had a 1.54 ERA. He works with a long, loose arm action and easy effort throughout his delivery. At an event late in the summer, Brown sat 85-87 and showed feel for three pitches.

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ICYMI: Illinois Week In Review

UPDATED AND EXPANDED 2020 RANKINGS

ILLINOIS RECRUITING ROUNDUP

“On The Hunt” 2020 RANKINGS UPDATE

“The Hotlist” Unsigned Seniors

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