Prep Baseball Report

Top 2018 Right-Handed Pitchers



By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

The 2018 class is loaded with pitching, especially in the top 10 where six of the players are pitchers. Today, however, we only focus on the right-handed arms. All four of these righties are at least 6-foot-2 and can touch 90 mph, showing that they are both projectable and talented.

Levi Kelly RHP, IMG Academy 2018
Ranked second overall in Florida, Kelly recently moved to IMG Academy from West Virginia and shook up the top ten. The LSU commit stands at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds with a strong, athletic, and projectable frame with a loose arm. Kelly’s fastball sits 86-88 mph and tops at 90 mph with a lot more to come. His curveball sits in the 74 mph range and shows advanced bite for his age. He also flashes a decent changeup, giving him a three-pitch arsenal that will add velocity with age and maturity.

Lyon Richardson RHP, Jensen Beach HS 2018
Richardson comes in ranked fourth in the state and stands at 6-foot-2, 175-pounds with a lean, athletic, and projectable body. He features a simple, repeatable delivery and everything stays in line with home plate. Lyon possesses a loose, compact, and over the top arm action and he uses his lower half well. He may currently have the best fastball in the state at 88-92 mph with late life. Richardson is also a switch hitter who shows a strong swing from the left side and can really drive the ball. With the skills that he shows on a regular basis, Lyon should be committing to a division I school in the near future.

David Luethje RHP, Vero Beach HS 2018
Standing at 6-foot-4, 170-pounds, Luethje possesses a tall, lanky, athletic, and projectable frame. The uncommitted righty sits 86-90 mph and shows an above average changeup and curveball. David fills up the zone with all three pitches and has a lot more velocity and stamina to come with age, added weight, and increased strength. Being ranked sixth in the state should allow him to commit by the end of next summer at the latest.

Kristofer Armstrong RHP, The Benjamin School 2018
Ranked ninth in the 2018 class in Florida, Armstrong stands at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds with a tall, lean, athletic, and projectable body. He has a shown a tremendous increase in velocity over the last year as he has gone from sitting in the low 80s to now sitting 87-90 mph. Kristofer is also a switch hitter who possesses a short swing and can drive the ball to all fields with authority. Adding the fact that Armstrong plays for team USA, we should not expect him to remain uncommitted for much longer.

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