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High School  | Rankings  | 11/6/2020

2021 Prep Class Rankings Risers Part 2: Pitchers

Jered Goodwin     
Photo: Jackson Wentworth (Perfect Game)
2021 Prep Class Rankings Risers: Hitters

There was no shake up in the top ten as far as arms are concerned with Andrew Painter (2021 Pompano Beach, FL) still with arguably the best combination of polish plus projection in the class and Chase Petty (2021 Somers Point, NJ) with that 100 mph fastball. Carter Holton (2021 Guyton, GA) and Shane Panzini (2021 Spring Lake, NJ) both make a jump and really finished about how they started. That is the impressive part. Holton and Panzini held their “stuff” throughout the 2020 showcase tour. Holton, a left-hander, showed consistent 91-95 mph stuff the entire summer and fall. He has a slider and changeup that are solid pitches that will continue to grade better as he refines them, as well as his command. Panzini sat in the same 91-95 mph range with his fastball from start to finish. He throws a curveball and slider, with the slider potentially being a consistent plus offering. His changeup is still developing but shows enough to give him a true four pitch mix that could have all offering at solid-average or better. The right-hander already throws a ton of quality strikes as well.



Irving Carter (2021 Boynton Beach, FL) is as intense and competitive as they get. The righty sat 92-95 mph at the WWBA with his normal hard biting slider that peaks in the mid-80s. He was a bit more erratic than normal. But a lot was the extended look and most likely with a low workload that came with the strange 2020 year, as we have seen him hold his stuff and command late in outings. His consistency with his two-pitch mix is well documented at this point and his changeup is showing more promise.

Thatcher Hurd (2021 Manhattan Beach, CA) and Jackson Baumeister (2021 Jacksonville, FL) you can file in the same drawer. They are athletic righties with a catching background, and both seem to be tapping into their enormous potential on the mound. Hurd has a great frame, a super quick shoulder, and his performance in Fort Myers was stellar. He ran his fastball up to 93 mph, sitting around 90. Both his curveball and slider had very high spin rates and entertain swing and miss traits. Baumeister sat 91-94 mph at the WWBA and has good command to the glove side and great extension at release. The breaking stuff is trending up and his changeup gives him another solid offering. The right-hander battled an injury in the spring. Now fully healthy, this is the Baumeister we expected to see. Putting up zeros against top competition and having all the components to make big jumps this spring.

Gage Jump (2021 Aliso, CA) continues to produce some of the best fastball quality in the class. It’s a tough, two-plane heater, that he commands when at his best. His curveball has made strides as he is throwing harder which in turn has added depth. The swing and miss is the most notable aspect, as he struck out thirteen batters during his two outings in Fort Myers.

Drew Christo (2021 Elkhorn, NE) may be one of the hardest throwers in the class when it is all said and done. He has a low effort delivery, with a clean arm action, sitting in the 88-91 mph range and peaking at 93 mph. He has a four pitch mix and the 6-foot-4 frame is still filling out. He threw four-plus shutout innings at the WWBA and all things being calculated, he has riser written all over him.

Anthony Solometo (2021 Sicklerville, NJ) has a lightning quick shoulder, utilizing a unique delivery and arm stroke. The body control and timing in his process helps him harness the sometimes over-whelming stuff as he sat 90-93/4 mph with a high spin rate slider. The pure ceiling may rival any arm in the class.

Mason Marriott (2021 Tomball, TX) The competitiveness and ability to work through an absolutely loaded line up at the WWBA makes it hard to ignore the type of potential Marriott conceivably owns. He held 90-93 mph over the entirety of his complete game performance. The ability to manipulate the breaking ball and pitch backwards was a sight-to-see.

Travis Smith (2021 Walton, KY) has a tall and long frame that hasn’t come close to physical maturity. The effortless velocity he showed in Florida in the 88-92/4 mph range, and his ability to repeat, are unique for his stature. That ability to repeat allows Smith to throw four pitches for strikes and as he learns to design his pitches he should continue to see an uptick in the swing and miss department.

Greysen Carter (2021 Louisville, CO) makes one of the biggest jumps and it was expected from how he ended his 2019 summer. Due to Covid and travel issues making things understandably difficult, Fort Myers was the PG staff's first look at the righty in 2020. The 92-96 mph fastball and hard breaking and high spin rate curveball in the 80 mph range were enough to remind everyone of the vast potential that Carter possesses.

Daniel Brooks (2021 Mount Pleasant, SC) has the frame, arm action, and delivery that have always given him the potential to be a big-time prospect. He held low-90s and reached back to grab a 94 in Fort Myers with at least an average curveball right now. The middle of the rotation projection with a higher ceiling if it clicks, makes Brooks very intriguing. His monster outing at his PG finale might be start of everything coming together.

Calvin Ziegler (2021 Heidelberg, ON) was nails in his first Perfect Game event this fall. He sat in the 93-95 mph range with a sharp slider in the low-80s. His fastball shows sink and typically missed barrels even if that was soft contact. He showed the characteristics to be a solid workhorse starter.

Joshua Stewart (2021 Georgetown, TX) worked up to 95 mph with his fastball and repeated his athletic delivery over the course of his outing in Florida. There is real helium potential as he gets consistent with his slider and curveball that show big promise. The peripherals in the profile are ones that typically makes jumps. The jump could come soon from what he showed late in the fall.

Martin Gair (2021 Concord, SC) is 6-foot-6 and has a fast shoulder and whippy arm that sat in the low-90s and topped at 94. Enough to make your eyes get big in itself. The upside, from a velocity standpoint, is incredibly high. The development of his secondary offerings and ability to hold the velocity deep into games will be the separator moving forward.

Tanner McDougal (2021 Henderson, NV) should check a lot of the data driven boxes. He had a high spin rate on fastball and curveball and conversely turns the changeup over hard to get very low spin rates. The changeup got empty swings and he reached back for 94 mph while sitting in the low-90s with his fastball with plenty of hand speed at release. It was a loud statement heading into spring.

Jackson Wentworth (2021 Urbandale, IA) continued to tick up over the summer and culminated with him showing his best stuff the PG staff has witnessed down in the Fort. He held velocity in the 90-93/4 mph range with the fastball. The upper-70s curveball gets tough vertical break and is already a swing and miss pitch. His third offering, a fading changeup gives him a third above average offering. This could easily be the next Iowa prep righty that flies up draft boards as Carter Baumler did in June 2020.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (2021 Trujillo Alto, PR) is a skinny framed and quick armed righty from the Island that posits big unharnessed stuff as he isn’t quite strong enough to repeat it yet. His fastball sat in the 88-92 mph range and he popped 94’s early. He has a slurvy breaking ball that will need to firm up but has the elements that should make it an above average offering. With a solid Winter in the weight room, he could rise as fast as anyone in the class.

Andrew Woods (2021 Monroe, LA) has had his moments over the years as a two-way prospect and is widely considered a very good athlete for a pitcher. The power arm is the biggest attraction and he proved that with 95 mph bolts late in the fall. His curveball is more of a force contact type pitch now, but it should develop as he understands the intent required.

Timothy Williams (2021 Shenandoah, VA) ran his fastball up to 93 mph from the left side at the WWBA. This was his first outing of the year at a Perfect Game event and he did not disappoint. He has two different breaking balls with a curveball and slider that he seems confident throwing. If he can hold the firm stuff in longer outing’s he will make a splash this spring.

Erian Rodriguez (2021 Statesboro, GA) has some of the best pure arm talent of anyone late in the fall. There are development aspects that need to take place, but his body and clean arm that produce 90-94 mph heaters are not close to the ceiling. The slider very well may be plus one day too.

Fisher Jameson (2021 Lake Worth, FL) made the most of his four innings at the World Championship as he struck out eleven hitters. The righty worked 90-93 mph with a good handful of 94’s. His solid three pitch mix and sturdy frame give him a good chance to hold that firm stuff and potentially add more as he matures.

Mitchell Bratt (2021 Newmarket, ON) is a polished lefty with a fluid operation that you are just waiting to see pop. He runs his fastball up to 90 mph now, with plenty in the tank to help you dream. His breaking ball showed depth, with standard 1-7 shape, and he has feel to land the pitch in the zone. The ease and synch he showed this fall helps to believe everything is steadily coming together.

Luke Holman (2021 Sinking Spring, PA) showed plenty of swing and miss late in the fall with eight strikeouts in four innings at the World Championships. The heater sat in the 90-93 mph range with plenty of plane. He threw a big breaking curveball and a late breaking slider as his secondary offerings. The body and delivery also give plenty to be excited about.

Chase Allsup (2021 Dothan, AL) simply has serious arm strength with a fastball that touched 95 mph late in the fall and plenty of life to the pitch. He has the makings of a power sider and it will be monitored to see if he gains confidence in the pitch. For now, that arm strength will cause scouts to come in early and often to watch him pitch in the spring.
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