Eli
Craft

C Eli Craft (Monticello; John A. Logan JC) stands in a strong and athletic 6-foot, 186-pound frame. He’s a hard worker behind the plate that continues to impress defensively, showing some of the best catch-and-receive traits in the class, also displaying the ability to block up the baseball. His arm strength behind the plate continues to improve, recording a 2.00 pop time and a 77 mph velocity on his best ball down to second base. He’s a strong right-handed hitter at the plate with fluid pre-pitch movement, showing a big swing that looks to elevate the baseball.

Positional Profile: C/2B
Body: 6-0, 186-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Athletic, even setup, leg lift trigger. Level path, looks to stay in the middle of the field, elevates. 69.3 mph bat speed with 11 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 91 max exit velocity, averaged 85.6 mph. 350’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 77 mph. Short and to the ear, high 3/4 slot, played the bounce consistently.
Defense: 2.00-2.09 pop times. One knee down stance, efficient jab step footwork, athletic/quiet mover, clean/quick transfers.
Run: 7.47 runner in the 60.

Verbally committed to John A. Logan JC.

The lean 6-foot, 183-pound uncommitted catcher impressed on both sides of the ball in the Tigers’ 5-4 pool-play win Friday afternoon. Defensively, he regularly won low pitch strikes for his pitcher, exhibiting an understanding of relax to catch point timing, utilizing an advanced ability to stay low and through fastballs and off-speed in the lower quadrants; from a one knee down stance. Craft (Monticello, 2025) was also horizontally quick with control on blocks and had one caught stealing, showing off an explosive arm, efficient first jab step on footwork, and a quick transfer. At the plate, he added a hard hit single to center field, demonstrating a minimal leg kick and stride, short load, and balanced lower half. A player to keep an eye on.

Uncommitted. Ranked No. 76 in Illinois’ 2025 class. Stands in a hard-to-miss frame at 6-foot, 183-pounds with lean strength throughout. Started behind the plate and batted sixth. Craft’s defense is what stands out on the field; has continued to show quality receiving traits, catching low-90s with ease. Agile behind the plate, moving around well and blocking pitches. At the plate, he’s a right-handed hitter with a fluid and easy load, hands stay direct at times, showed an uphill bat path, looking to elevate the baseball to the middle/pull-side of the field. Went 1-for-4 on the day. A must-know uncommitted backstop in the state’s junior class.

C Eli Craft (Monticello, 2025) has continued to really impress our staff this summer after seeing brief looks this spring. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound right-handed hitter may have some of the best catch and receive traits in the state’s 2025 class. Athletic and agile, Craft moves well behind the dish and has a high motor with leadership traits. He has an aggressive swing that remains in control with uphill tendencies, and as he continues to add strength, his power tool will naturally tick up. During gameplay, Craft turned around on an 86 mph fastball and sent it down the left field line for a single. 

Positional Profile: C/2B
Body: 6-1, 175-pounds. Athletic frame with more strength to come.
Hit: RHH. Narrow, upright stance, leg lift trigger. Short, flat path, controlled intent, pull-side power, all fields approach. Finished game play 1-for-4 with a walk.
Power: 88 max exit velocity, averaged 79.3 mph. 288’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. Short, quick, whippy, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.13-2.20 pop times. Natural catcher actions, plays with bounce and energy behind the plate.
Run: 7.44 runner in the 60.

C Eli Craft (Monticello, 2025) was another name that caught our eye this past IHSA season, earning a mention within our ‘Week 3 Scout Blog’ as a result. On Tuesday, Craft made the trip to Normal and came away as an arrow-up name in the state’s soon-to-be junior group. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound backstop worked gap-to-gap in BP from a strong, short, and uphill right-handed swing with all kinds of fluidity and rhythm. He averaged 255 feet per batted ball and peaked at 326 feet, two metrics that should trend upward as he continues to physically fill out his frame. Defensively, Craft was an active worker in the bullpens, receiving with intent and soft hands. During the workout his arm played around the bag with a low pop time of 2.04 on his quickest bullet. 

Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-1, 175-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Tall start, balanced lower half, rhythmic hand load, short stride. Long and uphill bat path, looks to elevate, favors the pull-side. 66 mph bat speed with 8 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 90 max exit velocity, averaged 85.5 mph. 326’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. Short arm action, 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.04-2.12 pop times. Agile behind the dish, quick first step.
Run: 7.57 runner in the 60.

Emerged as an uncommitted 2025 to follow moving forward. 6-foot, 170-pound, athletic build with projection. Was the battery mate to Buckalew and stood out in all-facets of the games. Showed an above-average arm with the ability to command the game behind the plate, impressive for a sophomore.. Quality receiver, quiet hands, willing blocker with quick transfers coming out of the crouch. Offensively, quiet, relaxed look in the box, compact, quick swing with strength in the hands. Was on time, taking a number of quality swings throughout. Impressive first varisty look at the sophomore catcher.