The Land of Lincoln has become a hotbed for baseball talent in recent years. Prospects from the state are littered throughout professional baseball and across all levels. With the 2024 Minor League Baseball season concluding recently, we wanted to highlight a variety of players from Illinois that put together impressive campaigns this season.

AL EAST

Following a successful collegiate career, the Tampa Bay Rays selected 1B Bobby Seymour (Mount Carmel, 2017; Wake Forest) in the 2021 MLB Draft. The Future Games and Super 60 alum slashed 281/.351/.523 in 455 ABs across the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season. Seymour also posted career highs in doubles (24), home runs (28), RBI (95), and total bases (238). His home run and RBI totals were both best amongst all Rays Minor League players. Following his promotion, he led the International League in SLG (.601) and led all of Triple-A in ISO (.332).

The New York Yankees acquired INF Caleb Durbin (Lake Forest, 2018; Washington University) in a trade following the 2022 season. Durbin put together arguably the best year of his career, setting career bests in doubles (25), home runs (10), RBI (60), and SLG (.471). He slashed .287/.396/.471 in 310 ABs in Triple-A, all while walking more than striking out. In fact, Durbin’s 1.33 walk-to-strikeout ratio ranked best among Yankee prospects at the four full-season affiliates. Following the season, he was invited to the Arizona Fall League for the second consecutive year.