Prep Baseball Report

Just Released: Updated Class of 2016 Players Rankings





Follow @PBRVirginiaDC

By: Prep Baseball Report VA/DC Staff


Prep Baseball Report VA/DC recently updated its Class of 2016 rankings to reflect movement from the high school season and the summer circuit. Here is a look at some of the players that took the biggest jump in the rankings.

Players on the rise (listed alphabetically):

+Jake Agnos, LHP, Battlefield, 2016 (East Carolina)
Agnos is one of our biggest risers in the new rankings, moving up 29 spots and into the Top 10. Agnos’s meteoric rise has been in part fueled by a velocity jump over the course of the summer as he is now pairing a consistently high-80s fastball that reaches into the low-90s with his outstanding swing-and-miss curveball. Agnos also had one of the most dominant high school seasons in recent memory this spring, including a game where he struck out 21 straight batters.  Eventual 6A State Champion James Madison only managed one hit off of him in eight innings of work before beating the Battlefield bullpen in the ninth inning of the Northern Region semifinals.

+Carter Bach, LHP, Centreville, 2016 (Wake Forest)
The projectable lefty is up 16 spots in the new rankings. Bach has the potential to develop into a weekend starter in the ACC and eventually become a draft pick as he fills out and adds velocity to his stuff. He is already hard to hit as he creates a very tough angle on all of his pitches for hitters to make solid contact from.

+Michael Blanchard, RHP, Nansemond River, 2016 (Old Dominion)
Blanchard has moved up 29 spots in our new rankings. He is a tall, lanky, projectable righty who throws from a lower slot with heavy sink and is absolute hell on righthanded hitters. His ceiling is very high as he fills out and adds velocity to go with his sinker/slider combo and good changeup.

+Jack Cunningham, OF, Paul VI, 2016 (Boston College)
Cunningham is up 17 spots in the new rankings. He is a smooth, athletic defender with a decent arm that will allow him to play either corner outfield spot at the next level. At the plate, he has a short swing with a lot of extension and will have the ability to hit for high average with plenty of power at the next level.

+Jared DiCesare, 3B/RHP, Chantilly, 2016 (George Mason)
DiCesare is a good defender at third base with a strong arm who has power to all fields and will be a middle of the lineup hitter at the next level. He also added a new trick this spring as he served as Chantilly’s closer, showing mid-80s stuff that can touch 87 with a sharp slider.

+Hunter Gore, C, Loudoun Valley, 2016 (Liberty)
Gore is up 49 spots in the new rankings. The lefthanded hitting catcher grew a lot as the season progressed this year. This spring, he demonstrated that he can handle elite pitching while catching a Vikings staff that featured hard throwers Jack DeGroat (RHP, 2015, Liberty) and Justin Ager (RHP, 2016, Yale). His pop times are consistently in the 1.9-2.0 range and he has grown into pull home run power with the ability to drive the ball for doubles power to the opposite field.

+John Gregory, LHP, Hanover, 2016 (Richmond)
Richmond may have gotten one of the recruiting steals of the 2016 class in Virginia as Gregory committed to them early while he was still a projectable mid-80s lefty with a good frame. Over the course of the high school season and the summer, Gregory has started to come into his velocity, sitting in the mid-80s at the State Tournament in June with the ability to find 88-89 whenever he wanted to. He has reportedly been up as high as 93 recently and he also has a very good slider to go with his fastball. 

+Zach Hess, RHP/1B, Liberty Christian Academy, 2016 (Virginia Tech)
Hess had a great spring as he was a big part of the Bulldogs’ second consecutive VISAA Division I Championship team. The big righty had a strong argument for the top spot in the new rankings as his fastball has been up as high as 94 this summer. Hess is not just a pitcher as he has big time pop at the plate, and is legitimately a player who could contribute both ways at the next level.

+David Mocabee, 3B/RHP, Stone Bridge, 2016
Mocabee has moved up seven spots and has the ability to be a two-way player at the next level. Mocabee is a good defender at third with a strong arm and good hands. He has good plate discipline, a short swing and good batspeed that generates doubles power to all fields. He also served as 5A State Champ Stone Bridge’s number two starter this spring, featuring a fastball in the playoffs that sat 85-86 and touched 87 when he wanted it to go with an improving curveball.

+Garrett Stallings, RHP, Grassfield, 2016 (Tennessee)
VA/DC’s new top ranked player has had a spring and summer to match his elite stuff. Stallings has a fastball that sits in the high-80s and he has three good secondary offerings, a 12/6 curveball, a tight slider, and a changeup. He has elite command of all three pitches and is a Major League Draft prospect.

+Joe Rizzo, 3B, Oakton, 2016 (South Carolina)
Rizzo has been very good for quite a while, and his move to the number 2 spot in the class was only a move of two spots, but his real move upward this summer has been up the 2016 draft boards. Rizzo has been outstanding on the Pro Showcase circuit, getting rave reviews for advanced his bat is, including a home run at the East Coast Pro Showcase in Florida. He and Stallings both have a chance to go very high next June.

To look at the updated 2016 State Rankings, CLICK HERE.

To look at the updated 2016 Overall Rankings, CLICK HERE.

To view the events scheduled this fall, CLICK HERE.


Related stories: