Prep Baseball Report

2024 State Player Rankings


PBR California Staff

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.  With the conclusion of the fall circuit and the off-season underway, our staff has updated the state's 2024 rankings one final time in 2022. Though there's not much shakeup on this new board, we have expanded the rankings from 250 to 300, rising and adding a few names as a result. 
Below you can find our top 10, our top uncommitted players, a link to the full list of the updated rankings, and some scouting notes on a few rankings risers/newcomers. 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

Top 10

RANK NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Bryce Rainer CA Harvard Westlake 2024 INF  
2 Derek Curiel CA Orange Lutheran 2024 OF/C LSU
3 Austin Nye CA Woodcreek 2024 RHP Vanderbilt
4 Charlie Bates CA Palo Alto 2024 SS Stanford
5 TP Wentworth CA Central Catholic 2024 OF/LHP  
6 Ethan Schiefelbein CA Corona 2024 OF UCLA
7 Mason Brassfield CA Bakersfield Christian 2024 RHP TCU
8 Kasen Khansarinia CA San Dimas 2024 OF UCLA
9 Nick Montgomery CA Cypress 2024 RHP ASU
10 Boston Bateman CA Camarillo 2024 RHP ASU

Top Uncommitted

RANK NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS
1 Bryce Rainer CA Harvard Westlake 2024 INF
5 TP Wentworth CA Central Catholic 2024 OF/LHP
22 Elijah Clayton CA Oaks Christian 2024 INF
52 Nathan Aceves CA Huntington Beach 2024 RHP
55 Parker Warner CA Granada 2024 RHP
59 JJ Moran CA San Marcos 2024 INF
65 Justin Heffler CA Saint Augustine 2024 UTL
66 John Handy CA Woodcreek 2024 C
72 Sean Stafford CA De La Salle 2024 1B/LHP

Rankings Risers

 
Charlie Bates - Palo Alto … Not a massive move up the rankings, but moving into the #4 spot overall is significant for the smooth swinging Bates. As a sophomore he played 2nd base, on the opposite side of the bag from senior Xavier Esquer, while hitting in the top third of the line-up, ahead of future draft pick Henry Bolte. His line-to-line hit-ability is among the best in the class and is a reason that those who saw Paly last year came away feeling like he was the Vikings best hitter.

Elijah Clayton - Oaks Christian … A strong spring HS season for Clayton helped lead his Oaks Christian squad to a CIF-SS Div. 3 title and earned him CIF MVP honors. His athleticism is what stands out first where his quickness and explosiveness are easy to see on the basepaths and at SS. At the plate, it's a loose whippy swing that creates easy bat speed. Clayton will be coming off the uncommitted board sooner rather than later.

Gabe Fraser - Orange Lutheran … An injury-riddled spring held Fraser back from getting on college radars but a huge summer earned him a commitment to Arkansas. Fraser is an advanced athlete that can handle himself at SS or in the OF. At the plate, it’s a smooth LH stroke where the bat-to-ball is advanced and shows some sneaky pullside power. Look for him to make an even bigger name for himself at OLU next spring. 

Cooper Walls - La Costa Canyon … Our staff got a good look at Walls throughout the spring season where he was an important piece of the rotation for the CIF SD Div. 1 Championship-winning LCC team. Walls has an imposing build on the mound standing 6-5 200lbs. His FB gets up to 89mph and he has shown feel in-zone with his SL/CH/CT. After a standout performance at our Top Prospects Game in October, it led to a commitment to Hawaii shortly after. We expect him to dominate opposing lineups alongside Stunner Gonzalez in 2023. 

Ben Cushnie - West Ranch … Cushnie makes his first appearance on this rankings list at the 125 spot. The LHP is tall and lean with some projection in the frame. He currently sits in the mid 80s with the FB and shows feel in-zone for a fading CH and big CB that both produce whiffs. Has been dominant this fall and has quickly turned himself into a top uncommitted follow. 

Hank TripaldiDe La Salle … The likely starter at SS for the Spartans in 2023, Tripaldi debuts in the rankings. The last we saw of him it was apparent that he has a future as a core piece, a glue guy, and a winning-type player for a contending program. He's gritty and athletic on the defensive side with play-making ability while offensively he has line-drive/contact hit-ability with sneaky pop and a consistent stroke. Not big in stature but he plays big.

Jake Despain - Mira Costa … Despain was a standout at our Top Prospects Game and our staff got to see him at a fall scrimmage where the tools and skills we saw in the showcase format translated in-game. At the showcase, he ran a 6.84 60-yd dash showing off some athleticism as well as a quick bat and above avg. arm that plays both in the OF and at 3B. Despain is going to be an important piece in the middle of the lineup for Mira Costa in 2023.

Brady Petit - La Costa Canyon … Petit was a spot starter last spring but a big summer has put him in a spot to be an everyday player for LCC on the left side of the infield in 2023. He stands a physical 6-2 195lbs. The bat looks to be the carrying tool and it showed at our Top Prospects Game back in October where he left the yard multiple times in BP and doubled off the left-center field wall in-game. He even jumped on the mound where he gets it up to 85 mph with a quality sweeping SL. Our staff expects a huge spring from him on a loaded LCC squad. 

Rocco Giometti - St. Ignatius College Prep … Attended the most recent uncommitted event in early October and quickly showed impressive left-handed hitting ability, as it relates to both tools and performance. Has strong ability to produce bat speed (max 72.6) while maintaining control of the barrel and a consistent ability to execute his intended swing/approach, as evidenced by his 75% sweet spot % (balls launched 8-32 degrees) and a 63% line drive %.


UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
SoCal Preseason All-State Underclass CA 01/07 Elsinore High School
Fresno Preseason ID CA 01/08 Euless Ballpark - Fresno City College
SoCal Preseason All-State Upperclass CA 01/08 Cerritos College
Far North Preseason ID CA 01/15 Butte College - Oroville
Inland Empire Preseason ID CA 01/22 Santiago HS
Peninsula Preseason ID
CA 01/22 College of San Mateo
South Bay Preseason ID
CA 01/29 Mission College - San Jose
East Bay Preseason ID CA 2/05 Chabot College -  Hayward