Inside The Illinois Rankings: 2020 Risers and Newcomers
August 14, 2019
Our coverage of the 2020 Illinois Rankings concludes today with a look at the players who rose in the rankings and some players who made their debut on the list within the most recent update.
The biggest risers just outside of the top 10 were OF Connor Milton (Champaign Central) and SS Connor Hincks (Benet). Both climbed from outside the top 25 to No. 14 and No. 16 respectively. Milton has established himself as a 2020 draft prospect thanks to the continual strides he has made to his game and his high-level tools. The Illinois commit ran a 6.51 60 at the PBR All-State this past winter and has continued to show legitimate twitch and power in his bat. Hincks, a Virginia commit, has always been a smooth, steady, natural middle-infield defender but his hit tool has started to separate himself from others in the class. Hincks, a Virginia commit, hit at a high-level everytime we saw him this summer. The left-handed hitter has loose, quick hands, has feel for the barrel, is consistently on time and works gap-to-gap.
WI: @IlliniBaseball commit, OF Connor Milton (@BaseballMaroons, 2020), continues to impress for @ILBraves. 2B to the LC wall in game 1 and finds a barrel to start off game 2. High-ceiling prospect from @PBRIllinois #PBRatTheRock pic.twitter.com/ac0wbqGOlk
— PBR Wisconsin (@PBRWisconsin) July 26, 2019
Two other riser’s, now within the Top-20, is LHP Isaiah Coupet (Homewood-Flossmoor) and SS Andy Nelson (Wheaton North). Coupet, an Ohio State commit, is a dynamic left-hander who sits comfortably in the upper-80’s and has two swing-and-miss offspeed offerings. Coupet’s stock will only continue to rise and he learns to harness his repertoire. Nelson, an Iowa commit, had a huge spring season and carried it over to the summer circuit. The strong, athletic 6-foot, 180-pound, right-handed hitter, is a 6.61 runner in the 60, 91 mph across the infield and the bat has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order threat at the next level.
LHP Riley Phillips (Alton) made one of the biggest jumps of anyone in the class, climbing nearly 100 spots to No. 25. We saw Phillips, who recently committed to Louisville, early in the spring sitting 81-85 mph with a sharp curveball. This summer