Prep Baseball Illinois Player of the Week: Landon Thome
April 2, 2025
Landon Thome (Nazareth Academy; 2026; Tennessee) is off to a great start for the undefeated No. 8 Roadrunners, who boast a perfect 8-0 record to start the year. He helped them to a 4-0 clip this past week, finishing the stretch going 7-for-9 with two home runs, two triples, two doubles, five RBIs, seven runs scored and four stolen bases. For his efforts, Thome has been named this week’s Player of the Week.
Thome got his week started on Monday going a perfect 2-for-2 with a triple, double, RBI and a run scored in a 16-1 win over Amundsen.
He kept things rolling Wednesday in a 9-2 win over Ogden International, going 2-for-2 once again with a triple, double, two RBIs, two runs scored and two walks.
The following day in a 11-0 win over Romeoville, Thome went 0-for-2 with two walks, but still came around to score twice.
His biggest game of the week came in a 6-4 win over Limestone Saturday. Traveling down to where his father Jim played his high school ball, Landon went a perfect 3-for-3 with two home runs, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk - capping off his big week in a special, storybook way.
The Tennessee commit is one of the top left-handed bats not just in the state, but in the entire Midwest, currently slotted at No. 3 in Illinois and No. 181 nationally. He has premium bat-to-ball skills and polish at the plate, having shown so at premiere events such as the Future Games and Area Code Games, and he projects into more power as he continues to fill out - making his left-handed hitting profile even more intriguing. He has been a cornerstone in Nazareth’s lineup since his freshman year, helping them to a state title in 2023, and we can expect him to continue to be a main contributor to their success moving forward.
We're thankful for the POTW submissions we received from the coaches across the state. The players who garnered POTW consideration will earn a place within tomorrow's Diamond Notes story, so be on the lookout for that.
Scouting Report
2024 Future Games: Participating in his first ever Prep Baseball event, Landon Thome (Nazareth) continued to show to be one of the more advanced hitters in the class. Standing at an athletic 6-foot, 170-pounds, the left-handed hitter stood out with the bat throughout the week, both with results and his overall approach to the game. He started the week off with an impressive showing during the workout day where he posted a 6.87 60, an 85 mph infield velocity, and a max exit velocity of 94.2 mph. His bat speed metrics also impressed on the workout day with an average speed of 74.6 mph, and a max of 78.6 mph. Thome’s overall game translated even better in-game where his feel for the game shined. Offensively, he has been known to have a very mature and advanced approach, and that was no different down at LakePoint. In a tough left-on-left matchup during the last game of the week, Thome showed the ability to be patient, let the ball travel, and work the middle of the field for a hard single; which is something he did in the spring against tough southpaw arms. Defensively, he made one play in particular at third base in the same aforementioned game, where he made an advanced read on a tough ground ball, making the play look routine. Thome finished the week with three hits, including a double, two walks, and a stolen base.