Colorado Year in Review: 7th Most Viewed Story

December 26, 2014

By John Cackowski
State Director

We're looking back at the top 15 most viewed stories on our website from the year of 2014. Our 7th most viewed story was the nice level of representation by the class of 2016 in the National Prep Baseball Report Rankings for the class of 2016. Below you can read the entire story.

By John Cackowski
State Director

The landscape of the updated overall Class of 2016 player rankings have changed dramatically, chiefly because the landscape of the Prep Baseball Report state-specific coverage area has expanded since the last update.

It is important to note that the PBR overall rankings only reflect the states that we intimately know from our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff. States that we are not currently in – and even new states that we are in, but don’t have a proper handle on the prospects – are not included in the overall rankings.

The updated and expanded Top 350 Class of 2016 rankings now includes Tennessee, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Ontario, in addition to our long-established states. Florida prospects are not yet included in the PBR overall rankings.

Colorado just recently released their first overall state ranking for the 2016 class. The ranking went up to 40, and will expand to 50, and 75 before the spring season ends. What states are starting to recognize is the high talent Colorado has, and as a state Colorado is starting to lose it's reputation as the "undiscovered country" in the high school baseball world. That is evident by the power house colleges that are starting to tap into our state, reaching down now into the 2016 classes for early commitments. In PBR's top 350 overall 2016 rankings, Colorado had 4 players in the overall top 75, and 12 overall in a very deep 2016 class across the country. Bo Weiss

Colorado’s No. 1 2016 prospect, RHP Bo Weiss (Regis Jesuit HS), ranks No. 13 overall in the top 350 after strong summer and fall showings playing for Slammers 16U. Son of former player and current Head Coach of Colorado Rockies Walt Weiss, the highly projectable 6-foot-2, 160 pound North Carolina recruit upped his velocity this summer to over 90 mph.

Colorado's No. 2 ranked prospect, C Maverick Handley (Mullen HS) came in at No. 51 overall in the top 350. 5-foot-10, 190 pound catcher/2B. and Standford commit. Handley throws and bats right. Handley has a balanced athletic stance that creates explosive bat speed with a slight uphill swing with good extension through the zone. Ball explodes off the bat. In game we watched had a grand slam, and almost another home run. Good looking prospect and very good student with a plus 4.0 GPA and a 30 ACT score.

Colorado's No. 3 Jake Eissler of ThunderRidge and No. 4 Paul Tillotson of Lewis Palmer came in at 67 and 69 in the overall 2016 rankings. Both pitchers are very similar. Both are 6-foot-2, 195-pounds. Both throw 88-90, both have the ability to throw three pitches for strikes at anytime in the count, and both are plus high school hitters.

Colorado will update their 2016 rankings after the Preseason All-State event on 2/22/15.

To see the entire top 350 2016 rankings click here.