Casey Crosby

Crosby is the obvious standout in a deep crop of Illinois high school pitching. That would have seemed unfathomable a year ago, when he was a 6-foot lefthander with a low-80s fastball and a torn meniscus from playing football. Then he started to grow and his fastball blossomed. Now Crosby is a 6-foot-5, 200-pounder with a low-90s heater that tops out at 93. He still has plenty of room to add strength to his frame, too. He impressed scouts last October by playing wide receiver on Friday night, taking the ACT test Saturday morning and then flying to Florida to light up radar guns at the World Wood Bat Championship. He finished the fall with 76 receptions for 1,150 yards and 19 touchdowns. Crosby still is more of a thrower than a pitcher, and his command and secondary pitches need refinement. He throws both a curveball and slider, and they show potential to be solid-average offerings. He may not be as polished as other top high school pitchers in this draft, but he's a hard-throwing lefthander with athleticism and competitive fire. That should get the Illinois recruit drafted in the sandwich round.