Prep Baseball Report

Updated 2016 PBR Draft 100



By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

It’s April, which means high school baseball is finally underway across the country. As Florida approaches the playoffs, teams are just getting started in northern states. The draft is also two months away, so we’re updating the PBR Draft 100 to reflect some changes in the prospect landscape.

The top five remain intact in LHP Jason Groome (Barnegat HS, NJ), RHP Riley Pint (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, KS), OF Mickey Moniak (La Costa Canyon HS, CA), OF Blake Rutherford (Chaminade College Prep, CA) and RHP Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa HS, NY).

One of the biggest risers on the list is no stranger to Prep Baseball Report readers. LHP/1B Joey Wentz (Shawnee Mission East HS, KS) spent the summer touring the country as a hitter, showing off his prodigious power in batting practice. But at the Super 60 in February and in starts since, he has shown that he’s one of the best southpaws in the country. He recently tossed a no-hitter and is sitting in the low 90s with his fastball. A 6-foot-5, 225-pounder with three pitches, the Virginia recruit checks in at No. 12.

A few spots in front of Wentz, at No. 9, is LHP Braxton Garrett (Florence HS, AL). The Vanderbilt recruit was highly lauded after the summer, but solidified himself as a first-round prospect with a dominant outing at the National High School Invitational in March. His fastball ranged from 89-93 mph and he flashed a power breaking ball with depth at 79-81, but it was a nasty changeup that had scouts buzzing. It’s a new pitch for him and already has the makings of being a plus offering, featuring good fade in the mid 80s.

Sticking with the left-handed theme, LHP Zack Thompson (Wapahani HS, IN) and Ryan Rolison (University School of Jackson, TN) also made jumps this spring. Rolison has shown a low 90s fastball to go with his pitchability and Thompson is healthy, ranging from 88-93 with a good curveball.

Also joining the latest rendition of the PBR Draft 100 are OF Josh Stephen (Mater Dei HS, CA) and RHP Jared Horn (Vintage HS, CA). Stephen went off at the NHSI, going 8-for-15 with a home run and four doubles in four games. He has a short, quick swing and excellent barrel awareness. Stephen admitted that he was selling out for power last summer and focused on getting back to using the whole field and hitting for average after being benched on his summer team. Horn, a California recruit, was 89-92 at the Area Code Games last year with a good slider and has reportedly made a jump in velocity this spring, hitting the mid 90s.

A look at the Top 10:

Rank Name State School Class Pos Commitment
1 Jason Groome NJ Barnegat 2016 LHP Vanderbilt
2 Riley Pint KS St. Thomas Aquinas 2016 RHP Louisiana State
3 Mickey Moniak CA La Costa Canyon 2016 OF UCLA
4 Blake Rutherford CA Chaminade College Prep 2016 OF UCLA
5 Ian Anderson NY Shenendehowa 2016 RHP Vanderbilt
6 Delvin Perez PR International Baseball Academy 2016 SS
7 Josh Lowe GA Pope 2016 RHP Florida State
8 Matt Manning CA Sheldon 2016 RHP Loyola Marymount
9 Braxton Garrett AL Florence 2016 LHP Vanderbilt
10 Forrest Whitley TX Alamo Heights 2016 RHP Florida State

>> CLICK HERE to View Complete PBR Draft 100

Premium Content Area

This article is only available to PBRPlus Subscribers. If you wish to continue reading this article:

Login to the Subscriptions Website.
To purchase a NEW SUBSCRIPTION, please click here to go to our subscription products page.