Prep Baseball Report

Updated 2019 Overall Rankings Released


Sean Duncan
Executive Director

It’s been a long, action-packed fall season, both at the state and national levels. Much has happened over the course of the two-plus months, all of which is reflected in our updated Top 400 overall Class of 2019 rankings.

It is important to note that the PBR overall rankings only include states that we intimately know from our boots-and-the-ground scouting staff. The updated Top 400 rankings is comprised of our current 36-state coverage area, which now includes recently released Arizona. 

As is the case every fall, there were several players who raised their games to unexpected levels, while many of the long-established prospects held firm at the top of the list. Although the top 10 remains largely intact, for the first time in more than a year there’s a new name at the top of the list.

LHP Hunter Barco (Bolles School, FL) jumps to the No. 1 spot after consistently harnessing his electric arsenal throughout the fall. His capstone performance was delivered in Jupiter, when the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Virginia recruit effortlessly filled up the strike zone with 91-94 mph fastballs, all with wicked arm-side run. Coming out of a long 3/4 slot with slinger-like arm action and a future workhorse-type build of Madison Bumgarner, Barco also features an 82-85 sweeping slider with sharp, late bite and a mid-80s changeup with fading action - all coming out of the same window and arm action. The fact that he can command such movement, seemingly putting it where he wanted, is extremely rare at his age.

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Barco narrowly supplants SS/RHP Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville HS, TX), who’s the top position player in the country, at the top of the list. Witt’s premium middle-of-the-field skills, coupled with his advanced right-handed bat, has made the Oklahoma recruit the No. 1-ranked player in the country for more than a year.

RHP Matthew Thompson (Cypress Ranch HS, TX) can also make a legitimate claim as the top prospect in the country, as he is unequivocally the top right-hander in this loaded 2019 class. The highly athletic 6-foot-3, 184-pound Texas A&M recruit was 92-94 this fall, and topping at 96 with relative ease. Equally as impressive, Thompson’s 80-82-mph curveball is a plus offering. He throws his breaking ball aggressively with tight spin and sharp, late 12/6 action. 

Florida’s 2019 class is especially strong, even for the Sunshine State’s lofty standards. In fact, five of the top 10, and seven of the top 25, hail from Florida. OF Riley Greene (Hagerty HS, FL), a Florida recruit, is arguably the top left-handed bat in the class. 3B Rece Hinds (Niceville HS, FL), a high-ceiling 6-foot-3 Louisiana State recruit, OF Judson Fabian (Trinity Catholic HS, FL) and RHP Brandon Walker (North Florida Christian HS, FL) also are ranked among the top 10.

RHP Brennan Malone (Porter Ridge HS, NC), a North Carolina recruit, and SS/RHP Cade Doughty(Denham Springs HS, LA), a legitimate two-way prospect committed to Louisiana State, and LHP Chris Villaman (Ledford HS, NC), a North Carolina State recruit, all hold firm in the top 10 as well.

There were many big risers in the fall, headlined by RHP Jack Kochanowicz (Harriton HS, PA), LHP Hayden Mullins (Henderson HS, TN), RHP Farmer Abendroth (Warren Central HS, MS), RHP Logan Tanner (George County HS, MS), Caden Homniok (Sweeny HS, TX), OF Sam Siani (William Penn Charter HS, PA), RHP Josh Wolf (St. Thomas HS, TX), C Dalton Rushing (Brighton HS, TN), RHP Tyler Owens (North Marion HS, FL), 1B Peyton Williams (Johnston HS, IA) and LHP Avery Short(Southport HS, IN), to name a few.

Remarkably, only three players in the top 100 remain uncommitted: OF Jerrion Ealy (Jackson Prep HS, MS), RHP Kadon Morton (Seguin HS, TX) and OF/LHP Derek Crum (Gaither HS, FL).

Enough reading about it. See for yourself.

A LOOK AT THE TOP 20:
RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Hunter Barco FL Bolles 2019 LHP Virginia
2 Bobby Witt Jr. TX Colleyville Heritage 2019 RHP Oklahoma
3 Matthew Thompson TX Cypress Ranch 2019 RHP Texas A&M
4 Riley Greene FL Hagerty 2019 OF Florida
5 Rece Hinds FL Niceville 2019 SS Louisiana State
6 Cade Doughty LA Denham Springs 2019 SS Louisiana State
7 Brennan Malone NC Porter Ridge HS 2019 RHP North Carolina
8 Judson Fabian FL Trinity Catholic 2019 OF Florida
9 Chris Villaman NC Ledford 2019 LHP North Carolina State
10 Brandon Walker FL North Florida Christian 2019 RHP Florida State
11 Joseph Charles FL First Academy 2019 RHP North Carolina
12 Logan Britt TX All Saints Episcopal Ft. Worth 2019 OF Texas A&M
13 Quinn Priester IL Cary Grove 2019 RHP Texas Christian
14 Michael Doolin IN Andrean 2019 RHP Vanderbilt
15 KC Hunt NJ Ramapo 2019 RHP Mississippi State
16 Anthony Volpe NJ Delbarton 2019 SS Vanderbilt
17 Jacob Meador TX Centennial 2019 RHP Texas Christian
18 Jerrion Ealy MS Jackson Preparatory 2019 OF  
19 Jason Diaz NY Kellenberg 2019 RHP Miami
20 Tyler Callihan FL Providence 2019 SS South Carolina

>> CLICK HERE to View Complete Top 400 2019 Overall Rankings

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