Colton Fry (2027 Duncannon, PA) has already gained lots of attention in the Northeast this Summer/Fall, but Underclass may have solidified his spot in national talks come next year. At a well built 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, the RHP tossed 6.2 innings of one run, six strikeout baseball for Ascent Athlete running the FB up to 90 mph with evident life out of the hand. He mixes well and replicates arm speed effectively for swing/miss. He finishes his 2025 campaign with a 0.79 ERA in 17.2 IP with 25 Ks on the year.
Hudson December (2027 Woodland Hills, CA) was another interesting arm that made a name for himself at Underclass, as the still plenty projectable 6-foot-2, 170 pound RHP ran it up to 89 mph and tossed five strong innings of six strikeout baseball in just his 2nd PG event. The frame along with a loose, whippy arm here yields to a high velocity ceiling in the future, as the Woodland Hills native might just be scratching the surface of his full potential. There’s feel for spin the arsenal and he knows how to get guys out, making for an automatic watch tag as December heads into the offseason.
-AJ Denny
Jake Watts (2027, Arvada, CO) Was lights out on the bump through the week going 9.1 IP and punched out seventeen. Excellent FB quality that lived around the zone with consistent secondary’s. Moves well down the mound with whip in the arm and feel for the strike zone. The sky’s the limit for the right hander as he develops.
Colin Watson (2027, Dafne, AL) Hit an astounding .667 with 3 doubles and drove in 7. Twitchy athlete with quick hands and length out front in the swing. Gap to gap currently but showed impressive drive off the barrel. The barrel accuracy stood out in a big way but his overall iq and aggressive style should garner lots of attention at the end of summer.
-Brock Goodwin
Jameson Moan (2027, St. Petersburg, Fla.) put together a terrific tournament from an offensive perspective, hitting over .500 with a long homer over the course of the weekend. Moan is physical and athletic with big arm strength behind the dish and the hitting that shone all weekend.
Kasen Poplin (2027, Sarasota, Fla.) showed super unique stuff on the mound and punched out nine over his five shutout on the mound. The fastball lived in the upper-80s with IVB routinely north of 20+ inches, which means it’s generating explosive life up. The breaking ball feel is good too and the swing-and-miss upside here is significant.
Mason Ellison (2027, Manchester, N.H.) has some really good stuff on the mound, working in the low-90s with a hammer breaking ball. Spin rates on the breaking stuff got north of 3200+ rpm and there’s real upside here on the mound.
Daniel Sanchez (2027, Broadlands, Va.) showed huge upside during his start at Terry Park, working up to 92 mph with some insane extension metrics. At 6-foot-7, 230-pounds, there’s obviously huge physical upside and Sanchez has a lot of good components at present to project on.
Noah Gray (2027, Mt. Crawford, Va.) was excellent for the Richmond Braves during their playoff run, collecting ten hits over seven games. There’s real twitch and athleticism with a projectable frame and good routes in center. The bat speed stands out from the right side and looks like a complete player after a strong weekend.
Nicholas Machusko (2027, Moon Township, Penn.) might have hit the longest home run on the weekend, nearly reaching the parking lot at the Jet Blue complex. It’s easy easy juice for the 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed hitter and he is able to tap into that power with frequency and consistency.
Jack Franklin (2027, Jacksonville, Fla.) has a starter’s look and repertoire, working up to 89 mph with command of three pitches during his outing. He’s lean and projectable at 6-foot-3, 155-pounds and can already sequence and set up pitches well. This looks like a slam dunk starter at the next level.
Elliot Cresap (2027, Fontana, Calif.) dazzled in bracket play tossing a complete game, seven inning no hitter. At 6-foot-6, 230-pounds he’s a good mover down the slope and showed the obvious pitchability.
Ty Simms (2027, Omaha, Neb.) was great out of the top of the order for the Nebraska Prospects, hitting over .400 on the weekend. He’s athletic and speedy with good barrel skills and can go out and defend well in centerfield too.
Nathaniel Sabino (2027, Spring Hill, Fla.) put together a strong couple of weekends in Florida and checks a lot of boxes. It’s a quick stroke with switch hit ability and the offensive upside at a premium position stands out.
Dani Jensen (2027, Broadlands, Va.) was sensational on the mound, particularly in bracket, and punched out 14 over 9.2 innings. It’s a full mix with lots of strikes up to 88 mph and his complete game shutout in the playoffs was a notable outing.
Trent Lutz (2027, Telford, Penn.) showed some huge upside on the mound, working up to 92 mph with free and athletic mechanics. There’s real arm speed here and Lutz worked up to 94 the weekend after; the upside here is substantial.
-Vinnie Cervino
The Next Wave:
Grant Arnold, Canes National 17u
Arnold was playing up an age group at the Underclass Worlds in Fort Myers, but nobody would’ve noticed as he was one of the more talented players on a loaded team. He already stands out physically at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds and is one of the more athletically tooled up players in the ’28 class. The ability to find the barrel and impact it is advanced and he finished up hitting .538 with two triples and a homer. The ball explodes off and he’s also into the low-90s on the mound too. Arnold is a name to get familiar with and showcased all his abilities playing against the top ‘27’s and fit right in.
Aiden Kearney, FTB Phillies 2027
Kearney, a top-5 player in the ’28 class, was yet another ’28 that was excellent playing up an age group in Fort Myers. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound middle infielder fits the bill as a top prospect and the bat is simply outrageous for someone that’s just 16 years old. He was on the barrel throughout the event in Fort Myers, hitting three doubles and a triple, slashing .438 with a 1.194 OPS. Kearney has been ranked near the top of the ’28 class since the initial rankings and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon.
Mikey Batiste, Canadian Premier Underclass
I was conflicted on which category to put Batiste under, whether it was under “Breakout Stars” or “The Next Wave” but think it’s a little bit of both with the ultra-physical Canadian outfielder. It’s an imposing frame at 6-foot-4, 230-pounds, and he’s a great athlete for being that size. The Ontario native is a switch hitter with juice from both sides and feel to hit from both sides as well. He certainly cemented himself as an intriguing follow in Fort Myers and is a name to keep tabs on in the coming years.
-Cam McElwaney
Soren Etheridge, RHP, Canes National 17U
Etheridge put together one of the best outings at Underclass, showing why he is a name to keep eyes on moving forward. Etheridge worked 91-94 mph for his outing, punching out 8 opposing hitters, turning to his upper-70s curveball with 11-5 shape and depth. He also turned over mid-80s changeups. Etheridge mowed through the opposing lineup for 6.0 innings, with 10 punchouts to just 2 hits and 2 walks. He’s a high-caliber, uncommitted arm who projects well.
Joseph Webb, RHP/3B, eXposure 17u National
Webb worked up to 93 mph during his outing in Fort Myers, holding the 88-92 mph range. The pitch has plenty of burst out of the hand, and he showed some feel to run it in on righties. He had an upper-70s/low-80s hook as well, with good depth to it. Webb has a lot to like on the mound, and he showed it with eXposure 17u National, going 4.0 no-hit innings, with 5 walks and 7 punchouts. He also got it done at the plate, with good strength off the barrel, and some looseness, hitting .444 on the week with 2 triples.
Seth Hooks, LHP/OF, eXposure 17u National
Hooks is a high-caliber athlete on both sides of the ball, and he turned in one of the more dominant outings on the mound. Hooks worked the upper-80s on his fastball, with feel to turn over a good changeup, and show a high-tilt slider in the mix. He went 7.0 innings, nearly finishing off a no-hitter, allowing just 1 hit, striking out 11 opposing hitters. He also got it done at the plate, showing off a smooth lefty stroke with feel to impact it and produce hard contact. He hit .455 on the week, with a double and a home run to his credit.
-Tyler Kotila
Ian Fowler (2028, St. Petersburg, Fla.) is a name to circle for the class, he’s a good athlete with left-handed bat speed and budding power. He showed well at second base and has the frame to get into some juice, with a swing that already has some lift out front. Fowler more than looked the part playing up.
Playing up two grade levels,
Garrett Harper (2029, Viera, Fla.) put together eye opening performances. He left the yard by a good bit and hopped on the mound and worked a near no-hitter. The left-handed strength is easy from a simple two-tap setup. He can spin a breaking ball and the fastball plays from his overhand release. Harper is a top end talent for grade right now, and it’s clear as day.
Ty Brandes (2028, Merritt Island, Fla.) get familiar with this name as he has a sound switch hit tool with bat speed that jumps off the page for grade at times. There is real intent and hefty cuts, he impacts it hard on a line and moves better than what his present size may project. Defensively he can handle several roles on the dirt with a stick that can play.
-Isaiah Burrows
Tony Ciurca (2028 League City, TX) was certainly one of the better ‘28s at Underclass, as the 6-foot, 170 pound prospect finished at an even .500 on the week with ten knocks and two doubles. The kid simply just hits, finding ways on base with a high level contact tool and advanced control of the barrel. He does a nice job of staying compact with a direct path to impact, shooting line drives to the pullside / middle of the field with ease. There’s also some two-way value here, as Ciurca has been up to 87 on the mound and posted a 3.00 ERA in 16.1 IP this year.
Tanner Ball (2028 Houston, TX) absolutely dominated in his start on the mound for HP Baseball, racking up ten punchouts over the course of four IP with the FB topping out at 92 mph. Talk about an up and coming power arm in the ‘28 class, the 6-foot-4, 220 pound prospect is the definition of a physical righty, attacking hitters aggressively in the zone with a FB heavy diet. There’s obvious big time swing/miss stuff present here with the ability to change eye levels and locate to all quadrants of the zone. Ball is a Top 10 RHP in TX for the ‘28 class and T450 name nationally.
-AJ Denny
Jhon Rodriguez (2028, Fort Myers, FL) Punched out 2 in his 2 innings and ran the heater up to 86. Works down the mound well with strength and speed in the frame. Attacks the zone with intent and showed confidence landing the secondaries. Should be a committed guy this time next year.
Aiden Choo (2028, Southlake, TX) All over the barrel this week totaling 9 hits with 2 doubles and a triple. Loose hands through the zone with a matured approach at the plate. The Hit tool is present and flashed true power potential. Should always produce and hit his way into the conversation of one of the better bats in the state.
Evan Goodmon (2028, Winter Garden, FL) Continued his huge 2025 campaign with multiple hits this week and also picked up 4 RBI. Consistently lifts with authority and the physicality sticks out. Leveraged stroke with easy gap to gap power. Super athletic kid with tons of bat speed and an incredibly high ceiling.
-Brock Goodwin
Lukas Metzen (2028, Houston, Tex.) has a big frame at 6-foot-4, 180-pounds and used that strength to collect a couple of doubles on the weekend. He’s also got some arm strength, working up to 88 mph on the mound in relief showing some intriguing two-way ability.
Trevor Alons (2028, Las Cruces, N.M.) is still just fifteen years old and was able to work up to 88 mph on the bump. The command wavered some but there’s obvious arm talent here.
Isaias Torres (2028, Oviedo, Fla.) was very good this weekend playing up after a standout performance at the sophomore a week prior. Torres finished hitting over .300 on the weekend while also working up to 91 mph on the bump, striking out seven hitters over 3.2 innings.
-Vinnie Cervino