With the summer circuit finally behind us, it is time for our staff to refresh the rankings before our fall circuit starts to take off. Between events and tournaments, there was a ton of action to be seen, with players making notable strides and raising their own stock.

Today, we are taking a look at some of the notable movement in the rankings, found below.

For a look at the complete rankings list, click HERE. 

The Top-10 

The top two spots remain the same with OF Carver Cohn (McHenry) holding down No. 1, and RHP Anderson Kaufman (Edwardsville) remaining at No. 2. 

+ RHP Jack Postma (Barrington) is climbing two spots to No. 3 in this update as he’s been one of the buzzier names in the state. Fresh off an eye-opening showing at the Future Games, there are few players that resemble the pure upside of Postma in the country. A long-levered 6-foot-5 with ample room to continue to fill out, the movement patterns and control of his levers are equally as impressive as his fastball that plays in the low-90s from a low release height, making it one of the more dynamic fastballs in the country. 

+ INF Peter Pignatiello (Benet) is seeing a bump up to No. 5 in this update as he continues to impress at every stop. He’s a left-handed hitting infielder with blossoming strength in his clean and flat left-handed swing, consistently putting together quality at-bats for our staff while also looking the part on the infield with confident hands. 

+ RHP/INF Keegan Crabtree (Lincoln-Way East) left the Future Games as a winner for Team Select, but he left the Illinois State Games as arguably the biggest winner from the entire event - making a big jump up to No. 6 in this update. He’s an ultra-clean and athletic mover on the mound with the ability to throw multiple pitches for strikes in any count, now pairing with a fastball that was up to 92 mph at the State Games. He’s nothing to scoff at on the other side of the ball either as he’s proven to be a natural and fluid defender up the middle of the infield, and his right-handed swing is clean with upside. 

+ LHP Luke Crowder (Benet) is rising seven spots to No. 8 in this update after a strong summer circuit. We consistently saw Crowder throw it well this summer, flashing a fastball up to 91 mph with a sharp slider to pair off it. He attacked the zone in his outing at the Future Games and came away one of the team’s biggest winners, and we expect him to continue to make jumps. 

+ Rising 12 spots to No. 9, OF Jacob Hite (St. Laurence) was arguably the biggest winner from Team Illinois at the Future Games, showing off loud tools across the board with a gamer type look to him. He can really run and defend in the outfield, turning in a 6.59 in the 60 - and his bat opened quite a bit of eyes as well with easy bat-speed, a clean move and jump off the barrel. 

The Top-50

+ RHP Jimmy O’Connor (Nazareth) is making a significant rise all the way up to No. 16 in this update. He’s a 6-foot-5 right-hander with one of the highest ceilings in the state on the mound, showing off a high-spin fastball (2500+ rpm) around the 90 mph mark. To take it a step further, he was getting up to 7.5 feet of extension on the fastball at the Future Games, making it a true outlier. 

+ INF/RHP Riley Cook (New Trier) is another two-way player making a jump in this update, now sitting at No. 19. He’s an advanced defender with a clean, athletic right-handed swing with some line-drive repeat - but he really impressed on the mound with a fastball up to 91 mph at the South Suburban Summer ID. The movement patterns paired with the arm talent alone makes him one of the top prospects in the state. 

+ Now sitting at No. 22, 1B Will Steffens (Barrington) is coming off a huge spring and carried it well into the summer, proving to be one of the top left-handed bats in the state. He was a top performer for Team Select at the Future Games as he routinely found barrels, pairing advanced strength with a direct, strong swing and bat-to-ball skills. 

+ LHP Mason Trayser (Oswego East) is making his rankings debut at No. 24, and he’s one of the more intriguing arms on this list. Listed at 6-foot-6, 200-pounds, the ceiling is incredibly high for Trayser, and Oswego East is no stranger to producing high-level arms. The fastball plays in the 84-86 mph range right now with clean movement patterns down the mound, and you can expect that number to steadily increase as he continues to mature. 

+ INF Gavin Jones (Bishop McNamara) is rising 20 spots to No. 25 as he proved to be one of the top infield prospects in the state this summer. He’s a left-handed hitter with a clean, flat swing and line-drive intent, pairing with smooth, natural actions on the infield that will allow him to stick on the dirt long-term. 

+ LHP Dayne Franks (Orion) is rising 31 spots to No. 28 in this update after a couple impressive looks at the Future Games and the State Games. He fills up the zone with a fastball in the upper-80s, coming from a deceptive delivery and longer, loose arm swing. 

+ INF Bennett Kono (Loyola Academy) is making his rankings debut at No. 30, and he’s been one of the top in-game performers for our staff since the spring. He hit .500 for his high school club this past season and he did nothing but hit for our staff this summer, including a strong showing at the Illinois State Games. It’s a clean right-handed swing with advanced bat-to-ball skills, and he also supplies quality defense on the infield. 

+ OF Luke Potter (Downers Grove North) is one, if not the biggest riser in this update - jumping 82 spots to No. 33. He’s an athletic left-handed hitting outfielder with an above-average run tool and sneaky power - coming away as one of the top performers from the Illinois State Games as he went 5-for-7 with two doubles, a home run, three RBIs and a run scored. 

+ C Evan Gomez (South Elgin) is jumping 30 slots to No. 37 in this update as he continues to establish himself as one of the top catchers in the Illinois 2028 crop. He’s an advanced receiver with athletic actions and bounce from behind the plate, playing into a quick release and strong arm that helps limit the run-game. He’s also a left-handed hitter which helps add to the profile, and he’s been on the barrel in front of our staff while tracking well in the box. 

+ LHP Sawyer Smith (Glenbard West) burst onto the scene this summer and is making his rankings debut at No. 46. He’s a loose, projectable southpaw with his best days still ahead, but there’s plenty of present ability as well. The arm plays free and easy from his long-levered 6-foot-5 frame, boasting all sorts of upside with a fastball up to 87 mph. Both his slider and changeup have flashed as quality offerings, helping to make a three-pitch mix. 

+ RHP Kamden Johnston (Lincoln-Way East) is another arm that made some notable strides this year, going from 84 mph this past winter all the way to 90 mph at a tournament a couple months ago. The way it works is extremely simple and low-effort, showing an in-line delivery down the mound with the ability to repeat. He also features a slider with some sweep and sharp bite with over 2,400 rpm at times. 

+ INF/RHP Ty Bachman (Normal Community) is rising 34 spots up to No. 48 as a result of his impressive summer. Standing in at 6-foot-4, 189-pounds, there’s plenty more room for him to continue to get physical in the coming years. He’s a right-handed hitter with an easy, flat swing and more strength on the way. He also really looks the part on the infield and running the bases with long, athletic strides. On the mound, he will work his fastball into the upper-80s while featuring two different breaking balls and a changeup. 

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