Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Risers in the PA Class of 2017

December 5, 2014

By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

Yesterday we revealed our updated class of 2017 rankings, including profiles of the top ten prospects. While the balance of the rankings are available with a PBR+ subscription, today we will detail some of the risers and new entrants in the remainder of the Top 60. Not surprisingly, two of the most sought-after commodities (shortstop and left-handed pitching) comprise a large chunk of the biggest movers in this class.

Alex BendzlowiczMichael Geesaman JrCentral Bucks South's Alex Bendzlowicz (left) made multiple improvements in his game from July to November, with perhaps the most important takeaway that he has an aptitude for making adjustments. His arm strength and footwork defensively were both noticeably better. Bendzlowicz also raised his hands in his set-up so that they don't travel as far to get to his launch position, which has afforded him better balance and the ability to more consistently repeat his left-handed stroke. Entering the rankings for the first time are Penn Charter's Dom Toso, who has the chance to step into one of the two vacated middle infield positions in an otherwise strong returning Quakers line-up, and Lower Dauphin's Michael Geesaman, Jr (right), a left-handed hitter with a solid set of tools (good speed and arm strength with a chance for gap power).

Andrew MaloneRyan OkudaA trio of projectable southpaws also feature more prominently in the rankings than they did previously. After Duke-bound Luke Glavin was sidelined for the season, Loyalsock Township's Andrew Malone (left) stepped into the rotation as a freshman and used his advanced feel for pitching to help boost the Lancers to the District IV title and their second straight PIAA class AA championship. Garnet Valley's Matt Lupoli has a solid frame, clean arm action, and pedigree from a high school that has produced three Division I pitchers (and six players total) over the past three seasons. Pine-Richland's Ryan Okuda (right) impressed at multiple events this fall with his lanky frame, loose arm action, and command of a three-pitch mix.

Additional pa news: