Prep Baseball Report

Inside the 2023 Rankings - LHP


Phil Haig
Texas Scouting Director

TEXAS - With the 2023 Overall Ranking being updated, it's time to take a deeper dive with a look at prospects ranked at the top of their position. Today we take a look at a solid class of Texas LHP.



The No.1 spot is claimed by Jakob SchulzSchulz possesses thick present strength throughout a mature, 6-foot-2, 210-pound broad-shouldered frame with definition throughout especially in the lower-half. He works predominantly 86-88 with the four-seam including spin rates as high as 2348 RPM, and has a crisp delivery that is efficient in allowing him to work linear down the mound with some quickness to the arm out front. His changeup (77-78, 1703 RPM) gets plenty of swings and misses and poor contact. It is a quality pitch that will likely continue to be a weapon moving forward. Schulz’s curveball is thrown as firmly as 75 mph (2710 RPM), but settles in more at 70-73 (2500-2597) with sweeping 2/8 shape and multi-tier break along with tight spin. It has the makings of an above average pitch. There is a fierceness to his concentration on the mound, and with three pitches that could ultimately grade out as above average, Schulz is clearly one of the better arms in the 2023 class. - Shooter Hunt

Coming in at No. 2 is Zane Adams, a lanky, projectable arm with lots of upside. Commands the zone well with his fastball sitting 84-86 T88. Mixes in a nice 12-6 curveball that he can land in the zone for a strike but also get a swing and miss when needed. Also flashes a changeup at 74-76 with fading, arm-side action. Thrives in the big moments of the game, not afraid to challenge hitters when he needs to. All of his stuff will continue to play up as he adds more to his frame - Tyler King

The 3rd spot is held by Jaxson Burch, an athletic LHP with a quick, long arm action with a bulldog mentality on the mound. Pounds the zone to both sides with his fastball that sits 85-88 up to 90 w/ 2484 rpm spin. Also shows ability to get swing and miss at the top of the zone with the fastball. Tunnels the fastball well with his curveball, that has big 12/6 action at 69-71, showing he can land it in the zone when he needs to and bury in the dirt as well. - Tyler King

Landing in the 4th spot is Dane Burns6-foot-3, 175-pounds with long levers and plenty of room to add size and strength. Burns has shown well in multiple PBR events, and most recently showed a tick more velocity, up to 85.4 mph, and was able to throw quality strikes during his bullpen. The delivery has an athletic tempo, clean arm path, and creates some natural deception with the front side and long limbs coming at you. The breaking ball is a true curveball at 71-73 mph that spun at an average RPM of 2656 with a max spin rate of 2731, showed late action with depth. Burns has quite the high ceiling as an arm and we look forward to seeing how he develops in games this coming year.

 

 

top 5 2023 lhp

POSITION RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Jakob Schulz TX Memorial 2023 LHP Vanderbilt
2 Zane Adams TX Porter 2023 LHP Alabama
3 Jaxson Burch TX Friendswood 2023 LHP Oklahoma State
4 Dane Burns TX Allen 2023 LHP Uncommitted
5 Keevyn Goss TX CC Ray 2023 LHP Texas Tech


FULL 2023 RANKINGS CLICK HERE



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