Prep Baseball Report

Updated 2018 Ranking: Top 5


Ronald Sims
Mississippi Scouting Director



It has been a busy fall since the initial release of the Mississippi class of 2018 rankings. The list has now been extended to 140 prospects, as the fall season allowed the Prep Baseball Report scouting staff to track down emerging talent at our events, fall tournaments and scout days.

Here is a look at the top five prospects from the updated class of 2018 rankings.

 

Top 5

+ RHP/SS JT Ginn (Brandon), Mississippi State recruit, maintains his status atop the Mississippi class of 2018 rankings, as the 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-hander had a wildly successful summer, assisting the USA 18U National Team in winning the gold medal. Over the course of the summer Ginn showed his present elite-level, premium stuff on the mound, pitching 93-96 mph with his fastball, and touching 97 mph with heavy, late life. Additionally, Ginn showed premium secondary pitching this summer, spinning a sharp, hard slider at 85-87 mph with late break and depth, allowing him to dominate some of the country’s best hitters. The strong, athletic frame and power arm, added to the ability to play shortstop at the next level makes Ginn a highly coveted commodity heading into the 2018 draft.

+ A Mississippi recruit, OF Joe Gray (Hattiesburg) checks in at No. 2 as the top position player in Mississippi’s 2018 class. Gray is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-handed hitting outfielder and has shown high-level athleticism and a prototypical frame. Gray continues to show bat speed and raw power on the national stage, and will undoubtedly be heavily scouted by major league teams throughout the next remaining months of his high school career.

+ IF Drew Bianco (Oxford), a Louisiana State recruit, checks in at No. 3. The right-handed hitting middle infielder, projects more as a second baseman or outfielder and has shown quality bat speed, consistently hitting against some of the best arms the country has to offer.

+ Coming in at No. 4 is Mississippi State recruit RHP Brandon Smith (Richland). Smith has a projectable frame and room for added strength. He pitches at 86-91 mph with easy effort and command to both sides of the plate. He also shows a 72-75 mph breaking ball with solid depth.

+ Rounding out the top five is  RHP Regi Grace (Madison Central), a Mississippi State recruit. Grace has shown arm strength before, running his fastball up to 90 mph. Over the course of the fall, the physical 6-foot-1, 215-pounder has made his presence known at the plate, as well. A left-handed hitter with a slightly open and relaxed setup, he stands in the box with confidence and minimal movement in his swing. The profile of his left-handed bat, combined with athleticism and arm strength is a big reason for Grace’s ascent in the updated list.Click HERE to see the entire class of 2018 rankings.

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Below is a look at the top updated top 20 of the updated Mississippi 2018 rankings:


Rank Name State School Class Pos Commitment
1 JT Ginn MS Brandon 2018 RHP Mississippi State
2 Joe Gray MS Hattiesburg 2018 OF Mississippi
3 Drew Bianco MS Oxford 2018 SS Louisiana State
4 Brandon Smith MS Richland 2018 RHP Mississippi State
5 Regi Grace MS Madison Central 2018 RHP Mississippi State
6 Landon Jordan MS Hancock 2018 SS Mississippi State
7 Aaron Greene MS Warren Central 2018 RHP Mississippi
8 Dexter Jordan MS Hattiesburg 2018 OF Louisiana-Lafayette
9 Chance Denson MS West Lauderdale 2018 RHP East Mississippi CC
10 Luke Hancock MS Houston 2018 C Mississippi State
11 Hunter Eldridge MS West Lauderdale 2018 RHP Mississippi State
12 Knox Loposer MS Jackson Preparatory 2018 C Mississippi
13 Logan Savell MS Madison Central 2018 RHP Mississippi
14 Aubrey Gillentine MS Amory 2018 RHP Southern Miss
15 Bryce Brock MS Lewisburg 2018 OF Mississippi State
16 Blake Johnson MS Gulfport 2018 C Tulane
17 Willie Joe Garry Jr. MS Pascagoula 2018 OF Pearl River CC
18 Hunter Blalock MS Madison Central 2018 OF Mississippi State
19 Cade Hodges MS Lloyd Star 2018 RHP Pearl River CC
20 Bailee Hendon MS Vancleave 2018 LHP Jones County JC

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