Illinois 2022 Rankings: Newcomers & Risers

December 18, 2020
By Andy Sroka & Drew Locascio
Illinois Staff

On Thursday, the PBR Illinois staff released the freshly updated state Class of 2022 Rankings. We learned a lot this fall with the help of several PBR Illinois showcases in September and October, as well as a few tournaments in the area, which allowed us to expand the board by 25 names.

Thursday’s post delved into this top-75 more closely, and the most prominent names with arrows pointed up headed into the offseason. Today’s post will feature analysis regarding the prospects either debuting on the rankings within this update, or climbing up the charts just beyond that top-75 list, covered earlier.

TOP-100 NEWCOMERS

October’s Class of 2022 Showcase once again features heavily here, as it really helped our staff learn of some need-to-know talent deserving of a spot on Illinois’ 2022 rankings. Most of the prospects debuting on this list used that event as a launching pad to debut on the board.

Patrick Graham SS / Naperville North, IL / 2022

The prospect debuting the highest up the board, at No. 47 overall: Graham emerged as an athletic middle infielder to follow after his PBR debut last Sunday. Graham has a well-proportioned, athletic, 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame and moves like a high-end defender at shortstop. He has all the actions and can range with ease to both sides while making all the off balance plays look routine. His arm has plenty of carry to stick at short and the hands and actions will certainly keep him there at the next level. Offensively he has an easy swing with a whippy barrel through the zone and the ball jumps off the bat. Results were mixed during BP, but there is a lot to like in Graham’s overall profile.

Christian Mitchelle SS / RHP / Plainfield East, IL / 2022

Mitchelle was one of the biggest winners from the aforementioned Class of 2022 Showcase, as far as position players go. Just examining the tools, Mitchelle has an above-average combination of characteristics across the board. Listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds, he’s well-proportioned in a strong build, and he ran a 6.91 in the 60-yard dash to get his day started. He impressed from station to station after that, registering a 97 mph high in exit velocity, topping 89 mph across the diamond, and reaching 87.1 mph off the mound. A high-follow two-way name to know by next spring.

Chase Adams LHP / OF / Normal University , IL / 2022

Another two-way follow, Adams is an athletic, high-waisted 6-foot-2, 165-pound left-handed-hitting two-way player. Offensively, he has a simple, quiet approach and uses the big part of the diamond. His bat speed averaged 73.0 mph, according to Blast Motion, and he registered a max exit velocity of 96.0 mph that carried at a max distance of 354 feet during BP, via TrackMan. His upside frame moves exceptionally well in the outfield with fluid actions and well-above-average arm. However his biggest upside quality may just lie on the mound, where he topped at 87 mph and flashed a 2,500 rpm spinning curveball from the left side.

Owen Ross SS / C / Yorkville, IL / 2022

Ross is a strong, 6-foot-2, 190-pound, right-handed hitter who worked out on the infield and behind the plate at that Class of 2022 event. Offensively, he has an aggressive approach with loose-levers and present bat speed. Ross works short and level to the zone, driving balls to both gaps. He recorded a max exit velocity of 97.1 mph during batting practice, as evidence of this. Defensively, he’s a loose athlete who plays through the ball well with soft hands. His arm really stood out with its liveliness and ability to play athletically from multiple angles and off balance.

Teddy Andrews LHP / Hinsdale Central, IL / 2022

The Hinsdale Central southpaw was yet another standout from the fall’s Class of ‘22 event. Andrews is a live-armed 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, with plenty left in his tank. It’s a loose, quick arm out of a high ¾ slot and it plays with ease at 82-83 mph, featuring an above-average breaking ball, at 69-71 mph.

Roman Harrison LHP / Mount Vernon Township, IL / 2022

Harrison made a significant jump on the mound from a previous PBR event earlier this summer. Topping at 87 mph, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound southpaw jumped five mph in four months. He brings above-average arm speed out of a long, high ¾ slot and showed a 1/7 curveball and changeup.

MORE NEW FOLLOWS

+ RHP Adam Wiborg (St. Francis; uncommitted): An upside 6-foot-5, 190 pounds, with a compact, quick arm that featured a feel for three pitches in the fall, where he was up to 83.9 mph at a PBR event.

+ OF Ryan Snell (Benet Academy; uncommitted): A strong, athletic 6-foot-2, 194 pounds, Snell took a loud round of batting practice this fall for us – up there with some particularly strong junior standouts. He averaged an exit speed of nearly 90 mph and showed some power potential, too.

+ INF Ian Blazier (Nashville; San Diego commit): Blazier is reportedly an athletic sub-7.00 runner with a loose, projectable left-handed swing, and he has the traits to stick up the middle defensively.

+ 1B Caleb Royer (Grant Community; uncommitted): Listed at a physical 6-foot-4, 175 pounds, Royer’s simple right-handed swing helps him make natural and efficient use of his size, creating natural lift through impact. He also occupies first base well, defensively.

+ INF Hunter Brewer (Gibson City; uncommitted): With proportional strength inside his 5-foot-10, 180-pound stature, Brewer takes a simple, strong round of batting practice from the right side. He’s also a pretty steady defender on the infield with above-average arm strength.

+ C Jack McNamara (Lyons Township; uncommitted): A 6-foot-1, 185-pound, left-handed-hitting catcher who put together a consistent, polished round of BP at the Class of 2022 Showcase. McNamara has a simple, repeatable stroke that is direct to the ball with natural lift, routinely driving balls into the pull-side gap. McNamara averaged an exit velocity of 83.9 mph during BP, with a max of 93.3, and he slugged a ball at a max distance of 342 feet.

+ C Kyle Odeshoo (Prospect; uncommitted): Inside a durable 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, Odeshoo put together a nice weekend offensively in the summer at a PBR Wisconsin tournament and then he backed it up with a strong performance at a fall showcase. There, he recorded above-average bat and hand speeds which helped him connect for repeated hard-hit contact, while also taking some of the most efficient rounds of catcher defense.

+ It’s also worth mentioning a trio of Breese Central prospects debuting within this update, following strong showings at the St. Louis Open: RHP Landon Geragosian, RHP Easton Rakers, and INF/RHP Dalton Boruff. Geragosian debuted the highest among the three, generating above-average spin rates on the 82-85 mph fastball with six feet of extension. Rakers’ quick arm has him ranked just under his teammate, and he also reached an 85 mph high, while flashing big run and carry.

MORE RISING PROSPECTS

We covered previously ranked prospects who made moves up the board within the top-75 overall yesterday, but we’ll briefly cover a handful more names to know who landed just outside that number.

Brandon Bak LHP / OF / Plainfield North, IL / 2022

At the PBR Midwest Fall Championships, Bak stole some attention as a productive two-way performer for his travel club. Here’s his report from that weekend (9/13): 6-foot, 160-pound, high-waisted, athletically-built, two-way prospect; Could have been in the running for MVP of the weekend thanks to his performance at the plate and on the mound. At the plate, was locked in throughout the weekend. Pre-pitch rhythm, stays within himself and lets his hands work. Whippy, loose hands, covers the entire plate, uses the whole field and was on the barrel in seemingly every at-bat. Line-drive approach and feel for the barrel. Also threw a gem early in the weekend where he struck out 11 in 5.1 innings pitched. Follow 2022 two-way prospect trending up.

Nick Daugherty OF / Brother Rice, IL / 2022

Daugherty had one of his more impressive performances to date in front of our staff at the Class of 2022 Showcase. In the outfield, he took aggressive routes to the baseball and he played through it with intent and a plus-type arm that showed the ability to carry to the target. The light-footed actions showed similarly in the 60 where he posted a 7.06 time. Offensively, Daugherty has a quiet, easy right-handed swing that stays compact, and it led to a lot of hard contact throughout his round of BP.

Jameson Sheehan RHP / Cary-Grove, IL / 2022

Sheehan is also a highly touted quarterback recruit, and it’s easy to imagine him on at the helm of an offense on the gridiron, standing at a physical 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. Sheehan’s physicality shows itself in his fastball velo, reaching an 87 mph high during his bullpen at the Class of ‘22 Showcase. But it was the four-seamer’s characteristics that propelled Sheehan onto this list of highlight-worthy performances. His fastball spin rate ranged between 2,400 and 2,500 rpm, helping its above-average velo play up even more so at the top of the zone. His curveball featured some depth, too, at 67-69 mph with some feel to spin it and locate it.

Blake Edmonds OF / 2B / Hinsdale Central, IL / 2022

Edmonds took one of the more impressive rounds of the Class of 2022 Showcase. A left-handed hitter, listed at a strong, 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, he translates his physicality into his swing, where he creates advanced bat speed while staying connected. Edmonds has natural lift in his swing and routinely found the barrel for loud and hard contact. According to TrackMan, Edmonds top exit velocity during BP was 94.6 with a max distance of 340 feet. Defensively, he projects best in a corner outfield spot, but he showed some versatility as an athlete capable of holding his own at second base.

Matthew Karbowski INF / RHP / Hampshire, IL / 2022

Karbowski improved across the board statistically from June to October, at that same Class of ‘22 Showcase. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound two-way prospect showed one of the top arms across the infield at 88 mph, and he’s a natural on the dirt with soft hands while playing with an uptempo bounce to his game with above-average footwork – he ran a 7.10 in the 60-yard dash as evidence of this, another area of his game that improved from his latest PBR performance. Karbowski also swings an athletic right-handed swing that found a number of barrels in BP with an average exit velocity of 84.6 mph during BP. On the mound, his quick arm produces a fastball that plays with life through the zone at 83-84 mph.

CLICK HERE for the complete 2022 Illinois rankings.