By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

Over the course of four months, which has spanned the high school season, state-specific and the national summer showcase circuit, our scouting staff has been hard at work, with a particular focus on the Class of 2017. In that span, many rising juniors have taken significant leaps forward, which in turn have created massive shakeups in the Illinois 2017 rankings.

Our updated Illinois Top 100 2017 rankings reflect everything our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff has seen since the beginning of the spring, and culminating at the PBR Future Games in August.

At one point, some speculated that Illinois’ 2017 class is down comparatively to past classes. But as time passes, more and more prospects have emerged to the fore. While this group may currently lack the overall depth of some of the more recent Illinois classes, there certainly is plenty of high-level national prospects – evidenced by the verbal commitments at the top.

Although the top of the rankings is dominated by pitchers, the No. 1-ranked prospect is catcher Cal Greenfield (St. Rita HS). The physically advanced Greenfield began his ascent in the spring, where he served as a middle-of-the-lineup run-producer for St. Rita while showcasing highly advanced catch-and-throw abilities. Greenfield took his game to another level this summer, which culminated in a verbal commitment to Florida in late July. Greenfield’s ascension continues Illinois’ recent tradition of producing national-caliber catching prospects, following in the footsteps of Illinois’ No. 1 2016 prospect, Cooper Johnson (Carmel Catholic HS).

No prospect in the 2017 class has seen a more dramatic rise than RHP Brady Corrigan (Plainfield North HS). The 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander jumps 60 spots up to No. 2 after Corrigan turned in one of the top pitching performances at the Future Games. Corrigan’s fastball sat 88-90, and his overall athleticism indicates there is clearly more in the tank. Aside from his easy velocity, Corrigan’s 77-79 curveball can be a big-time swing-and-miss offering, which separates him from some of his peers. He also flashed a low-80s changeup with promise. After his performance at the Future Games, the uncommitted Corrigan is one of the most sought-after prospects in the Midwest.

RHP/1B Bobby Miller (McHenry West HS) very well may be the most projectable arm in the class. The highly athletic and loose 6-foot-5 Louisville recruit pitches in the 87-90 range, and at times a tick or two higher. Miller also is one of the more interesting left-handed bats in the class.

RHP Glenn Albanese (Batavia HS) also can make a strong argument for the No. 1 prospect in the class. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander is athletic with plenty of room for physical development. He is reminiscent of RHP Brad Bass, a 2014 standout from Lincoln-Way Central HS now at Notre Dame. Albanese missed some time in the spring and summer, but has been up to 90 last winter.

Embarrassingly, LHP Reid Detmers (Nokomis HS) was previously unranked, as we’ve heard reports about the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder but never got an opportunity to see him at Nokomis HS, a small Central Illinois school with an enrollment of 194. Detmers made his presence known in a big way at the Future Games in front of 200-plus schools across the country. Detmers struck out six of the seven batters he faced (the seventh was a tapper back to the mound) behind a big swing-and-miss breaking ball and an 86-88 fastball. Detmers’ father, Kris Detmers, was drafted in the 22^nd round by the Cardinals in 1993 out of Lincoln Land CC.

Unlike Detmers, C Joe Donovan (Westmont HS) has been a fixture in the top 10 of the rankings since its initial release. The 5-foot-10 Donovan has been an impact performer since his freshman year, including earning third-team All-State honors last spring after tallying 10 home runs, 13 doubles and three triples. The Michigan recruit also showed vast improvements behind the plate.

LHP/OF Tyler Mettetal (St. Charles North HS) jumps into the top 10 after a strong spring and summer. The physically advanced 6-foot left-hander has seen his velocity jump into the upper-80s this summer while showing the ability to pound the strike zone with multiple pitches. A recent South Carolina recruit, Mettetal would be a highly ranked prospect if he was only a position player, as he swings one of the better bats in the state.

1B Bobby Seymour (Mount Carmel HS), a physical 6-foot-4, 225-pound Wake Forest recruit, is the top left-handed power bat in Illinois’ 2017 class. Seymour helped the Caravan to a Class 4A state runner-up finish last spring.

A pair of Texas Christian recruits round out the top 10. OF Brad Czerniejeski (Lake Forest HS) features the top tools in the class, which include electric bat speed, athleticism and power potential. LHP Ryan Eiermann (Naperville Central HS) earned PBR first-team All-State honors – a rare feat for a sophomore – after he went 8-1 with a 0.56 ERA and 114 strikeouts to 11 walks in 75.2 innings. Eiermann opened the season with an amazing 54-inning unearned run streak.

Just outside the top 10 are a host of other high-level prospects. RHP Mark DiLuia (Marian Catholic HS) was one of the biggest risers this summer, as the wiry 6-foot-3 athlete carved with a three-pitch mix that includes an upper-80s fastball and sharp slider. DiLuia is now one of the hottest uncommitted prospects in the Midwest, with offers from some of the top programs in the country. RHP Ryan Kutt (Brother Rice HS), an Illinois recruit, has been one of the top prospects in the class even before he entered high school. RHP/3B Erik Kaiser (Waterloo HS), a 6-foot-4 right-hander, recently was up to 90 at the Future Games, while LHP Brendan Murphy (Mundelein HS) is a high-level left-handed prospect.

Some of the biggest risers in the updated 2017 class also include SS Ryan King (Brother Rice HS), SS Connor Gurnik (Naperville Central HS), LHP Angelo Smith (Richards HS), SS Justin Diaz (Lake View HS), C Keaton Rice (Geneseo HS), RHP Connor Peplow (Plainfield North HS) and OF Stephen Mogged (Lakes HS), to name a few.

Enough reading about it. See for yourself

Illinois Top 10

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Cal Greenfield	IL	St. Rita	2017	C	Florida
2	Brady Corrigan	IL	Plainfield North	2017	RHP
3	Bobby Miller	IL	McHenry West	2017	RHP	Louisville
4	Glenn Albanese	IL	Batavia	2017	RHP	Louisville
5	Reid Detmers	IL	Nokomis	2017	LHP
6	Joe Donovan	IL	Westmont	2017	C	Michigan
7	Tyler Mettetal	IL	St. Charles North	2017	LHP	South Carolina
8	Bobby Seymour	IL	Mount Carmel	2017	1B	Wake Forest
9	Ryan Eiermann	IL	Naperville Central	2017	LHP	Texas Christian
10	Brad Czerniejewski	IL	Lake Forest	2017	OF	Texas Christian

CLICK HERE to view complete Top 100 2017 rankings