Current Pro Baseball Players from Illinois (MLB 2023)

Baseball Players, and athletes of all sports really, take pride in where they’re from. Whether it’s the state, city or area code – you always notice players wanting to rep their home area.

Fans tend to do the same thing. It’s always more fun to pull for a player when they’re from your home state (or even your hometown), especially when that player also happens to be playing on your favorite team.

With all that in mind, we went through MLB.com and pulled the home states (or countries) of every player on the 40-man rosters for each team.

We found 22 players from the state of Illinois, the 6th most of any state. It’s probably not surprising that Chicago is the most represented city with 6 guys. Only two other cities, Naperville and Park Ridge have more than 1.

MLB Players from Illinois

Here are the 22 guys representing the state of Illinois on MLB Rosters at the start of the 2023 season including what town he’s from and what team he plays for.

Name	City	Team
Alek Thomas	Chicago	Diamondbacks
Brent Suter	Chicago	Rockies
Brock Burke	Chicago	Rangers
Carson Kelly	Chicago	Diamondbacks
Colin Holderman	Bourbannais	Pirates
Collin McHugh	Naperville	Braves
Danny Jansen	Elmhurst	Blue Jays
Dylan Dodd	Elk Grove	Braves
Jack Suwinski	Chicago	Pirates
Jake Cousins	Park Ridge	Brewers
Jake Odorizzi	Breese	Rangers
Luke Williams	Park Ridge	Dodgers
Michael Massey	Palos Park	Royals
Nick Maton	Chatham	Tigers
Nick Solak	Woodridge	Braves

Nicky Lopez	Naperville	Royals
Reid Detmers	Nokomis	Angels
Ryan Noda	Volo	As
Rylan Bannon	Joliet	Astros
Seth Beer	Maryville	Diamondbacks
Trevor Richards	Aviston	Blue Jays
Tyler Alexander	Chicago	Tigers

Player Bios

Here is a little more background info for a couple of the standout players from the state of Illinois.

Collin McHugh

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois

Collin McHugh, from Naperville, Illinois, has crafted a versatile career as a pitcher in Major League Baseball. McHugh’s journey began at Providence Christian Academy in Lilburn, Georgia, followed by his time at Berry College in Georgia.

Drafted in the 18th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, McHugh has played for several teams, including the Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Houston Astros. He is known for his effective curveball and slider, serving both as a starter and reliever throughout his career.

His time with the Astros was particularly noteworthy, contributing to their 2017 World Series championship team. McHugh’s adaptability and effective pitching, highlighted by solid ERA and strikeout numbers, have been key aspects of his career.

Brent Suter

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Brent Suter, born in Chicago, Illinois, has emerged as a valuable pitcher in Major League Baseball, particularly with the Milwaukee Brewers. Suter attended Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then Harvard University, where he played college baseball.

Drafted in the 31st round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Brewers, Suter has become known for his efficient pitching and ability to fill various roles, including starter and reliever.

His control and pitch variety, including a low-velocity fastball and effective changeup, have allowed him to be effective against both right and left-handed batters. Suter’s intelligence and versatility on the mound make him a unique and valuable asset to the Brewers’ pitching staff.

Hall of Fame Players from Illinois

In addition to the current players from Illinois, we compiled a list of all players that have gone on to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame:

Name	City	Induction Year
Jim Thome	Peoria	2018
Hank O’Day	Chicago	2013
Whitey Herzog	New Athens	2010
Rickey Henderson	Chicago	2009
Kirby Puckett	Chicago	2001
Robin Yount	Danville	1999
Bill Veeck	Chicago	1991
Al Barlick	Springfield	1989
Red Schoendienst	Germantown	1989
Warren Giles	Tiskilwa	1979
Robin Roberts	Springfield	1976
Freddie Lindstrom	Chicago	1976
Jocko Conlan	Chicago	1974
Jim Bottomley	Oglesby	1974
Billy Evans	Chicago	1973
Will Harridge	Chicago	1972
Lou Boudreau	Harvey	1970
Red Ruffing	Granville	1967
Ray Schalk	Harvel	1955
Ed Barrow	Springfield	1953
Joe McGinnity	Cornwall Township	1946
Al Spalding	Byron	1939
Charles Comiskey	Chicago	1939

BASEBALL STATE fun facts

The state of California (by quite a bit) has the most current baseball players of any state with 189.

Second most was Florida with 89, followed by Texas (78), New York (42) and Georgia (40).

The Dominican Republic has 120 players currently in major league baseball which is incredibly impressive considering the country has a total population of only 11 million people. By comparison, the state of California has a population of 39 million and the state of Florida has a population of almost 22 million.