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High School  | General  | 2/5/2024

Florida HS Dream Team & Top Tools

David Rawnsley     
Florida as a state/region has a very strong senior class this year, highlighted by nine players ranked in the Perfect Game Top 50 and 11 players who participated in the 2023 Perfect Game All-American Classic.  This comes with a small asterisk, as the increasing number of players coming to IMG Academy from out of state contributes to this total.  Four members of this 2024 Florida All-Region team attend IMG and all four of them are from other parts of the country, including top ranked (3rd overall) 2024 Florida prospect OF Noah Franco (California), 3B Andre Modugno (New Jersey) and highly ranked juniors OF Dean Moss (California) and SS Sean Gamble (Iowa).

That being said, it will be interesting to see how the 2025 class develops, as Florida does not at present have either a pitcher or a catcher ranked in the top 100 nationally.



There are plenty of familiar schools ranked in the Perfect Game Top 50 pre-season rankings.  Not surprisingly with all their top national level talent, IMG Academy ranks first nationally, although they are closely challenged by the 2023 National Champions, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who checks in at third in the 2024 rankings.  2023 Top 50 teams who also start 2024 in the rankings include North Broward Prep at 13th (38th in 2023), American Heritage at 19th (26th in 2023) and Tampa Jesuit at 23rd (29th in 2023).

C --  Hunter Carns (Sr., First Coast HS, Fla.)

Carns was named the Class of 2024 Tournament Player of the Year after hitting .316-9-45/1.082 OPS to go with 21 stolen bases.  He put on a show at the PG National Showcase with a couple of bombs and was named Most Valuable Player at the WWBA World Championships after a .400-3-9 showing for 5-Star/Top Tier Roos.  Carns, who has eye-opening 6.47 speed for a catcher, hit .478-8-25 with 25 steals as a junior at First Coast High School.

1B  --  Myles Bailey (Sr., Lincoln HS, Fla.)

The top-ranked senior first baseman in the PG rankings nationally and the 17th ranked overall prospect, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound left-handed hitting Bailey simply rakes.  He hit .384-4-22/1.171 OPS in 31 PG tournaments games in 2023 after hitting .389-10-30/1.454 in the spring for Lincoln High School.

MIF --  Sean Gamble (Jr., IMG Academy, Fla.)

Gamble, who is an Iowa native, is one of the most tooled up players in the country regardless of class and is ranked fifth among 2025 prospects and second nationally among shortstops.  The two-time Select Festival participant is the first of four position players in the Florida Region line up from IMG and part of an all-junior middle infield.

MIF --  Eddie Zaun (Jr., Cardinal Mooney HS, Fla.)

Zaun saved his two top summer/fall performances for the biggest events, hitting 444-3-11 at the WWBA World Championships and .625-1-7 at the WWBA 16U National Championships, both for Canes National.  That was following up on his sophomore spring at Cardinal Mooney High School that saw the right-handed hitter post .431-4-19 numbers.  Zaun has gained comps to former PG All-American and 2021 National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India on the field.

3B -- Andre Modugno (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla.)

Modugno is a freakish athlete who at 6-foot-5, 200+ pounds runs a 6.44 sixty and throws 100 mph from the outfield and 97 mph off the mound.  But notably there might not have been a more improved hitter in the 2024 class than Modugno, who shortened his swing significantly and hit .351-6-23 in PG tournament action in 2023 after hitting .196-0-6 in a similar number of games in 2022.

OF -- Dean Moss (Jr., IMG Academy, Fla.)

Moss is a two-time Select Festival participant who has always been considered one of the top hitters in the 2025 class.  Ranked fourth overall in the 2025 class rankings, Moss’s athleticism took a big jump in 2023 and he showed big potential defensively in the outfield.

OF -- Tyler Head (Sr., Windermere HS, Fla.)

Head is a profile outfield prospect as a left-hander with a projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pound build, 6.55 speed and a sweet swing with developing power.  Interestingly, Head has hit with much more authority with wood bats during the summer and fall, including a .414-2-8 performance with 10 walks and 3 steals at the 2023 WWBA 17U National Championship, than he has during the spring at Windermere High School.

OF -- Noah Franco (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla.)

A Southern California native, Franco was at one point the top ranked prospect nationally in the 2025 class before moving up to the 2024 class, where he currently sits third nationally and first overall in the state of Florida.  The left-hander can do it all on the field, with 6.52 speed, 96 mph arm strength from both first base and the outfield and a powerful bat.  Some evaluators believe that Franco has just as high a ceiling on the mound as well.

RHP -- Chase Mobley (Sr., Durant HS, Fla.)

Mobley is the top ranked right-handed pitcher in the 2024 class nationally and the 12th ranked prospect overall.  Featuring an ideal and still very projectable 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame, Mobley threw in the 95-97 mph range at the PG All-American Classic to go with an upper 70’s slider.  He’s known for his calm and unflappable demeanor on and off the field and is a two-time Select Festival participant in addition to his PG All-American honors.

LHP -- Talan Bell (Sr., Hagerty HS, Fla.)

Bell was the only PG All-American not pumping mid-90’s fastballs at Chase Field in Phoenix and hardly stands out physically at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, either, but is one of the most dominant high school pitchers in the country.  He throws five different pitches and throws them all to spots, including an 89-92 fastball, an upper 80’s cutter, a low 80’s slider, a mid-70’s curveball and an 80 mph change up.  Bell is also a talented outfielder and could be a two-way player in college if he makes it to Clemson.

LHP -- Johnny King (Sr., Naples HS, Fla.)

King could have easily filled the Utility slot on this Florida All-Region team as a speedy outfielder with a promising left-handed bat but has a higher ceiling as left-handed pitcher.  He throws from a mid-3/4’s whippy arm slot with a fastball that reaches 93 mph to go with a slurvy upper 70’s breaking ball that is a swing and miss pitch.  King struck out 103 hitters in 51 combined innings between HS and PG baseball in 2023 with only 13 walks.

RHP -- Lazaro Collera (Sr., Florida Christian HS, Fla.)

Collera stands out on the mound with his 6-foot-6, 230-pound build and for his fastball, which topped out at 98 mph at the PG National Showcase and at 96 mph at the Perfect Game All-American Classic.  That is a notable velocity jump from the 89-91 mph that Collera threw in 2022.  He has always been a strike thrower and walked only 20 hitters versus 88 strikeouts in 54 innings at Florida Christian High School as a junior.

RHP -- Schuyler Sandford (Sr., St. John's Country Day HS, Fla.)

Sandford is currently the 11th ranked right hander in the 2024 class and 38th ranked prospect overall but has the potential to move way up that list with a strong spring.  The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Florida commit has shown unhittable stuff when in the strike zone with a 94-96 mph fastball and a big sweeping slurve and still projects well physically.

Utility -- Kaiden Lopez (Sr., Oviedo HS, Fla.)

Lopez is a primary outfielder with 6.52 speed, a 100 mph arm and a strong right-handed bat but a case could be made that the 6-foot, 200-pound right-hander is just as good a prospect on the mound.  Lopez tops out at 95 mph on the bump with a full four-pitch mix.  The PG All-American struck out 68 hitters versus only 13 walks in 43 innings for Oviedo High School as a junior.

Florida Region Top Tools 

Best Hitter for Average: Noah Franco (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla.)

Franco hits easy and under control and always seems to be on time at the plate.  He’s always been a high average/high contact hitter at PG events and his power promises to continue to develop as he gets stronger.  2025 IF Eddie Zaun was a strong consideration for this category as well.

Best Hitter for Power:  Hunter Carns (Sr., First Coast HS, Fla.)

It would be very easy to put one of the big boppers such as Myles Bailey or Andre Modugno or even 3B Akhil Nimmala (Sr., Strawberry Crest HS, Fla) here.  But Carns exit velocities are the best in the class and the power plays so consistently and so big in games that there isn’t any other real choice.

Best Runner: Hunter Carns (Sr., First Coast HS, Fla.)

There are tons of 6.5 type runners across the senior class in Florida, so Carns 6.47 sixty doesn’t stand out.  What does is how aggressively he uses his speed.  Along with stealing 21 bases as a high school junior, Carns was 54-57 stealing bases during the 2022-23 PG seasons and went out in his first 2024 PG tournament, the 18U PG East MLK and stole seven bases in four games.

Best Defensive Catcher:  Vincent Decarlo (Jr., Tampa Jesuit HS, Fla.)

DeCarlo has that combination of lower body quickness and athleticism behind the plate and big arm strength that is ideal in a top defensive catcher.  He has run down to 6.74 and threw 85 mph in catching drills at PG events and also appeared in the 2023 PG Underclass All-American Games and the 2023 Perfect Game All-Star Game.  DeCarlo can swing the bat, too, as the right handed hitter posted .342-3-18 numbers as a sophomore at Tampa Jesuit HS and hit .326-2-11 in PG tournament plays last year.

Best Defensive Infielder: Manuelle Marin, (Sr., ESB Academy, Fla.)

Marin has long been lauded for his actions in the dirt, ones that will keep him at the premium position for a while to come. From the silky footwork to his overall body control, softness in his hands, and arm strength across (93 mph), there's little reason to think he won't continue to be an impact defender at the next level. 
 
Best Defensive Outfielder: Michael Torres (Sr., Doral Academy, Fla.)

Torres was originally in the 2025 class and played in the 13U and 14U Select Festivals before re-classifying.  He’s a two-way prospect as a strong-armed left-handed pitcher but really stands out for his strong fundamentals on both sides of the ball and especially on defense.  Tool-wise, he’s a 6.69 runner and has thrown 95 mph from the outfield.

Best Defensive Arm: Dylan Dubovik (Jr., St. Andrews HS, Fla.)

This category is loaded, with Kaiden Lopez and Andre Modugno having 100 mph outfield arms and Noah Franco holding the all-time PG record with a 96 mph throw from first base.  But Dubovik, who looks like a Modugno clone physically, put on a show at the recent PG National Underclass Main Event, throwing 98 mph both from the infield and outfield.

Best Fastball: RHP Chase Mobley (Sr., Durant HS, Fla.)

Lazaro Collara has topped out higher than Mobley at 98 mph but Mobley is just behind in terms of velocity and is much more advanced in his ability to pitch with his heater.  Don’t be surprised if Schuyler Sandford throws harder than both this spring, however.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Talan Bell (Sr., Hagerty HS, Fla.)

Florida doesn’t have a single hurler with a nasty plus/plus breaking ball at present, so the nod goes to the pitcher who throws multiple quality off-speed pitches with feel at any point in the count.

Best Pitchability: Talan Bell (Sr., Hagerty HS, Fla.)

An easy choice, as the athletic southpaw probably has the best present pitchability in the high school ranks nationally.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: Timothy Lawson (Sr., Bishop Verot HS, Fla.)

Lawson is a left-handed pitcher with a fastball up to 91 mph and has struck out 59 hitters in 39 innings over the past two years while pitching for CBU Scout Team in PG tournament play.  His baseball career won't take a back seat to football at the next level, however, as he’s signed with North Carolina in both baseball and football, where the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Lawson will also play tight end.  Special mention goes to SS Madrid Tucker (Jr, Fort Myers HS, Fla.), a four-sport standout, and SS Kamden (KJ) Scobey (Sr., McKeel Academy), who will playing baseball next year at South Carolina but will undoubtedly keep his hand in at golf, where he was District champion.
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