Prep Baseball Report

2025 California Rankings


PBR California Staff

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.  A modest update to the 2025 California Rankings comes after a jam-packed fall season as players begin to prepare for the upcoming spring season. With that, we added 50 new players expanding the list to 150. There was some small sifting at the top, but for the most part, changes were small tweaks as the class continued to come into focus. This is an uber-talented group that our staff expects to see get after it next spring. There are stellar prospects in all pockets of California coming out of this 2025 class.

We're excited to see several of these players at our Preseason ID events in January, as well as the early HS season in our HS Preseason Invitational at Great Park in Irvine. Below, we take a look at the top 10 in the class, the top 10 uncommitted, and scouting notes on some of the risers/newcomers.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

TOP 10

RANK NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Billy Carlson CA  Corona HS 2025 SS/RHP Vanderbilt
2 Brady Ebel CA  Etiwanda HS 2025 3B/RHP
3 Trey Morris CA  Washington Union 2025 LHP/1B
4 Zach Strickland CA  Maranatha 2025 RHP UCLA
5 Seth Hernandez CA  Rancho Cucamonga 2025 RHP/3B Vanderbilt
6 Vaughn Neckar CA  Vista Murrieta 2025 RHP/3B LSU
7 Maverek Russell CA  La Mirada 2025 OF UCLA
8 Brock Sell CA  Tokay 2025 SS/RHP Stanford
9 Chase Bentley CA  Granite Bay 2025 RHP Texas A&M
10 Grayson Boles CA  Saint Augustine 2025 RHP/1B

TOP UNCOMMITTED

RANK NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS
2 Brady Ebel CA Etiwanda 2025 3B/RHP
3 Trey Morris CA Washington Union 2025 LHP/1B
10 Grayson Boles CA Saint Augustine 2025 RHP/1B
11 Josiah Hartshorn CA Orange Lutheran 2025 OF
16 Matthew Anderson CA Christopher 2025 RHP
17 Alec Blair CA De La Selle 2025 OF/LHP 
21 John Short  CA Cypress 2025 3B/RHP
26 Fabian Gomez  CA Clayton Valley 2025 1B
27 Jaxon Baker  CA Vista Murrieta 2025 LHP

RANKINGS RISERs/Newcomers

NO. 20 - Landon Hodge - Alemany

  • Hodge is a player that exploded onto the scene this summer/fall where it earned him a commitment to Stanford. One of the main reasons why is that he showed that his LH bat is quite real. It's a smooth swing where his quick/whippy bat has shown some early power. He also looks the part behind the plate with an advanced catch/throw skillset. Look for him to breakout next spring for the Warriors.

NO. 25 - Angel Laya - Eastlake 

  • Laya moves up from 38 to 25 in this most recent release. He now stands 6-foot-3 180-pounds as he has stepped both physically/athletically. The power is starting to show itself and is pairing well with his already advanced bat-to-ball skills. His speed and arm strength have also ticked up which will improve his defensive ability in the OF. Laya has an extremely high celling and he has transferred to Eastlake HS where he should follow a long line of quality prospects that have come out of that program.

NO. 30  - Joshua Woodworth - Ventura

  • Woodworth makes his debut on this rankings list at the 30 spot. He is a physical RHP that got on some radars this summer and made a name for himself when he made the 15U National Team and pitched big innings for them helping them win a gold medal. He stands a physical 6-foot-3 210 pounds. The FB sits in the high 80s and is already touching low 90s. He pairs that FB with a hard/tight SL that he’ll throw in the low 80s and a downer CH in the mid-70s.

NO. 86  - Matteo Martinez - Clovis West

  • Martinez showed up at the Northern California Underclass Games and immediately started to turn heads during the BP round. The left-hand hitting middle infielder has a live stroke, evidenced with the 92.3 mph max EV and 25% hard hit %, which is all the better with his ability to repeat a line drive swing. During the game action he tripled twice, showing that same ability to make hard barrel contact with a short and direct stroke. We first came across Martinez as he was entering his freshman year at the Central Valley Preseason ID.

NO. 89  - Ethan Johnson - The King's Academy

  • A baseball commodity that always has been and always will be in demand is a left-hand hitting catcher who has a big arm and big power potential. Let us introduce you to Ethan Johnson. He showed up at the Northern California Underclass Games last October and put on quite a display of tools. In addition to a 96.9 mph max EV, he doubled in the game while also showing a 2-strike adjustment when he flicked a slider to left field. The arm is big at 79 mph and a couple of 2.08 pop times showed ability to catch and throw.

NO. 95 - Ian Fisher - Carlsbad 

  • Fisher had an injury-riddled spring that held him back from getting on radars but this summer/fall he has gotten himself healthy and everything seems to be trending up. He is one of the more refined arms in this class where he understands how he moves and is able to repeat his delivery well. The FB is up to 85 and has feel for a downward fading CH and a larger CB. Our staff expects a breakout season from Fisher where he'll get significant innings for Carlsbad.

NO. 101  - Diego Gonzalez - El Dorado

  • Gonzalez makes his first appearance on this list at the 101 spot. He was one of the bigger standout performers at our Underclass Games back in October where he showed present two-way ability. Stands a lean/athletic 5-foot-11 145-pounds with plenty of room to add. At the plate he has loose hands that deliver a quick/direct bat with above avg. bat speed. Shows skills defensively as well where he has soft hands and light feet that play in rhythm at SS. Can also jump on the mound where he can run it up to 85 and pairs that with a quality sweeping SL. 

NO. 120  - Rohan Kasanagottu - Valley Christian

  • Another standout from the Northern California Underclass Games, Kasanagottu is a 6-foot-3 175-pound right-hander with a fastball up to 85 mph (2272 max spin). His arm action and delivery, along the projectable body, all suggest significant future velocity gains, which will only enhance his best pitch, the slider. The spin rate isn't exceptional (1923 max) but it's slippery and quick with some tilt, coming from a high release. He also displayed feel for the change-up.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
SoCal Preseason All-State Underclass CA 01/07 Elsinore High School
Fresno Preseason ID CA 01/08 Euless Ballpark - Fresno City College
SoCal Preseason All-State Upperclass CA 01/08 Cerritos College
Far North Preseason ID CA 01/15 Butte College - Oroville
Inland Empire Preseason ID CA 01/22 Santiago HS
Peninsula Preseason ID
CA 01/22 College of San Mateo
South Bay Preseason ID
CA 01/29 Mission College - San Jose
East Bay Preseason ID CA 2/05 Chabot College -  Hayward