As high school baseball is starting to get going across the country in most regions, with some states actually heading into the playoffs, it all means the summer circuit is right around the corner. Over the past several weeks we have taken a look at the top-ranked players at each position, in each class, while also taking a look at some gut-feel players that could be big risers. With players having more access to individual development, things will undoubtably change at a rapid pace in the early months of the Perfect Game schedule. This provides a good look at some of the top performers coming into 2021 who look primed to continue dominance or make their mark on a national level.
Class of 2022: Catchers | Corner Infield | Middle Infield | Outfielders | RHP | LHP
Class of 2023: Catchers | Corner Infield | Middle Infield | Outfielders | RHP
Class of 2024: Catchers | Corner Infield | Middle Infield | Outfielders | RHP
Class of 2025: Catchers | Corner Infield | Middle Infield | Outfielders | RHP
Thomas White (Mass.)
Uncommitted
PG Events: 9
Key Stats: 21.1 IP / 47 Ks / .70 ERA
Short Story: White may possibly be one of the best left-handed pitchers to come out of high school in the last couple of decades. The arm stroke is smooth as the baseball jumps out of hand. We have seen him mow down some of the best lineups in the country as he does with ease.
Big Moment: We have seen White a handful of times and every time we do, it’s just as impressive as the last. I will point toward his overall stat line as he has a K:BB ratio of 47:12. Although it’s not a big sample size, the numbers are crazy to think about. Look for that ratio to become even more lopsided as he looks to dominate this summer again.
Bold Prediction: Look for him to continue to grow into his 6-foot-4 frame and become even more dominant. Don’t be shocked to see upper-90s out of White before he leaves high school as he has all the early makings of a top-10 draft pick.
Wesley Mendes (Fla.)
Commitment: Vanderbilt
PG Events: 21
Key Stats: 37 IP / 61 Ks / 7 ER
Short Story: Mendes sports a smooth arm action, and he combines that with tough angle on his fastball to make him one of the most unhittable southpaws in the ’23 class. Pure athleticism shining through as he seems to just do everything on the field at a high level.
Big Moment: We saw him dominate this past year but I am going to look to one of his more recent PG outings this year. His performance at East MLK in Fort Myers was electric. We saw him for just three innings, but he ran the fastball up to 92 mph and mixed in a sharp curveball with a fading changeup as well. He struck out five and didn’t even sniff a barrel as he gave up no hits.
Bold Prediction: Look for him to continue to progress on the bump but his two-way talents should not be over-looked as he is a career .360 hitter at past PG events. He will have some decisions to make as far as which path he will take but either way, he is going to be at the top of any rankings you may find.
Kade Anderson (La.)
Commitment: LSU
PG Events: 22
Key Stats: 82.2 IP / 130 Ks / 15 ER
Short Story: Anderson may be one of the most pure pitchers in the entire class. The natural deception in the shorter arm stroke delivery has hitters dumbfounded most of the time. He tunnels all three pitches well and has a knack for missing barrels.
Big Moment: I look back to his performance in the month span in Atlanta at the WWBA National Championships. During the three events, he threw a total of 22 innings pitched while striking out 39 combined hitters. In what is the most competitive tournaments on the summer circuit, he made a mockery of some of the best bats the country has to offer.
Bold Prediction: The amount of upside here is immense and he is going to continue to dominate on the mound. I see him making one more jump before he leaves high school and will add a good bit of velocity to the arsenal. We all know the off-speed stuff is dangerously good and when he makes that velocity jump, look out.
Jakob Schulz (Texas)
Commitment: Vanderbilt
PG Events: 10
Key Stats: 37 IP / 54 Ks / 11 Hits
Short Story: Generates some of the easiest velocity as he has been up to 90 mph and shows plenty more in the tank. Mixes in a pair of breaking balls and has legit swing-and-miss stuff. If you need an out in a big moment, look no further.
Big Moment: His performance in the first round of the playoffs last fall in the WWBA World Championships against Canes National is at the top of my list. He took the mound and was resilient. Ran the fastball up to 90 mph and refused to find a barrel. In 4 1/3 innings pitched, he punched out five and didn’t give up a single run.
Bold Prediction: Schulz has such a great aura about him on the mound and that competitiveness is going to carry him far into his baseball career. I see him continuing to climb the velocity ladder and ultimately become one of the best prep arms in the country.
Toby Twist (Calif.)
Commitment: Oregon
PG Events: 4
Key Stats: 9 IP / 10 Ks / 0.00 ERA
Short Story: Super athletic southpaw who has immense upside. Fast arm and proves he can spin a hard breaking ball to get swing-and-miss. Still has plenty of room to fill out and has all the makings of a starter at the next level.
Big Moment: We all remember his performance at the 14u World Series back in ’19 but I am going to look to something more recent. His outing at the WWBA Sophomore World Championship was nothing short of dominant. In four innings pitched, he struck out five while only giving up a pair of hits. His fastball was into the upper-80s and it is only going to make jumps from here on out.
Bold Prediction: Twist possess the ability to spin both a hard breaking ball and one showing more depth. With that pair of breakers, he is going to continue to get guys to chase out of the zone. Look for him to add another pitch to the arsenal and become one of the most efficient pitchers in his class.
Miller Green (Tenn.)
Commitment: Georgia Tech
PG Events: 17
Key Stats: 29.1 IP / 33 Ks / 8 ER
Short Story: Green is by far one of the most projectable arms in the class as he stands at a towering 6-foot-5. The high release point brings about confusion for opposing hitters as he runs the fastball up into the mid-80s. Feel to spin a big curveball gets him ugly swing-and-miss as well.
Big Moment: It’s hard to put your finger on one shining moment, as Green seems to impress every time he is on the bump. His overall numbers tell the story of this young, dominant prep arm. In 29 1/3 innings pitched, he has 33 punchouts with an ERA under 2.00.
Bold Prediction: The big lefty is still growing into his body and he still has one more good jump left in him. I think he starts to fill the frame out and adds velocity to the equation, making him one of the most dominant arms in the Southeast.
Ryan Gold (Ga.)
Uncommitted
PG Events: 30
Key Stats: 51.2 IP / 89 Ks / 17 BB / 11 ER
Short Story: Showcases some of the best command in the class as he dots the corners and knows how to pitch around barrels. We’ve seen him into the upper-80s with the heater and still has plenty more in the tank down the road. Pure pitcher in the simplest form of the word.
Big Moment: Gold has had plenty of standout moments but his ’20 campaign was phenomenal. In 39 innings pitched, he struck out 60 batters while only walking nine. Crazy numbers. He also only gave up 14 hits and had a 0.00 ERA.
Bold Prediction: I look for the lefty to come out with a similar attitude and flat-out dominate. It’s going to be tough to replicate his numbers from last year but if anyone can do it, it’s him.
Tommy Roldan (Md.)
Commitment: Virginia
PG Events: 34
Key Stats: 83.2 IP / 120 Ks / 2.70 ERA
Short Story: Roldan has some of the biggest two-way upside in the entire class. His abilities on the mound are next-level ready as he is already into the low-90s and has a sharp-spinning breaker to go with it. The confidence on the mound combined with the arsenal is nothing short of elite.
Big Moment: He seems to show up in every event we see him at but his performance at the ’23 All-American Games last year was mighty impressive. He was up to 91 mph on the bump and absolutely dominated opposing bats. He earned a grade of 9.5 for his performance, which is an accomplishment at such a young age.
Bold Prediction: Look for him to continue to progress on both sides of the ball as he has all the makings of a top two-way guy in the class. Don’t be shocked to see him go both ways in college if he ever makes it to campus.
Tucker Holland (N.C.)
Commitment: Maryland
PG Events: 14
Key Stats: 27 IP / 29 Ks / 1.00 ERA
Short Story: One of the most physically advanced southpaws in the class as he is 6-foot-5 and north of 235 pounds. The delivery is smooth and simple as he generates easy velocity. We have seen him into the low-90s and he spins a pair of breaking balls that gets hitters second guessing.
Big Moment: Outside of his Top Prospect List performance at the ’23 All-American Games, I am going to look at his overall stats as he seems to just mow down the competition any place at any time. In 27 innings pitched, he has almost 30 punchouts and the ERA is at a low 1.00. These numbers are from the top national tournaments. In other words, he makes really good bats look bad.
Bold Prediction: The southpaw has all the early signs of being one of the hardest throwers in the entire class. Don’t think for a second that he isn’t a true pitcher, though. Look for him to hone in on that velocity and combine it with command as he shapes up to be one of the top arms on the East Coast.
Adam Hachman (Mo.)
Uncommitted
PG Events: 5
Key Stats: 11.2 IP / 17 Ks / 0.60 ERA
Short Story: Hachman has creeped his way up rankings boards as he continues to get better every day. He is starting to run the heater up into the low-90s and it seems like it’s not going to stop. The upside here is immense out of the 6-foot-4 southpaw and we have the early makings of a dominant force on the mound.
Big Moment: We got a glimpse of what he is capable of last summer at the WWBA 15u National Championship. In 7 2/3 innings pitched, he struck out 14 without giving up a single run. His performance was huge for him on a national level as he started to receive the attention he deserved.
Bold Prediction: Look for him to continue to go about his business in a quiet manner and come out ready to shove this summer. Don’t be shocked to see an uptick in velocity and a more well-rounded off-speed arsenal. Big things coming his way in ’21.
Gut Feel:
Ervis Solis (Fla.)
Quick arm that has been up to 92 mph in the past. The FIU commit has over 60 strikeouts in just 38 2/3 innings pitched. A name to follow closely this summer because if he has made progressions this offseason, look out.
Paul Wilson (Ore.)
The Oregon State commit possesses a very projectable frame at 6-foot-3 and produces easy velocity. Was dominant at West MLK with 11 strikeouts and one hit in six innings pitched.
Jansen Kenty (Ga.)
Kenty is one of the purest southpaw pitchers in the class. Upper-80s heater with plenty more in the tank and one of the sharpest breaking balls you will see at this age. The Alabama commit has over 100 strikeouts in his PG career with an ERA of 1.90.
Frank Menendez (Fla.)
The Miami commit showcases one of the quickest arms you will see on the summer circuit. Runs the fastball up to 90 mph and goes right after hitters. Has racked up 24 punchouts in just 13 innings pitched over the last couple of years.
Camron Poe (Mo.)
Huge upside here as the 6-foot-2 lefty is just learning how to truly pitch. Fastball up to 90 mph and goes right after guys as he challenges hitters to square it up. Had a strong showing at the Jr. National last year as one of the few ’23 prospects in attendance.
Brodey Walker (Miss.)
Has been flat-out dominant in the past and is only going to add to that track record this summer. Was up to 90 mph this past summer. He has 89 career punchouts in 60 1/3 innings pitched with an ERA of 1.40.
Paul Guerne (Fla.)
Does everything well on the field, especially on the mound. Upper-80s fastball that is going to make that jump this summer. In 66 2/3 innings pitched, has 82 punchouts and has a career ERA of 2.10.
Jake Hembree (Ga.)
The Georgia commit has continued to impress us every time we see him. Smooth, easy mechanics that is going to generate easy velocity once he fills out the frame. Just shy of 200 career punchouts in 134 2/3 innings pitched and has possibly the most impressive ERA in the entire class at 0.60 compared to how many innings he has tossed.
Griffin Graves (Tenn.)
Has some of the smoothest, most mechanically-sound actions you will see on the mound at his age. Runs the fastball into the upper-80s and has a nasty wipeout slider that he gets guys to swing over the top of. The Auburn commit has 95 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched and has an ERA of 0.20. Yes, you read that correctly.
Ryker Chavis (Fla.)
If anyone in this class knows how to pitch, it’s Ryker Chavis. Also brings his command with him and although the numbers don’t jump out at you, he’s going to get guys out. In 110 1/3 innings pitched, he has 122 punchouts and just 40 walks. His ERA of 0.40 is by far his most impressive feat.