THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Juco  | Rankings | 12/9/2020

2020 JUCO to D1 Recruiting Classes: 1-10

Photo: Ryan Ritter (Kentucky Athletics)
December 8: 2020 JUCO to D1 Recruiting Classes: 11-20


Rk. Team Rk. Team
1 Texas Tech 6 Washington
2 Arkansas 7 Charlotte
3 Oklahoma 8 Miami
4 Texas A&M 9 Kentucky
5 Houston 10 South Carolina


10. South Carolina
Recruiting Coordinator:
Trip Couch



-CJ Weins, RHP, Wabash Valley
-David Mendham, 3B/1B/C, Connors State
-Michael Robinson, SS, Walters State

As the current coaching staff at South Carolina has remade their roster, they’ve done a nice job of supplementing their prep classes with several high-end JUCO players, dating back several classes. That’s no different in this one, with CJ Weins expected to fill a major role in the pitching staff right away, pounding the zone with three pitches including a fastball that reaches the mid-90s and a dynamic curveball. David Mendham was one of the top pure bats in JUCO baseball a year ago and should be an immediate impact offensive force for the Gamecocks who can play several positions, while Michael Robinson brings steady, athletic defense to the middle infield and could see time right away.

9. Kentucky
Recruiting Coordinator:
Will Coggin

-Ryan Ritter, SS, John A. Logan
-Kirk Liebert, OF/C, Wabash Valley
-Jacob Plastiak, 3B/1B, Wabash Valley
-Alonzo Rubalcaba, C, Santa Barbara City

This class was dinged a bit by the loss of San Jac lefty Mitchell Parker to the draft, as he’d have represented a slam dunk weekend starter for the Wildcats, but Kentucky still brought in a top-10 class. Ryan Ritter is the headliner here, a plug-and-play presumed two-year starter at shortstop who should end up a high draft prospect in 2022. Kirk Liebert brings a good bit of versatility and athleticism to the table, he can play anywhere in the outfield as well as behind the plate and should hit atop the lineup, while fellow Wabashian Jacob Plastiak has excellent power from both sides of the plate with a chance to start at 3B. Alonzo Rubalcaba is a tremendous defender behind the plate and should impact games right away with his catch-and-throw skills.

8. Miami
Recruiting Coordinator:
Norberto Lopez

-Jake Smith, RHP, State College of Florida
-Michael Rosario, LHP/OF, St. John’s River
-Adam Frank, IF/OF, Hillsborough
-Jordan Dubberly, RHP, St. John’s River
-Anthony Arguelles, RHP, Santa Fe

Jake Smith leads the class here, as the No. 1 JUCO prospect to get to campus per our final JUCO draft board leading up to the 2020 draft—a huge pull for the Canes no matter how one looks at it. Smith could potentially be the ace right away, he brings mid-90s heat with solid-average slider and changeup to the table and has a chance at being a high pick this July. Anthony Arguelles throws a lot of strikes and should provide solid innings, while a pair of St. John’s River teammates in Michael Rosario and Jordan Dubberly should help eventually, with Rosario having two-way ability. Adam Frank is a very unique player who can play all over the place defensively, throwing righthanded in the infield and lefthanded in the outfield, and he should be a top-of-the-order piece offensively as well.

7. Charlotte
Recruiting Coordinator:
Toby Bicknell

-Andrew Lindsey, RHP, Walters State
-Jack Dragum, IF, Louisburg
-Tyson Tucker, RHP, NIACC
-Sam Grace, RHP, Jefferson College
-Austin Marozas, RHP, San Jacinto
-Kolton Scherbenske, RHP, DMACC
-Hale Sims, RHP, John A. Logan
-Dillon Phillips, RHP, Walters State
-Tom Caufield, SS, Pitt
-Jake Curry, RHP, Polk State
-Parker Stinnett, OF, Walters State
-Aaron McKeithan, C, State College of Florida
-Hunter Baker, OF, Florence-Darlington
-Casey Bargo, RHP, Lincoln Trail

Charlotte has been ultra-aggressive on the JUCO market under the current coaching staff, reshaping the roster and looking strong this fall. Andrew Lindsey comes in as a plug-and-play weekend starter who pounds the zone with a three-pitch mix and found new velocity this fall; he’ll be counted on in a big way. Fellow Walters State transfers Dillon Phillips and Parker Stinnett both figure to be in the mix on the mound and in centerfield, respectively. Austin Marozas is fully healthy and looks to be in the mix to start for the Niners, and the coaching staff likes what they’ve seen from Kolton Scherbenske, Sam Grace, Casey Bargo, and Hale Sims as potential immediate impact pieces. Jack Dragum has been excellent with the bat and glove and should play a huge role right away, and new catcher Aaron McKeithan has impressed right away with the strength of his hit tool and receiving skills.

6. Washington
Recruiting Coordinator:
Elliott Cribby

-Tyson Guerrero, LHP, Lower Columbia
-Colton Charnholm, LHP, Spokane
-Stefan Raeth, RHP, Los Medanos
-Mason Weathers, 2B/SS, Midland

Much like Chase Silseth at Arizona or Ryan Ritter at Kentucky, Washington getting Tyson Guerrero, one of the top JUCO draft prospects a year ago, to campus was nothing short of a huge deal for the Huskies. A lefthanded starter, Guerrero combines excellent athleticism and arm speed to overcome a smaller stature, and worked 90-93 mph with a plus curveball this fall. Fellow lefty Colton Charnholm should see work right away as a matchup nightmare, he works in the 87-91 mph range from a submarine slot. Stefan Raeth is the lone righthander in the group and could see time in the backend of the bullpen as a sinker-slider guy with lots of strikes. The lone position player in the class is Midland College’s Mason Weathers, an offensive-minded middle infielder who should add length to the everyday lineup and could be a fit in a handful of defensive spots.

5. Houston
Recruiting Coordinator:
Terry Rooney/Sammy Esposito

-Brandon Uhse, CF, Weatherford
-Ben Sears, RHP, Rhode Island CC
-Jaycob Deese, RHP, Galveston
-Josh Brown, RHP, College of Southern Nevada
-Cameron Prayer, LHP, Jefferson College
-Adam Becker, 3B, Grayson
-Hayden Winters, IF/OF, Cypress
-Maddux Miller, RHP, Weatherford
-Derek Abeln, OF, Johnson County
-Leyton Pinckney, C, Northwest Florida State
-Cole Turney, OF, San Jacinto
-Blake Schultz, RHP, Alvin

Houston brought in, by my unofficial count, 12 JUCO transfers and five four-year transfers this fall, and the roster obviously has a much different look as a result. Brandon Uhse was a high-level athlete and performer at Weatherford College, he seems likely to start in centerfield right away for the Cougars, and he should be joined as immediate impact bats by Adam Becker, a righthanded thumper who could start at third base, and Hayden Winters, a versatile defender who was one of the top bats in all of SoCal JUCO a year ago. The pitching staff will look markedly different for Houston this year as well, with Jaycob Deese and Ben Sears both looking like potential weekend starters right away, and they’re joined by behemoth lefty Cameron Prayer as a potential starter with Blake Schultz and Josh Brown both expected to be big pieces out of the bullpen.

4. Texas A&M
Recruiting Coordinator:
Justin Seely

-Taylor Smith, C, Grayson
-Brett Minnich, OF/1B, Blinn
-Jordan Thompson, OF, Grayson
-Gabe Craig, RHP, Tyler

In something of a more unique class, the Aggies brought in a JUCO class that’s more heavy on bats than arms, which definitely makes it stand out amongst the majority of these that we’ve ranked. Taylor Smith was widely considered to be the best JUCO catching prospect in the country a year ago, as he brings tremendous catch-and-throw skills to the table with serious righthanded power at the plate. Brett Minnich was one of the best JUCO bats in the class and is simultaneously a massive get to campus, as the A&M coaches expect him to hit and hit in a big way in the middle of their order. Jordan Thompson had a big season at Grayson going pre-COVID, he brings a good combination of offensive tools and athleticism to the table and could see time in any of the outfield spots. The sleeper of the class is definitely Gabe Craig, the lone arm brought in. He only pitched 13 2/3 innings in his JUCO career before heading to College Station, but the coaching staff is high on his projectable frame, loose arm, and fastball that worked 89-94 this fall with a good slider to boot. He’s got excellent long term upside.

3. Oklahoma
Recruiting Coordinator:
Clay Overcash

-Brett Squires, IF/OF, McLennan
-Jimmy Crooks, C, McLennan
-Dalton Fowler, LHP, Northwest Mississippi
-Javier Ramos, RHP, Seminole State (Okla.)
-Braden Carmichael, LHP, Grayson

Right here, at No. 3, is where I drew the proverbial line that sets apart the top tier of these classes with the second tier, internally making the debate for best class overall between this one and the pair above it. It’s impactful bats and impactful arms, all guys who have a chance to make huge impacts for the Sooners. Brett Squires brings tremendous lefthanded power to the table and is capable of hitting 15+ home runs this spring while McLennan teammate Jimmy Crooks should see time right away behind the plate and is all-around a solid player. Lefthander Dalton Fowler brings excellent size at 6-foot-6, and based on how his fall went, should be in line for a weekend rotation spot right out of the gate. Righty Javier Ramos might just join Fowler in the rotation as well, as he sat mid-90’s with heavy sink this fall. Braden Carmichael is the potential swing guy who can both start and reliever, flummoxing hitters from the left side with a plus changeup and a fastball mostly around 90 mph. It’s deep and it’s impactful, and definitely one of the best classes in the country.

2. Arkansas
Recruiting Coordinator:
Nate Thompson

-Jalen Battles, SS, McLennan
-Brady Slavens, 3B, Johnson County
-Ryan Costeiu, RHP, Sacramento City
-Charlie Welch, C, St. John’s River

Arkansas moved slowly building this class, keeping it small and adding pieces as they saw needs, and ended up with a monster of a class in terms of immediate projected impact. Jalen Battles was one of the top prospects in JUCO last season and seems to have taken even more strides forward offensively this fall, and has a chance to start at shortstop as well. Brady Slavens was likely the most feared hitter in JUCO in the shortened 2020 season, he brings potentially middle-order lefthanded pop to the Razorback lineup and could slot in at third base. Ryan Costeiu has already improved under pitching coach Matt Hobbs, gaining velocity and now working in the mid-90s with sink and a dynamic changeup, he could be in line for either a starter or backend bullpen role. Charlie Welch was the final add to this class, he’s known as a strong righthanded hitter who can roll the pole, and he adds depth to the catcher position behind Casey Optiz.

1. Texas Tech
Recruiting Coordinator:
J-Bob Thomas

-Brandon Birdsell, RHP, San Jacinto
-Chase Webster, RHP, Chandler-Gilbert
-Braydon Runion, 3B, Walters State
-Brandon Petix, LHP, Alvin

We had Texas Tech with the No. 1 2020 JUCO class about a year ago when we looked at these classes through the early signing deadline lens, and they stay at No. 1 in the final iteration. It’s all about power arms in Lubbock, as Red Raider pitching coach Matt Gardner can build velocity like few others, and this class gives him even more high-octane arms to work with. Brandon Birdsell was in play to be drafted this past June but opted to head to Tech, he’s been mid-90s and touching higher with a wipeout slider this fall and looks poised for a big role. Fellow flamethrower Chase Webster likewise has been throwing gas and looking like a major bullpen piece. Braydon Runion had some of the better offensive upside of anyone in the ’20 JUCO class and could play either infield corner, while lefty Brandon Petix adds an intriguing projection element to the class, though his stuff is plenty good right now. Texas Tech expects to be in Omaha every year, and this class of JUCO prospects should help them get there in 2021.


Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 22

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Lucien Saint Cyr, INF, Class of 2026 Commitment: Bucknell Saint Cyr announced his pledge to Bucknell, giving the Bison an interesting blend of present tools and projection. Saint Cyr stands 6-foot-1 and offers room to fill in his medium frame, profiling in the middle infield defensively. The New York product starts wide at the base in the right-handed box, keeping his hands high behind the ear. He works into a subtle outward step load, firing through a compact barrel that showcases bat speed and gap-to-gap impact. For head coach Scott Heather and Bucknell, they land a high-quality Northeast infielder in the ’26 cycle, adding to a class that takes the quality over quantity approach. Patrick Diaz ('26, NY) 102 EV off the bat. Impact to the pull side. #PGNational @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/NN0L3FRdO9 — PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 9, 2025 Patrick Diaz,...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
Loading more articles...