1/30/2016 1:30:45 PM
The 2019 class rankings were updated for the third time yesterday since early September and was once again expanded, this time to 65 players. While the players are getting ready for the high school season, 23 players amongst the top 65 already have their college commitments locked down thanks to their present skill set and overall projection. Miami has three commits and all can be found within the top four ranked players nationally, quite the start to a promising class for the Canes. The present commitments span from coast to coast and north to south and the database will only continue to grow as the calendar flips month to month.
The top three states that are most represented are the three you’d typically expected as Florida has 18 players ranked, California second with 14, and Texas third with six of their own. Of course not all talent comes from the traditional hot beds and as a quick example Pennsylvania is tied with Georgia for players within the top 65 with five apiece. New names will continue to emerge almost weekly and rankings will continue to shift, especially with the spring season right around the corner and the summer circuit not too far off in the distance.
Below are quick breakdowns of the current top ten prospects in the 2019:
1. Triston Casas
Casas has been on the prospect radar for over a year now courtesy of his big lefthanded bat that’s capable of driving the ball hard to all fields while showing strength and bat speed that would fit right in with prospects in the 2016 class. He’s not just about the power though as he can cover all parts of the plate and shows no problem going with the outer half pitch to left field. Extremely athletic and very well coordinated for a young player who’s already 6-foot-4, Casas has also run his fastball up to 91 mph and was the first of three 2019’s to commit to Miami.
2. Matthew Thompson
Thompson is an arm I was able to see twice in the span of about a full month and even in that short time tweaks to his mechanics were evident. A highly athletic righthander listed at 6-foot-2, 173-pounds with long limbs, Thompson exudes looseness even as he walks to the mound and ramped his fastball up to 88 mph this October with steady downhill and late sink. Thompson’s breaking ball is a hard, upper-70s offering that’s capable of missing bats with late tilt action and has put himself squarely on recruiting coordinator’s radar.
3. Matthew Allan
The second future Miami Hurricane within the top three, Allan made his Perfect Game debut as a rising eighth grader at the National Underclass East showcase where he showed advanced velocity for his age as well as feel and command. The command and overall feel have remained a constant while the now 6-foot-2, 185-pound Allan has added strength which in turn has added velocity, jumping five mph within six month span, topping out at 89 mph with relatively low effort.
4. Jake Holland
Rounding out the trio of Miami commits in the 2019 class, Holland was a recent standout at the Main Event Showcase this past December. Yet another powerfully built Florida prep product, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Holland still has room to fill throughout his frame which is scary to think about given his present ability to impact the ball. A member of Archbishop McCarthy in Miami where top ranked 2017 Alejandro Toral attends, Holland shows just as much of a hit tool as he does power utilizing a short and simple swing and projects for even more moving forward.
5. Justin Campbell
The first player in the top ten to hail from California, Justin Campbell was the youngest player at USA Trials this summer and mightily impressed. Standing at 6-foot-5, 185-pounds the uncommitted Campbell is the ideal example of projection though his current arsenal plays at a high level now. With a fastball that already works into the upper-80s with a smooth and deliberate tempo to his delivery, Campbell also shows a feel for his 12-6 curveball and a mid-70s changeup with late diving life.
6. Josiah Miller
Like others above, Miller has been in the top ten since the initial rendition of the 2019 rankings and has continued to climb up to his current position. A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Miller is a switch-hitting middle infielder who recently ran a 6.89 60-yard dash at the Main Event. What helps set Miller apart from other young switch-hitters is his uncanny ability from either side of the plate, showing quick hands and line drive contact from the left while showing bigger extension from the right side with present bat speed and ability to drive the ball deep to his pull side.
7. Troy LaNeve
LaNeve comes from the state of Pennsylvania and first made his impression on the national scene as an eighth grader participating in the 2014 WWBA Freshman World Championships. Since then LaNeve has grown stronger and is now listed at 6-foot, 175-pounds and with that additional strength he still continues to impact the baseball. A lefthanded hitter, LaNeve shows no problem handling high end velocity staying short and direct to the ball with solid bat speed and lift at contact.
8. Austin Kelly
Within the top 65 prospects ranked in the 2019 class, 23 of them are currently committed and its Austin Kelly who was the first prospect to come off the board. An early Mississippi State commit and their first in a class that now has two commitments, Kelly shows athleticism in his actions behind the plate though it’s his lefthanded power that’s his biggest present tool. Despite playing against competition two years older in the 16u WWBA this summer Kelly proved his stick plays as he hit .412 with a home run, six RBI, and slugged an impressive .647.
9. Maurice Hampton Jr.
Hampton, an Arlington, Tennessee native, is as exciting of an athlete as you’ll find and he’s full of fast-twitch muscle and physical strength throughout his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. A two-sport star, Hampton has already has drawn interest from SEC schools in football and will undoubtedly attract the same type of interest on the diamond. The MVP of the 13u World Series, Hampton’s athleticism is well beyond his age and he already shows over the fence type power (two home runs in the World Series) as well as an above average run tool and solid present arm strength.
10. Gabe Briones
Briones is the second ranked backstop just behind Kelly and like Kelly is an early commit to an elite program; Southern California. A future Trojan, Briones has already drawn rave reviews for his defensive abilities and highly touted catch and throw skills. His baseball IQ is another asset that’s ahead of his age as his ability to control his righthanded stroke, all tools that will play well against the caliber of competition his Orange Lutheran high school team will play this spring and well into the future of his playing career.