Prep Baseball Report

Updated NJ 2024 Player Rankings


TJ Hunt
Director, PBR New Jersey

With the offseason all but in full swing, it's time to refreshen up our class of 2024 New Jersey Player Rankings. The late summer and fall saw some extraordinary performances from various players on the national stage which certainly influenced our recent update. Let's take at the Top 10 below.

CLICK HERE to view the full list of rankings.

The Top 10

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Luke Dickerson NJ Morris Knolls 2024 SS Virginia
2 Bryce Meccage NJ The Pennington School 2024 RHP Virginia
3 Sean Griggs NJ Red Bank Catholic 2024 3B Alabama
4 Jon Young Jr. NJ Cherry Hill West 2024 SS North Carolina
5 Howard Tate DeRias NJ Gloucester Catholic 2024 RHP Miami
6 Ryan Lynch NJ Moorestown 2024 RHP North Carolina
7 Jaxon Appelman NJ Edison 2024 RHP Coastal Carolina
8 Chris Levonas NJ Christian Brothers Academy 2024 RHP Wake Forest
9 William Kirk NJ Ramsey 2024 LHP Virginia
10 James Kleiven NJ Randolph 2024 RHP James Madison

 

The Breakdown

+ Coming into the new No. 1 slot is Virginia commit SS Luke Dickerson (Morris Knolls). Dickerson's advanced strength and toolset separated him from the pack in this update - impressing at the Area Code Underclass event in California in the summer. The 6-foot 185-pounder ran a laser timed 6.72 60 at the 2024 State Games in July and consistently hammered pitching through the event, too. 

 

 

+ No. 2 Fellow Virginia commit RHP Bryce Meccage (The Pennington School) has the frame to turn into the next big arm out of the Garden State. Broad shouldered 6-foot-4 190-pounds with wiry, athletic limbs. Fastball was up to 89 in the summer and mixes in a breaker at 72-75 with some downer potential.

 

 

+ Alabama commit 3B Sean Griggs (Red Bank Catholic) rises a couple slots into the top 3. The strength, size, power hitting ability and fluid left handed stroke put Griggs as one of the top players in the state, regardless of grad class. Physical 6-foot-2 190-pounds. Like Dickerson, Griggs made a name for himself at the Underclass Area Code event, too.

 

 

+ Future Games alums in North Carolina commit Jon Young Jr. (Cherry Hill West) and Miami commit Howard Tate DeRias (Gloucester Catholic) round out the top 5.

 

High Risers

+ Pittsburgh commit 1B Ryan Costello (Freehold Township) made quite the impression at the PBR Cup this fall and garnered some credit from PBR Vice President of Scouting, Shooter Hunt: 

It was a quick look at the Pitt recruit, but Costello’s smooth left-handed stroke was easy to like even in a small clip. The sturdily built, 6-foot-3, 200-pounder stood confident in the box with a relaxed approach that allowed his quick hands and loose wrists to work freely as the barrel showcased a flat path through the zone with an innate ability to spray line drives to all fields. Able to change planes and adjust, Costello shows strong signs of continuing to trend up as a confident hitter, and with more power likely on the way, he could see bigger jumps in coming years.

+ Recent New York transplant, RHP/Ut. Reno Spagnoli (Columbia) was a Future Games particpant for Team New York this summer and made an impact with a mid to upper 80s fastball and advanced strike throwing abilitiy. Uncommitted 6-foot 190-pounds, spins a slider at 75-77 with 2382rpm.

Top 50: By the Numbers

+ 32 out of the top 50 are committed.

+ Rutgers leads the way with 5 commits in the top 50 followed by: Virginia (3), Wake Forest (3), James Madison (2), Coastal Carolina (2), North Carolina (2), and Seton Hall (2) - with several other schools with one commit.

+ The B1G and ACC are littered all over this group of players with just one SEC commit so far (Griggs, Alabama).

+ 14 out of the 32 current commits are primary pitchers.

+ The next highest commitment by position is shortstop (6), catcher (4), third base (3), and outfield (3).

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Central New Jersey Preseason ID NJ 02/20 Iron Peak Sports - Hillsborough, NJ
2023 NJ Preseason All-State: Upperclass (Invite-Only) NJ 03/04 Top Corner Sports - Bridgewater, NJ
2023 NJ Preseason All State: Underclass (Invite-Only) NJ 03/11 Sportika - Manalapan, NJ
Northern New Jersey Preseason ID NJ 03/12 Sports Domain Academy - Clifton, NJ