2026 MLB Draft Report: A look at local prospects Landon Thome and Ethan Bass

Since the 2019 MLB draft, 13 prep prospects from Illinois have been drafted and signed bonuses greater than $1 million. Chicago Cubs shortstop prospect Ed Howard holds the signing bonus record for an Illinois high schooler at $3,745,500, set in 2020. It’s not expected that any of this year’s crop of local kids will break that record, but two in particular could sign for more than $2 million: Landon Thome and Ethan Bass.

Landon Thome Report

When Jim Thome was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians in 1989, he started at shortstop. As he grew, he transitioned to third base and eventually became one of the premier left-handed power hitters, finishing with 612 home runs and a .276/.402/.554 slash line.

Landon, Jim Thome’s son, is 18 and playing shortstop for Nazareth Academy in the La Grange Park, the same school from which the White Sox drafted Jaden Fauske in the second round last year. Thome is listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds, similar to his father at the same age, prompting curiosity about his future growth.

His defensive skills are notable, especially the ability to cover ground and execute throws. On slow grounders, his eagerness can sometimes cause errant throws, but his double-play mechanics and transitions around second base are polished and efficient.

Thome is not as good as Grady Emerson at shortstop, but if he decided to play college baseball at Florida State, I could see him getting a chance there. If it doesn’t work at shortstop, Thome could move over to second base. That is, if he’s done growing.

Offensively, Thome doesn’t have his father’s open stance. It’s more closed, and his hands are directly behind his head. As Thome drops his hands into position to swing, there's a leg kick to load up before whipping his hips through. Facing a left-handed pitcher in the Marist game, Thome’s timing was off on each of the three batted balls; too early in his first plate appearance that resulted in a groundout, and too late on the flyouts.

I figured that was Thome’s worst offensive game of the season, so I made an appointment to travel down to Homewood to see him against Marian Catholic. Facing a right-handed pitcher, Thome made hard hit contact all day, including a home run straightaway to center field, over the 370-foot sign.

With how well Thome uses his lower half in the swing, I think there’s a good deal of projectable power in his prospect profile. I do wonder if hitting directors will have Thome make some adjustments with his hands to better align with his back hip for a smoother swing. My one qualm after watching six plate appearances is that Thome too often chases after low pitches -- like, shin-high, which I think also contributes to the grounders. If he just worked the count longer and allowed pitchers to elevate against him, Thome would have a better chance to impact the baseball.

It should come as no surprise that Thome’s baseball IQ is off the charts. One example came against Marion Catholic, when Thome was the runner at second base. On a grounder that deflected off the pitcher before reaching the shortstop, the runner at third base easily scored. But because the shortstop never looked back at Thome, he rounded third base and scored easily -- a two-run 1-6-3 groundout thanks in large part to Thome’s situational awareness.

I wasn’t alone watching Thome at these games. The Pittsburgh Pirates were in attendance for the game at Marion Catholic. They have Pick 34 in the upcoming draft, and Thome could be a realistic target at that slot with a bonus value at $2,897,400. I’m imagining that for the third year in a row, Mike Shirley is looking to sign a prep player in the second round for around $3 million, following Fauske last year and Caleb Bonemer in 2024. Thome is on the radar, and there could be competition for the White Sox getting him at No. 41.

The future projection for Thome centers on his potential growth and development, both physically and as a player.

At this stage, Thome’s ultimate projection remains uncertain. If, in two years, he experiences the same physical growth as his father, he may outgrow shortstop and switch positions. The most important factor will be how his hitting develops against advanced pitching. If his bat improves, teams will find a defensive spot for him. Clubs will invest in Thome knowing he is hardworking and has learned the game from his Hall of Fame father. There are enough key traits for any development staff to build on. Over time, as Thome’s body and skills evolve, his best role on the field will become clearer.

Ethan Bass Report

Glenbrook North’s Ethan Bass looks the part of a shortstop. He has a tall, lean build with quick feet on display during fielding drills. He does have this weird quirk where he hops at the time a pitch is thrown. Rather than stepping into a fielding position, the pre-pitch hop ensures infielders are not caught flat-footed when a ball is hit. Bass is the only shortstop I’ve watched this season do this drastic of a hop.

Regardless, Bass makes the plays he’s expected to. He has a good throwing arm, and he ranges well to his right. A Wake Forest commit, and that scans as at first glance Bass reminds me of former Demon Deacon shortstop Marek Houston. The game I watched was on April 9 against Niles West.

In his first plate appearance, Bass hit a single and attempted to steal second base. It was raining earlier, and the infield wasn’t in prime running shape. Bass didn’t get a good lead or a good jump, and he was thrown out at second. It's hard to gauge his baserunning ability given the playing surface, and that was his only stolen-base attempt.

Second plate appearance, Bass flew out to left field, but he provided the fireworks later. In his third at-bat, Bass hit a home run to right-center field.  

Bass’ stance is well-balanced at the start. As the pitch is delivered, Bass takes a high leg kick, raising his knee to his belt buckle before lunging forward. There is not much weight on his back hip as the momentum is moving forward toward the pitch. The hands make a slight dip into swing position, and Bass does a good job of making contact in front of home plate. He finishes high with his swing, which helps his extension through the pitch.

I view Bass as a top-100 prospect in this class and currently rank him 77th. That puts him firmly in the third-round territory. The Atlanta Braves had scouts in attendance at this game I watched, and they have picks Nos. 48 (slot value $2,081,900) and 84 ($973,700). Despite the wide range of rankings among MLB draft evaluators, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bass is taken in the second round for around $2 million. With the large draft pool, the White Sox could target Bass with pick 77 and take slot savings from the first overall pick to buy out his commitment to Wake Forest. My plan is to see Bass at least one more time before the prep season finishes.

Roch Report: Rocks Hawaii, but what’s up with Big Ten pitching? 

This week’s UCLA midweek game was against Hawaii, and if you’ve been looking for highlights to get hyped about Roch Cholowsky, this was the game. In the first inning, Cholowsky hit a double down the left-field line, and would later score on Will Gasparaino’s grand slam. 

In the fourth inning, Cholowsky hit a bullet line drive off a fastball on the outside corner. It was a great display of his strength, as it resulted in a solo home run, his 14th of the season. The launch angle was only 18 degrees, but left with an exit velocity of 111 mph. 

Next inning, Hawaii was threatening with runners on first and second. On a shallow fly hit to left field, Cholowsky raced towards the left field line in a dead sprint to make the over-the-shoulder catch while miraculously avoiding left fielder Dean West diving into his legs. Cholowsky's range moving back and into the outfield is one of his best defensive attributes. 

Cholowsky finished the night 2-for-4 with a double, home run, a strikeout, and hit by pitch. In 19 non-conference games, Cholowsky is absolutely bashing. But this disparity of the results against Big Ten schools becomes even more glaring. His slugging percentage of .928 against non-conference schools is higher than his OPS against Big Ten competition. 

The White Sox are doing their due diligence in visiting Grady Emerson. How serious that pursuit is debatable within MLB Draft analyst circles. It would certainly help if Cholowsky performed as well as he did against Hawaii in their next Big Ten series. That weekend will be May 1-3, as UCLA travels to Michigan State at Jeff Ishbia Field. 

Yes, that Ishbia. The possible future No. 1 overall pick of the Chicago White Sox will be playing on the baseball diamond dedicated to the father of future Chicago White Sox owner Justin Ishbia. Perhaps the incoming steward will make a trek to Michigan State next weekend to see Cholowsky in-person. 

Other MLB Draft News

• LSU outfielder Jake Brown broke his hamate bone and needs surgery, thus ending his 2026 season. He finished 2026 playing 41 games, hitting .309/.404/.642 with 16 HR and 49 RBI.
• USC left-handed pitcher Mason Edwards is the first college pitcher this season to surpass 100 strikeouts. In 10 starts, Edwards has 107 strikeouts in 60⅓ innings. In his last two starts against Iowa and Nebraska, Edwards punched out a combined 28 batters in 15⅓ innings. He’s pushing himself into late first-round conversation.
• I’ve started work on my Dick Howser Trophy ballot, one of the NCAA Player of the Year awards. The current frontrunner is Arizona State outfielder Landon Hairston. Yes, he’s part of the Hairston MLB playing family, specifically the son of Scott, who played 11 MLB seasons, and grandson of Jerry Hairston, who played 14 seasons for the Chicago White Sox.Landon Hairston is hitting an absurd .440/.532/.988 with 18 doubles, 23 home runs, and 69 RBIs. He’s 2027 MLB Draft eligible.
• Speaking of the 2027 MLB Draft, that class continues to get stronger with each passing week this college season. Don’t fret that the White Sox can’t do better than 10th overall. There will be plenty of talent to go around next year when the draft is hosted in Chicago. 

NCBWA Top 25 Poll (Week of Apr 20, 2026)