Class of 2023 Rankings: Uncommitted Position Players
April 28, 2022
Last Friday, our staff revealed the updated Class of 2023 Illinois Rankings, highlighting some of the elite talent featured towards the top of our board.
The state’s current junior class features plenty of talent across the board and several high-end players are still looking for places to play at the next level. As a result, we started to highlight some of the uncommitted talent scattered throughout this new update earlier this week, spotlighting 30-plus uncommitted pitchers, which you can find by clicking HERE.
Today we’ll turn to the bats and provide an in-depth view of several position players still looking for a place to play at the next level. Below you’ll find quick-hitting nuggets of information on position players nestled inside the top-100 who are still uncommitted.
UNCOMMITTED POSITION PLAYERS
 |
Ryan Niedzwiedz SS / 2B / West Aurora, IL / 2023Rankings StateRank: 29 / POS: 3
Niedzwiedz currently sits as the top uncommitted position player in the class, rising up seven spots in this update to 29th overall. He gained some momentum at the PBR Midwest Fall Championships after a productive offensive week and carried that throughout the off-season, taking one of the most impressive BP rounds we saw all winter at our Preseason All-State showcase: From Preseason All-State Standouts: “The 6-foot, 190-pound, wide-shouldered infielder ran his best 60-yard dash time to date (7.02) and was 90 mph across the infield, all while taking an explosive round of BP. The bat features all kinds of barrel feel to go along with some of the best power potential in the state. It’s a controlled, intentful swing with fluid rhythm, looseness and compact levers that repeats and stays through the zone a long time. Niedzwiedz was all over the barrel with authority, naturally elevating the baseball to both gaps and looks like one of the top left-handed bats still on the market in the class. He recorded a 94.4 mph average exit velocity, 101.8 peak exit, and his furthest batted ball traveled 347 feet–and he was the lone hitter to hit each of the balls he struck over 90 mph. He also led the event in average batted distance (307 feet), average hand speed (26.2 mph), average rotational acceleration (29.9g), and he finished third in average bat speed (76.3). Defensively, he has a strong arm and clean actions that should keep him on the left side of the diamond moving forward. While the bat is certainly a carrying tool, he profiles to slot into either short or third base at the next level.” |
 |
Kaden Griffitts OF / LHP / Williamsville , IL / 2023Rankings StateRank: 31 / POS: 6
Griffitts is a highly athletic left-handed hitting outfielder from the southern part of the state that represented Team Illinois at the Future Games this past summer, now slotted at 31st in these updated rankings. He’s a high-end athlete, running a 6.78 in the 60-yard dash, with above-average juice at the plate and bat speed to pair. |