One-time Illini baseball recruit Casey Crosby is No. 2 in Baseball America's rankings of the top 10 prospects in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system.
The left-handed pitcher also is rated to have the best fastball among Tigers prospects and is the No. 5 starter in Baseball America's projected 2013 lineup for the major league Tigers.
Crosby signed a national letter of intent with Illinois in November 2006 but never made it campus after being drafted the following June in the fifth round by the Tigers
The Maple Park Kaneland High School graduate was the Tigers' 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 10-4 record and 2.41 ERA for West Michigan of the Class A Midwest League. Crosby struck out 117 batters in 104 2/3 while allowing only 70 hits. He was particularly dominant down the stretch, with a 0.78 ERA in his final 46 earnings.
Those numbers earned Crosby selection to the Midwest League's postseason All-Star team.
It was Crosby's first full season since he was a high school senior. He did not sign with the Tigers until August 2007 following prolonged negotiations, then underwent reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow that November. Crosby made his pro debut in August 2008, appearing in three games as a reliever.
Finally healthy in 2009, Crosby made 24 appearances, all as a starter.