Prep Baseball Report

2023 Player Rankings Update - Risers


Brandon Gowins
Texas Scouting Director

TEXAS - Yesterday we released our post summer 2023 State Rankings. There was a lot of movement in the rankings, and today we highlight 10 players that made big jumps in the most recent update.

FULL RANKINGS CLICK HERE

TOP 10 BREAKDOWN

 

RISERS

+ Gavyn Jones - LHP - White Oak - Texas Tech Commit - #63 to #9 

The East Texas native has had a lot of helium this summer after leading White Oak to a deep playoff run.  The LHP committed to Tech this summer and then capped off a great summer at Area Codes.

LHP Gavyn Jones (White Oak HS, TX) pitched three innings of relief, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out six. The fastball started out 90-93 from his 3/4 slot, before dipping to 87-90, but the pitch had arm-side run and he threw strikes. A Texas Tech recruit, his best secondary pitch was a slider with 3/4 sweeping action. It didn’t have a sharp or late break to it, but the angle at which he delivered the pitch allowed him to miss a lot of bats. He also mixed in a changeup at 83-84. - Shooter Hunt

 

Jackson Brasseux - LHP - Paris North Lamar - Texas A&M commit - #60 to #10

 Brasseaux was one of the most talked about 2023  after he opened up his recruitment at the beginning of the summer. The athletic Lefty from Paris saw his fastball continue to rise and topped out at 94 this summer.  He earned an Area Code spot, and committed to A&M later in the summer.  

LHP Jackson Brasseux (North Lamar HS, TX), tossed three innings across two appearances, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits while striking out three. He pitches out of a 3/4 slot and slightly across his body, getting some arm-side action to his fastball that sat 88-91. He can command and vary his slider, which has 2/8 shape at 76-78. - Shooter Hunt

 

Alex Petrovic - RHP - Concordia Lutheran - Auburn Commit - #23 to #12

 The Big Athletic RHP from Houston continues to impress every time the PBR Texas staff sees him.  He is a good athlete for his size, playing INF when he isn’t pitching, and it shows up on the mound.  It is an athletic delivery, with Petrovic being an easy mover down the mound.  He repeats the mechanics well, and the body projects to keep gaining velocity.  As for the stuff, at the beginning of Summer he was 88-91 with  25-2600 rpm spin on the FB.  Plays well at the top part of the zone, but shows the ability to get ground balls at the bottom.  His best secondary is his CH, it is a true air bender and he has total confidence in the pitch.  He throws it in the upper 70’s with high spin in the 22-2300 rpm range.  He will throw it in any count to righties or  lefties.  The Slider is the 3rd pitch, and while the Changeup gets all the praise, I came away impressed with the tightness and depth of the slider.  It is in the 79-81 range and he tunnels it well off the fastball.  Petrovic has made jumps every year in HS,and I expect a big one for his Senior Year

 

 

+ Caden Sorrell - OF - FM Marcus - Texas A&M Commit - #41 to #14

 One of the most slept on prospects in the ‘23 class is Sorrell.  The A&M commit has 5 above avg. tools and they show up in game.  The physical LHH stands 6’4, but can really run for his size.  He ran a 6.57 60 to start the summer, showing the potential to lock down CF.  He has an above average arm, where he will throw in the low 90’s from the OF.  In the batters box, Sorrell shows above average pull side power and could develop into more, the more he elevates the ball. It is a flat swing producing a lot of high exit velocity Line Drives.  Sorrell continues the run of high end talent coming through FM Marcus, and it’s his turn to lead them to another deep run his Senior Year.

 

+ Jack Bell - SS - CC Ray - Texas A&M Commit - #40 to #15

Bell had  a really good spring/summer campaign catapulting him up the rankings.  The slick fielding MIF shows all the tools to be an elite defender on the dirt.  He has the arm strength, topping out over 90 mph across the diamond, shows elite lateral quickness and really good exchange.  At the plate, the future Aggie shows the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field.  He has strong wrist, and really gets the barrel going through the zone.  He has a leg kick he uses for his timing, and seems to always be on time.  Bell is an exciting player that can do a lot of things on a baseball field to help his team win. 

 We have always liked Tumis’s arm and the athleticism, and then he showed up to our Top Prospect Games this summer and dominated against a really talented roster.  He showed a loose whippy arm that produced a 90-92 mph Fastball with good life.  He showed command of the pitch to both sides. He mixed in a slider that he threw in the low 80’s. He had good depth and shape to it and approached 2800 rpm’s on the spin.  He also throws a mid 80’s power change that he threw with good arm speed.  Tumis committed to Texas this summer, and the future Longhorn is one of many talented arms coming through Friendswood HS.

 

Alexander Solis - RHP - Welasco East - Houston Commit - #58 to #17

 Solis had one of the best outings in San Diego for the Texas Rangers Area Code team.  The future Houston Cougar showed great command of a full arsenal of pitches on his way to a 7k performance over 4 innings.  The righty has a FB that he throws in the low 90’s topping out at 93.  He also can sink the fastball to induce weak contact.  He has a low 80’s slider that comes out of the same window as the FB.  It has late bite to it and he uses it to put away hitters.  He can also throw a Changeup with good tumbling action on it.  Solis’s frame still has some projection left, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him have another velo spike in the Spring. 

 

Nehomar Ochoa Acosta - OF - Galena Park North Shore - Houston Commit - #59 to #18

One of the more physically impressive players in Texas for the ‘23 class is Ochoa Acosta.  He stands 6’4 205 and is well proportioned.  The RHH OF has some of the best raw power in Texas.  He can hit a ball out to all fields without selling out for it.  He is a solid runner, especially for his size, and he profiles as a prototypical RF with Plus Power and Plus Arm. Speaking of arm, the future Cougar also hops on the mound some, and has been up to 95 this year.  It is more raw than his Hitting, but there is some arm strength and natural feel to pitch there.  Ochoa Acosta has some of the loudest tools in the state, and there will be a lot of people watching in the spring.

 

Dakota Howard - OF - Van Alstyne - Oklahoma Commit - #49 to #20

 One of my players to watch this summer was Howard.  The bouncy athlete from Van Alstyne always seems to be in the middle of a big offensive inning.  The LHH has good speed that plays in game, and he profiles to bat at the top of the order.  He has a good approach, spraying line drives all over the field, but he shows some pull side power with more to come as he gets stronger.  He shows the ability to cover a lot of range in the outfield and he has enough arm strength to profile in centerfield.  The future Sooner is another high end athlete making his way to Norman. 

 

Ethan Mendoza - MIF - Southlake Carroll - Arizona State Commit - #45 to #22

 There aren’t many young men in the state that had a better ‘22 campaign than Mendoza.  The future Sun Devil won a state title with Southlake, being one of their leaders, and then proceeded to bat over .500 this summer.  Mendoza is a baseball player, he is always locked in and always seems to be in the right spot.  His baseball IQ and instincts are plus, and he plays with an infectious energy.  At the plate, Mendoza gets the most out of his frame, being able to really back spin balls to the pull side. He also shows the willingness to shorten up and use the whole field when needed.  He is a solid athlete, and shows above avg. arm strength across the diamond.  Mendoza is one of our favorites to watch, and he is starting his Sr. looking to lead the Dragons to another State Title. 

 

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