By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

It is still extremely early, perhaps even premature, to be forecasting Class of 2018 prospects, especially since many of these rising sophomores haven’t even played a varsity game. Then again, with the recent acceleration of recruiting, high-level 2018 prospects are already making verbal commitments.

Over the course of the last year, we’ve seen an impressive amount of talented 2018 prospects, several of whom should become national prospects.

With that said, we have released our initial 2018 rankings, a modest list of 20 prospects that have stood out among their peers. Certainly this list will change and evolve in time, as we know many players will grow, develop and mature. We also know that we likely haven’t seen many other 2018 prospects that may be deserving of this list.

However, we are confident that the players included in the list have extremely bright futures, barring injuries, of course.

Heading the initial list is OF Alek Thomas (Mount Carmel HS). In short order, the left-handed hitter has begun to build a reputation as potentially one of the top outfield prospects Illinois has seen in a long time. During the spring, in a lineup filled with eight Division 1 players, Thomas led state runner-up Mount Carmel in home runs with eight, including one in the Class 4A state semifinals. A clutch performer, Thomas hits balls much farther than his wiry 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame would indicate. Aside from his offensive prowess, he is highly athletic and plays a top-level outfield. He has advanced, natural baseball instincts, despite being a three-sport athlete. His father, Allen Thomas, is the strength coach for the Chicago White Sox, so it is safe to assume that he will physically develop in the coming years. And when he does, it is doubtful there will be a higher-ceiling prospect in the Midwest, possibly the country, than Thomas.

Following Thomas is RHP Jake Rosing (Richmond-Burton HS). Like Thomas, Rosing is far from reaching his physical peak. But the thin 6-foot-1, 150-pounder has a clean, quick arm with a fastball that has been up to 89 mph. Rosing recently committed to Louisville.

INF Branden Comia (Sandburg HS) made an immediate varsity impact at one of the state’s perennial powers. The solidly built 5-foot-10, 172-pound Comia hit in the middle of the order for Sandburg as a freshman and has the natural infield actions and tools to play multiple positions.

At No. 4 is OF Brooks Coetzee (Mahomet-Seymour HS). The 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete emerged at the 2018 Prospect Games recently as the top prospect. Highly athletic, Coetzee was clocked at 89 from the outfield and delivered an easy 92-mph exit velocity. Still growing into his frame, Coetzee hit seven home runs as a freshman on varsity despite missing a chunk of time with an injury.  Following Coetzee is INF/OF/C Zaid Walker (Homewood-Flossmoor HS) and C Jordon Rogers (Simeon HS).  Walker, whose position has yet to be determined, is a premier offensive force, while Rogers is a top-level all-around catching prospect who was an impact performer on varsity as a freshman.

Enough reading about. See for yourself.

A look at the Top 10:

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Alek Thomas	IL	Mount Carmel	2018	OF
2	Jake Rosing	IL	Richmond Burton	2018	RHP	Louisville
3	Branden Comia	IL	Sandburg	2018	SS
4	Brooks Coetzee	IL	Mahomet-Seymour	2018	OF
5	Zaid Walker	IL	Homewood-Flossmoor	2018	3B
6	Jordon Rogers	IL	Simeon	2018	C
7	Anthony Calarco	IL	New Trier	2018	RHP
8	Hayden Laczynski	IL	Minooka	2018	SS
9	Chase Stanke	IL	Marmion Academy	2018	C
10	Charlie Mangieri	IL	Dunlap	2018	1B

CLICK HERE to view the Top 20 Class of 2018 Rankings