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Illinois 2022 Rankings Updated

September 22, 2020
By Andy Sroka & Drew Locascio
Illinois Staff

With the arrival of fall, it’s time to collect all of the information we’ve gathered from the long summer baseball season and use it to update our state’s Class of 2022 rankings. The PBR Illinois staff is gathering and assessing its scouting reports, video, and notes collected throughout this past summer’s atypical circuit.

Recently, the PBR national team updated the country’s Class of 2022 Rankings, a top-500 list that included 16 prospects from Illinois. The state’s ‘22 class is shaping up to be a particularly memorable one, with the top of the list filled with players with the caliber to be No. 1 overall types in one way or another – and each of the top five are stirring interest from a professional level already.

Before we unveil the new-look top-175, let’s take a closer view at Illinois updated top-10 prospects:

Retaining his No. 1 overall status inside this update is 6-foot-1, 195-pound OF Alex Stanwich (Lincoln-Way East; Tennessee commit). Few prospects in the entire country have as electrifying a toolset as Stanwich’s. The Tennessee commit is a freaky athlete who can run, throw, and hit for power all with present twitch attached. He timed a 6.58 mark in the 60-yard dash this winter, topped 91 mph from the mound, 95 from the outfield, and holds the Future Games exit velocity record at 106 mph off a tee; set as one of the few underclassmen at the event in 2019. This summer he homered twice in a game in front of our PBR Georgia staff at LakePoint using his typical simple, powerful flick of the wrists. We got our up-close look at a PBR Wisconsin tournament in late July where he looked just as dynamic. 

Alex Stanwich (7/10/20)

Stanwich is ranked inside the top-30 nationally, just a spot ahead of our next prospect, in fact.

We were fortunate enough to grab a recent look at the sky-high LHP Noah Schultz (Oswego East; Vanderbilt) at the PBR Midwest Fall Championships earlier this month. There, Schultz carved against competition a year older than himself, sitting 87-90 mph, touching 91, while filling up the strike zone. We’ll let our scouting report from that look do the talking:

“Six-foot-8, 200-pound lefty with a quick arm and low ¾ release point. Came out of the gates strong in the first inning with a high-spin (2,600-plus rpm) fastball up to 90 mph. Great feel for sharp slider in the mid-70s, spinning up to 3,039 rpm. Good arm speed on a low-spin changeup (1,400-1,500 rpm) from 77-78 mph. Although he ran out of gas in his third inning of work, Schultz is easily a top-round prospect for the 2022 draft. There are very few left-handed arms like his in the country each year.”

Our PBR Wisconsin staff had RHP/INF Owen Murphy (Riverside-Brookfield; Notre Dame) at a PBR At The Rock tournament this summer where he proceeded to work a lights-out outing – the staff called it arguably the most dominant pitching performance of the summer at The Rock Complex. Murphy carved against older competition, sitting in the 88-91 mph range with relative ease, touching 92, with above-average spin rates that reached 2,500 rpm. His athleticism and lean 6-foot-1 frame suggest there’s plenty more in the tank to come for Murphy, and he’s already one of the class’ most competitive arms with the stuff he’s got. In addition to his premium arsenal on the mound, Murphy also carries upside as a shortstop, but his profile as a pitcher may just be too good to pull him away from the bump.

Owen Murphy (7/25/20)

You may have been familiar with the first three names on this list, as they had been ranked inside the state’s top-five previously, but OF Jack Lausch (Brother Rice) is new to the top-10 and has simultaneously become one of the region’s top uncommitted prospects. Lausch, listed at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, also happens to be a high-end prospect at quarterback, underscoring his overall athleticism. He created some big buzz this summer on the diamond as a center fielder who defends at a dynamic pace in the outfield grass. Lausch is also a twitchy left-handed hitter who creates advanced bat speed off a short, direct path to the ball, and his foot speed translates well to the basepaths.

Like the aforementioned Schultz, we were able to see RHP Julius Sanchez (LaSalle-Peru; Illinois) recently at the PBR Fall Championships, where he came away as one of the biggest winners from the event. He committed to Illinois in August of 2019 and it had been awhile since our last look at the talented right-hander. To say the 6-foot, 215-pound, right-hander took everyone in attendance by surprise would be a bit of an understatement and was a major reason why Sanchez has vaulted into the top-five in the class, up more than 20 spots. Our national crosschecker, Shooter Hunt, wrote this about Sanchez’s performance at that recent event:

“At 6-foot, 200 pounds, the 2022 Illinois recruit pumped easy velo into the low-90s throughout his appearance, touching 94 with his best bolt. From a ¾ slot, Sanchez located his heater to both sides of the plate with average spin rates mostly in the 2,100-2,200 rpm range, topping out at 2,306. Showed good feel while mixing in a 77-80 mph slider. Super low effort delivery with good direction and solid down plane. Lands soft with still head. Strong pitchability, especially for his age. Top-five round pro follow for the 2022 draft.”

Retaining a top-10 ranking in this update is the competitive switch-hitter Logan Wagner (Home School; Louisville). He’s athletic and strong, and looks the part to fit neatly onto the left side of the infield. He swings aggressively and with intent from both sides of the plate and features some of the best pure bat speed in the state. Wagner has a chance to be a switch-hitting middle-of-the-order presence that should stick at either shortstop or third base, largely depending on how physical his frame becomes down the road.  

C Nate Voss (Marist; Michigan) has done exceptionally well to maintain his prospect status as one of the most well-rounded talents in the state. Like Wagner, he’s been a member of this top-10 ranking since it first debuted, and he’s done nothing but impress with each passing look. While playing a level above at the PBR Midwest Fall Championships, Voss showed an easy, repeatable right-handed swing that makes for loud contact with barrel feel and quality bat-to-ball skills. Voss is also an advanced receiver, with soft hands that can stick borderline pitches, and he’s quick and clean out of the chute with an accurate arm to the bag.

After a breakout performance at the PBR National Championships at LakePoint, RHP Kyle Rossy (Glenbard West) landed a spot on Team Illinois’ PBR Future Games roster where he emerged as arguably its best prospect – and he’s still uncommitted. Rossy runs his fastball up to 91 mph and has the ability to over-match hitters with his athletic, lively stuff. The breaking ball has flashed tight, sharp action in the past with spin rates measured in the 2,400 rpm range, and he has the chance to become another power arm follow in this budding 2022 class.

Kyle Rossy (8/2/20)

Speaking of power arms, RHP Ethan Patera’s (Downers Grove South; Louisville) physical, hulking frame, at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, helps him light up the radar gun. We’ve seen him up to 92 mph with his long, live arm action. He throws an aggressive slider that was a little inconsistent this summer, but still has the chance to become a go-to, swing-and-miss type long-term.

Situated right near Patera on the national board, at No. 303 overall, LHP Julien Hachem (Mount Carmel; Oklahoma) is another physically-imposing arm who rounds out the Top-10. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound southpaw attacks hitters with upper-80s velocity, touching 88 mph with improved secondary this past winter. Given his huge size, Hachem does well to repeat his delivery and throw strikes, a valuable characteristic at this stage of his development. The No. 10 prospect in the state is all set to throw at the upcoming Class of 2022 showcase in October.

TOP-10 2022 PROSPECTS

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Alex Stanwich IL Lincoln-Way East 2022 OF Tennessee
2 Noah Schultz IL Oswego East 2022 LHP Vanderbilt
3 Owen Murphy IL Riverside-Brookfield 2022 RHP Notre Dame
4 Jack Lausch IL Brother Rice 2022 OF  
5 Julius Sanchez IL LaSalle Peru 2022 RHP Illinois
6 Logan Wagner IL Home school 2022 SS Louisville
7 Nate Voss IL Marist 2022 C Michigan
8 Kyle Rossy IL Glenbard West 2022 RHP  
9 Ethan Patera IL Downers Grove South 2022 RHP Louisville
10 Julien Hachem IL Mount Carmel 2022 LHP Oklahoma


For a look at the complete top-175 board, click here.

Stay tuned over the coming days for a more in-depth look at the Illinois’ 2022 class.

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