Prep Baseball Report

Missouri Well-Represented in Overall 2014 Rankings



By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

Missouri prospects are well-represented in the updated and expanded Class of 2014 overall prospect rankings that were released on Tuesday. In fact, six of the top 25 prospects in the Prep Baseball Report’s 10-state coverage area hail from Missouri, including two in the top 10.

RHP Alex Lange (Lee’s Summit West HS) jumps up to the top-ranked Missouri prospect again, and No. 5 overall, after the 6-foot-3, 210-pound LSU recruit’s performances at the Under Armour All-America Game, Area Code Games and Metropolitan Baseball Classic over the last six weeks. Lange’s sustained velocity, coupled with a potentially wipeout slider, make him one of the top right-handed pitching prospects in the country.

Lange’s high school teammate, OF Monte Harrison (Lee’s Summit West HS), is inarguably one of the nation’s top athletes. The Nebraska recruit’s outfield arm strength and natural athleticism alone make him a high-interest draft prospect. But Harrison jumped back into the top 10 at No. 8 after he showed significant improvements at the plate, simplifying his swing by widening out in the box and letting his hands do more of the work.

Not far behind Harrison is SS/RHP Shane Benes (Westminster HS), a Missouri recruit who is one of the Midwest’s top pure hitters. Left-handed hitting OF Elijah Dilday (Francis Howell HS) made a significant leap in the rankings, moving into the top 20 after his impressive showing at the Metropolitan Baseball Classic two weeks ago.

Power-hitting C Brett Bond (Westminster HS), another Missouri, and left-handed hitting C/OF Colby Fitch (Hickman HS), a Louisville recruit, are also among the top 25 overall prospects.

Missouri also produced several of the biggest risers in the overall Top 300 rankings. SS Trey Vickers (Rockhurst HS), a Wichita State recruit, has come on strong recently, resulting in a 133-spot leap in the overall rankings. RHP Reece Eddins (Blue Springs South HS), a 6-foot-5 Nebraska recruit, also made a significant jump, along with RHP Joe Hope (Parkway North HS), OF Cole DuPont (Lafayette HS) and LHP Mitchell Plassmeyer (DeSmet HS). Both DuPont and Plassmeyer are Kansas State recruits.

Om all, 13 of the top 15 prospects in Missouri are committed. The top two uncommitted prospects are RHP Keaton Graf (Sante Fe HS) and Hope.

 A look at the top 10 overall rankings:

Rank Name State School Class Pos Commitment
1 Cameron Varga OH Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 2014 RHP North Carolina
2 Jeren Kendall WI Holmen 2014 OF Vanderbilt
3 Jake Godfrey IL Providence Catholic 2014 RHP Notre Dame
4 Zack Shannon OH Anderson 2014 1B Ohio State
5 Alex Lange MO Lee's Summit West 2014 RHP LSU
6 Brad Bass IL Lincoln-Way Central 2014 RHP Notre Dame
7 Micah Miniard KY Boyle County 2014 RHP Western Kentucky
8 Monte Harrison MO Lee's Summit West 2014 OF Nebraska
9 Jonah Patten IN Norwell 2014 RHP Arkansas
10 Brandon Murray IN Hobart 2014 RHP South Carolina


VIEW THE TOP 300 OVERALL 2014 RANKINGS