Prep Baseball Report

Updated 2017 Overall Rankings Released



By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

It’s been a busy three-plus months since the last overall Class of 2017 rankings update. Spanning the spring high school season and the first half of the summer - both on the state and national levels - our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff has seen a dizzying amount of baseball. All of which is reflected in our updated and expanded Top 400 Class of 2017 rankings.

It is important to note that the PBR overall rankings only include the states that we intimately know from our scouting staff. The updated Top 400 Class of 2017 rankings is comprised of our current 31-state coverage area, which now includes recently added North Carolina.

With the Class of 2017 now taking center stage after the 2016 MLB Draft, much has changed in over the last three months. In fact, there have been massive shakeups in the overall rankings, starting at the top.

For the first time in a half year, there is a new No. 1 prospect: RHP Ben Jordan (West Carter HS, KY). At 6-foot-9, 210 pounds, Jordan features extraordinary length and upside to go along with now ability. While Jordan has been a fixture in the top 10 overall rankings for the last three years, he vaulted to the top of the list after enjoying a dominant spring, followed by a jaw-dropping performance at the Area Code Tryouts in Indiana. The Kentucky recruit looked like he was playing a leisurely game of catch at 93-97 mph, mostly in the mid-90s, to go along with a vastly improved breaking ball in the low-80s. Although his remarkable length sometimes makes it difficult to sync up his mechanics consistently, Jordan’s athleticism and natural ability enable him to throw consistent strikes from a steep angle. From a physical perspective, he has yet to fill into his frame and may only be scratching the surface of his immense potential.

Jordan is one of three Kentucky prospects in the top 10. OF/RHP Jordon Adell (Ballard HS, KY) features the most electric tools in the 2017 class. Ranked No. 3 overall, the Louisville recruit is a high-end two-way prospect, a primary outfielder who has also been up to 95 on the mound with a sharp slider. The Bluegrass State added one of the country’s biggest risers when RHP Joe Boyle (North Oldham, KY) moved over the summer from Missouri. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Notre Dame recruit came out in the spring at Fort Zumwalt West HS (MO) pumping 91-95 mph fastballs, topping at 96, and he has continued to show that premium velocity this summer.   

Expect Kentucky to become the epicenter of the pro scouting community next spring, similar to what happened last year in Kansas with the likes of RHP Riley Pint, LHP/1B Joey Wentz, SS Nonie Williams, RHP Ryan Zeferjahn and RHP Cole Duensing, to name a few.

Even with Kentucky’s bumper crop of high-end prospects, Florida still reigns supreme in the overall rankings. Four Florida prospects reside in the top 10, headlined by fast-rising SS Brady McConnell (Merritt Island HS, FL), a highly athletic and projectable Florida recruit who jumps from No. 77 to No. 4 overall after a series of impressive performances on the national stage. LHP Jake Eder (Atlantic HS, FL), a 6-foot-4, 210-pound Vanderbilt recruit, is the top-ranked left-hander on our list. And Florida is home of the top left-handed power bat in the country, 1B Alejandro Toral, a Miami recruit who previously held the No. 1 spot. Also in the top 10 is SS Mark Vientos (Flanagan HS, FL), another Miami recruit. Twenty of the top 50 overall ranked prospects are from Florida, including a pair of transplants, C Cal Greenfield (moved from Illinois) and C MJ Melendez (moved from Alabama).

Louisiana, too, is strong at the top of the rankings. RHP Blayne Enlow (St. Amant HS, LA) continues to ascend the list, jumping to No. 2 overall after the highly athletic 6-foot-4, 169-pound LSU recruit put forth arguably the best two pitching performances at USA Baseball’s Tournament of Stars. OF Jacob Pearson (West Monroe HS, LA), an athletic left-handed hitting LSU recruit, and OF/LHP Daniel Cabrera (John Curtis HS, LA) are both high-level prospects as well.

OF Quentin Holmes (Msgr. McClancy Memorial HS, NY), a plus-plus athlete who’s committed to Mississippi State, remains in the top 10 as well.

Along with Boyle and McConnell, some of the biggest risers in the updated and expanded rankings include: RHP Caleb Sloan (Regis Jesuit HS, CO), RHP CJ Van Eyk (Steinbrenner HS, FL), RHP Austin Marozas (Plainfield South HS, IL), RHP Jack Leftwich (TNXL Academy HS, FL), RHP Landon Leach (Pickering HS, ON), RHP Freddy Tarnok (Riverview HS, FL), RHP Garrett Hunter Ruth (Bucholz HS, FL), RHP Jackson Rutledge (Rockwood Summit HS, MO), and RHP Jeff Criswell (Portage Central HS, MI), to name a few.

A look at the Top 20:

RANK NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Ben Jordan KY West Carter 2017 RHP Kentucky
2 Blayne Enlow LA St Amant 2017 RHP Louisiana State
3 Jordon Adell KY Ballard 2017 OF Louisville
4 Brady McConnell FL Merritt Island 2017 SS Florida
5 Jake Eder FL Atlantic 2017 LHP Vanderbilt
6 Quentin Holmes NY Msgr. McClancy Memorial 2017 OF Mississippi State
7 Alex Toral FL Archbishop McCarthy 2017 1B Miami
8 Joseph Boyle MO Fort Zumwalt West 2017 RHP Notre Dame
9 Mark Vientos FL Flanagan 2017 SS Miami
10 Jacob Pearson LA West Monroe 2017 OF Louisiana State
11 Nicholas Storz NY Poly Prep Country Day 2017 RHP Louisiana State
12 Logan Allen FL University 2017 LHP Alabama State
13 Caleb Sloan CO Regis Jesuit 2017 RHP Texas Christian
14 Daniel Cabrera LA John Curtis 2017 OF Louisiana State
15 Sam Carlson MN Burnsville 2017 RHP Florida
16 Adam Hall ON AB Lucas Secondary 2017 SS Texas A&M
17 CJ Van Eyk FL Steinbrenner 2017 RHP Florida State
18 Landon Leach ON Pickering High School 2017 RHP  
19 Jordan Butler FL Alonso 2017 LHP Florida
20 Austin Marozas IL Plainfield South 2017 RHP Mississippi State


>> CLICK HERE to view complete updated Top 400 overall prospects

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