THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,489 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,489 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Recruiting | 11/17/2020

Head of the Class: No. 2 Vanderbilt

Photo: Jordan Lawlar (Perfect Game)
Recruiting Rankings |  2021 High School Player Rankings | Recruiting Database


No. 2 Vanderbilt



Full 2021-2022 Recruiting Class
Head Coach: Tim Corbin | Recruiting Coordinator: Mike Baxter
 
Top 5 Recruits:

Rk. Name POS. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST
1 Jordan Lawlar SS 6-2 185 R-R Jesuit College Prep Irving TX
5 Joshua Baez OF 6-3 220 R-R Dexter Southfield Boston  MA
11 Carter Holton LHP 5-11 195 L-L Benedictine Military Guyton GA
15 Christian Little RHP 6-4 205 R-R Christian Brothers Academy St. Louis MO
33 James Peyton Smith RHP 6-4 215 R-R East Robertson Springfield TN

*Rk. Denotes National Rank in PG HS Class of 2021

With the ever-changing landscape that is recruiting, especially in these current times, players continue to make their decisions on where they are going to play at the next level on their time, some committing early while others wait, which is exactly what Matthew Polk recently did. The reason for bringing up Polk, who committed to the Commodores on the 14th of November, is that by him signing with Head Coach Tim Corbin and his staff, he vaulted Vanderbilt’s 2021 class to No. 1 in the country. But for the sake of fluidity and continuity, Vanderbilt still checks in No. 2 for this exercise as we maintain the ranking order from when we first started back on Signing Day.

That said, Vanderbilt fans have to be ecstatic with what the club has potentially arriving on campus, though it’s become somewhat the norm in Nashville each fall. You don’t have to look far in the Perfect Game rankings to find the first Vanderbilt signee as Texas based shortstop Jordan Lawlar, a PG All American and PG Select Festival alum, checks in at No. 1 in the nation after an eye-opening summer. Full of fast-twitch muscle as evidenced by his 6.45 speed in the 60-yard, Lawlar is as smooth a defender up the middle as you’ll find thanks to his footwork and overall agility, though his right-handed swing is just as impressive as he has added noticeable strength and the ball began jumping in a big way.

You won’t have to look much further down the national rankings to find the next Commodore commitment as Massachusetts prep product Joshua Baez enjoyed as loud a summer as any, leading to his rapid ascension up the rankings. Physically gifted at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Baez has all the offensive ingredients to be an impact run producer from the bat speed to easy plus power to the rate in which the power appears in game. Just in case his offensive components aren’t alluring enough Baez also runs a 6.6 and was up to 97 mph on the mound this summer. 

Fellow PG All American Rob Gordon would form quite the tandem with Lawlar up the middle given his footwork and advanced feel in the dirt. Gordon, a right-handed hitting primary shortstop out of Georgia, continues to improve his game nearly every time we see him, a byproduct of him adding strength while continuing to show balance and a natural feel for the barrel at the plate. A duo of California preps in Davis Diaz and Matthew Polk, alongside Florida’s Jonathan Vastine, give the Commodores a plethora of talent as Diaz put his well-rounded skillset on display in Fort Myers during the WWBA World Championship while Vastine has a long track record of performing and squaring up high level pitching. 

Polk, like Michigan’s Anthony Migliaccio, let their athleticism take over and as a result can play all over the diamond as Polk, a primary shortstop, and Migliaccio, a primary catcher, are both capable of playing a standout defense in the outfield. Speaking of outfielders, a trio of left-handed hitters are heading to Nashville in Christian Smith, Kenneth Mallory Jr, and JD Rogers while Minnesota catcher Sam Hunt, a physical switch-hitter who’ll provide some thump, rounds out the offense. 

Vanderbilt once again is loaded up on the mound led by a quartet of PG All American arms in Carter Holton, Christian Little and a pair of in-state arms in James Peyton Smith and Ryan Ginther. Over the years Holton has done nothing but dominate the competition, attacking hitters with a heater that works into the mid-90s as part of a three-pitch mix, all of which he has proven he can miss bats with. Consider this: in 32 Perfect Game innings this summer and fall, Holton struck out 60 and walked just 19. 

Little is expected to enroll early at Vanderbilt and join the team this spring, giving the Commodores another high-level arm as he is currently ranked No. 15 in the class. A strongly built 6-foot-4 right-hander, Little has long been lauded for his pitchability and command on the mound while seeing a consistent uptick to his fastball, now routinely working into the mid-90s. Joining Little and Holton on Team Elite this past summer, Smith offers one of the best fastballs in the country, peaking at 98 mph with heavy life while showing a wipeout slider and a late diving changeup in the mid-80s. Ginther gives the staff another exciting left-hander up to 94 mph who makes for an uncomfortable at-bat while pounding the strike zone. 

The wealth of talent on the mound continues with 6-foot-4 right-handers Greysen Carter, who was up to 96 mph with a potential plus breaker in Fort Myers, and Miles Langhorne who was up to 94 mph and delivered a couple of eye-opening performances this summer. Michael Morales and Bryce Cunningham are two additional righ-thanders with present stuff and tremendous upside while left-hander Devin Futrell exudes projection with his long limbed 6-foot-5, 190 pound frame and three-pitch mix. Kyle Magrans and Colton Regen are a pair of in-state arms with projectable frames and present stuff, showing their ability to clean up nationally as well as close to home. 
 

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