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By Jordan Chiero and Dylan Hefflinger
Ohio Director of Scouting / Editor in Chief/Scout 

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Ohio Insider: Updated Class of 2018 Player Rankings (July)

As we continue to scout the best of the best all over the state this summer, we turn our attention to the latest updates for Ohio's Class of 2018 Player Rankings. This spring/summer have proved valuable for many 2018 prospects, with many names coming off the board to some of the top programs around the nation. Below we will take a look at “What’s New At The Top”, “Rising Prospects”, "The Newcomers" and some of the top uncommitted prospects.

What's New At The Top

This spring and summer we at PBR have been scouring all across the state looking to see who the best of the best are in Ohio. In the end, there has been a small amount of shuffling in our list of top players in the 2018 class

The Risers

As is always the case, a number of players have made big impressions in taking their game to the next level. Most on this list are pitchers but those on the mound aren't the  only ones to move up in the rankings.

Drake Batcho LHP / Champion, OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:16 POS:1 Overall Rank:339 POS:36 A 6-foot-4, 190-pound very projectable southpaw recently committed to Cincinnati. While helping his high school win the Division III State Championship, in the State Semifinal, the southpaw sat 88-89, touching 90 mph in the first inning. Throughout the rest of the game sat 83-86, but had stuff in the tank to get a huge strikeout in the 7th on an 88 mph fastball. Clean arm action, quick armspeed. Curveball shows 1/7 break, and the lefty was able to use it in any count in the 67-71 mph range. Changeup has good deception while being thrown near fastball armspeed in the mid-70s.

Will Pfennig RHP / 2B / Mason , OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:17 POS:7 Overall Rank:356 POS:140 A talented arm in the 2018 class. The right-hander is very mechanically efficient and has some impressive arm talent. The uncommitted righty works through a high-¾ slot with clean arm action and obvious arm speed. Delivery is very low effort. Throws an easy 85-87 mph fastball, topping at 88 mph. Maintained his velocity throughout his performance. Also spun one of the better breakers of the day. The 11/5 shaped curveball has good spin and drops of the table late at 73-75 mph. Produced consistent weak contact and swing and misses with the pitch.

Tyler Hays RHP / 1B / Copley , OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:24 POS:10 At 6-foot-4, 175-pound, the recente Bowling Green State University commit has a very projectable frame. Hays has some rawness to his mechanics but the stuff is there. Working through a high-¾ slot he sits 85-87 mph with his fastball, showing above average armspeed. Breaking ball is sharp when down in the zone with an 11/5 shape at 70-72 mph. Also mixes in a changeup near fastball armspeed at 72-73 mph.BGSU is getting a nice arm talen with Hays

Seth Gergely OF / LHP / Tallmadge, OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:28 POS:4 Gergely is a left-handed hitter that starts in an athletic setup. The future Boilermaker stays fluid throughout his swing sequence, while producing impressive pop with a low effort swing. 87 mph exit velocity off the tee. Shows advanced feel for the barrel and gets on plane early. Skill set fits anywhere in the lineup. In the outfield he plays smoothly and has obvious feel for the position. Has the athleticism and arm (85 mph) to play all three outfield spot. One of the top defensive outfielders in the state. Good speed, running a 60-yard dash in 6.73.

Brock Nartker RHP / 2B / Anthony Wayne, OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:31 POS:13 One of the top two-way prospects in the 2018 class. The athletic righty turned in one of the more impressive mound performances at the Top Prospect Games. A smaller frame (5-10, 165-pounds) but has big time arm talent. Consistently was in the zone with all three of his offerings. Fastball jumps out of his hand, sitting 87-89 mph. Spins a plus 12/6 breaking ball. The pitch was unhittable throughout his outing as it drops off the table at 75-79 mph. Also threw a well above average changeup that had late action to it at 80-82 mph. At the plate, Nartker is a right-handed hitter that starts in a tall, open setup. Gets back to even with a short stride. Swing is short and compact. Consistently produced line drives in batting practice. Contact type guys at this stage. In the infield he uses efficient, smooth pre-fielding footwork. First step is quick and he plays through the ball well. Glove skills stay on the move. Academics are a plus as well, true student-athlete who will be a great late get for any college program.

Jacob Greer RHP / OF / Hicksville, OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:38 POS:16 The 6-foot-2, 190-pound righty has an athletic frame that is very projectable. On the mound the right-hander has fluidity to a delivery that he is able to repeat. Greer flashes a live arm while working through a high-¾ slot. Fastball jumps out of his hand, sitting 85-88 mph. The pitch is heavy with some late run to it at times. At the 2017 Top Prospect Games, Greer spun the best breaking ball of the day. The pitch has big, late break on a near 12/6 plane at 72-75 mph. The combination of depth and sharpness make it a legitimate swing and miss pitch right now. Still uncommitted and will be a great late get for any program.

THE NEWCOMERS

Southwest Ohio always produces great talent and three of four newcomers listed below are from SW Ohio, one committing to Ohio State after the Top Prospect Games while the other two are getting some good looks. The fourth newcomer, Bergert, came onto the recruiting scene strong this summer and is now committed to West Virginia.

TJ Brock SS / RHP / Cincinnati Country Day School, OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:8 POS:3 Overall Rank:171 POS:25 A very talented two-way prospect in the 2018 class who recently committed to Ohio State after his performance at the Top Prospect Games.. Long limbed kid with room to fill out. Works fast and has obvious confidence in his ability on the mound. Arm is loose and very fast. Fastball jumps out of his hand at 84-88 mph, mostly sitting 87-88 mph (we saw him up to 93 mph this spring). Breaking ball was as impressive as any we saw at the event. The pitch is a true 12/6 curveball that drops off the table late at 75-77 mph. Very good spin on the pitch, making it hard for hitters to pick up. Also showed feel for his change-up that showed run and sink. A right-handed hitter that starts in a a balanced setup. Loading sequence is fluid and creates energy. Swings with intent and showed solid natural tools. Ball comes off his bat well showing gap to gap pop in general, and flashing power potential.

Ryan Bergert RHP / GlenOak , OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:32 POS:1 Bergert broke onto the scene after an impressive performace down at the Perfect Game WWBC. The righty.stepped up a level, consistently throwing his fastball 86-89 MPH, downhill. His location was outstanding, moving the ball in and out, this complimented his best pitch, a 12/6 curveball. The hammer came in at 76-78 mph. Bergert dominated, filling up the zone, while getting many swings and misses. Perfect Game was able to deliver spin rate of his fastball at 2745 and curveball at 2882. Old school lingo, he was dealing. The 6-2, 195-pound right-hander recently committed to West Virginia this summer and you can tell why from his smooth delivery on the mound

Seth Klaiber RHP / 1B / Badin, OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:33 POS:14 We saw Klaiber this summer while pitching for the Cincinnati Aces. The solid 6-foot-2, 205-pound righty throws from a clean high-3/4 slot. Using drop/drive mechanics, Klaiber showcases repeatable arm action. The fastball is heavy at 86-90 mph. The curve shows nice depth and sharpness while coming it at 74-76. Look for Klaiber to continue to get looks with the arm and frame, while coming from a nice program at Badin HS.

Nathan Kappers RHP / 3B / St. Xavier , OH / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:40 POS:17 Kappers had a very impressive season St. Xavier and continued that at the 2017 Top Prospect Games. A 6-foot-3 frame with long limbs and room to add strength are some of the many things to like about Kappers. The arm is quick with some looseness to it while moving through a high-¾ slot. Throws a heavy, running fastball at 83-87 mph. Works off the pitch and isn’t afraid to go in on hitters. Secondary stuff is led by his breaking ball. The breaker moves on an 11/5 plane with depth and sharpness to it at 72-74 mph. Mostly started the pitch off the plate and broke it on to freeze righties and backdoor lefties. Showed the changeup a few times at 77-78 mph.

TOP UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS BY POSITION

Below we look to name the top 3-5 prospects in specific categories for the 2018 class. Beyond the top 3-5, there are numerous prospects that can help a collegiate program in some capacity.

+ Top Right-Handed Arms: Will Pfennig, Brock Nartker, Seth Klaiber, Jacob Greer, Nathan Kappers

+ Top Left-Handed Arms: Garrett Priestley, Branden Blankenship, Kyle LaCalameto, Michael Osmond, Tyler Bradford

+ Top Catching Prospects: Zade Richardson, Manny Vorhees, Hunter Cassidy, Joe Capretta, Cameron Rountree

+ Top Corner Infield Prospects: Trenton Gillison, Zachary Boyd, Griffin Merritt, Austin Beeching, Riley Fisher

+ Top Middle Infield Prospects: Greg Gilbert, Jackson Miller, Bryce Roberts, Ryan Peltier, Josh Martin

+ Top Outfield Prospects: Ryan McCurry, Griffin Kain, Jared Burick, Brandon Horsley, Brett Carson

+ Sleeper Prospects: Jackson Miller (two-way talent), Mitchell Spencer (live arm), Jackson Eyink (two-way talent), Frank Ciacchi (LHH Stick)

PBR OHIO CLASS OF 2018 TOP 350

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Austin Becker	OH	Big Walnut	2018	RHP	Vanderbilt
2	Nicholas Northcut	OH	Mason	2018	RHP	Vanderbilt
3	Cal Conley	OH	Loveland	2018	SS	Miami
4	Nick Thwaits	OH	Fort Recovery	2018	RHP	Kent State
5	Lane Flamm	OH	New Richmond HS	2018	RHP	Xavier
6	Cole Ayers	OH	Loveland	2018	RHP	Kentucky
7	Zach Dezenzo	OH	Marlington	2018	SS	Ohio State
8	TJ Brock	OH	Cincinnati Country Day School	2018	SS	Ohio State
9	Mitchel Megias	OH	Gahanna Lincoln	2018	RHP	Notre Dame
10	Casey Maniglia	OH	Solon	2018	OF	North Carolina

***** To view the entire top 350, please click here.