Prep Baseball Report

2018 PBR Draft Board


Nathan Rode and David Seifert

The spring season is underway with college baseball a few weeks into the 2018 season and high school baseball moving along in warm-weather states. The 2018 Major League Baseball Draft is just three months away so it is our pleasure to introduce the PBR Draft Board. The initial list goes 100 deep, combines players across the amateur level and will expand around the midseason mark.

The 2018 draft class is deep, especially in pitching. There are 52 arms on this list, including a couple two-way prospects at the college level. Four of the top five prospects come from the college ranks, but the No. 1 slot is taken by a teenager in LHP Matthew Liberatore (Mountain Ridge HS, AZ). An Arizona recruit, Liberatore shined everywhere he pitched last summer, showing polish, athleticism and a three-pitch mix on the mound. He has been ranked No. 1 on the High School Top 100 since it debuted in October. He is off to a hot start this spring, with his stuff ticking up from the summer, including a fastball up to 96 mph.

At No. 2 is RHP Brady Singer (Florida), who went unsigned as a second-round pick in 2015. He won a national title with the Gators in 2017 and returns as the staff ace. He sits in the low 90s and gets late sinking action to his fastball thanks to a 3/4 slot. His slider is a plus pitch with late, downward action. His changeup has late fading action and could be above average down the road as well.

LHP Ryan Rolison (Mississippi) checks in at No. 3 as a draft-eligible sophomore. He repeats his delivery, commands his arsenal and pitches in the low 90s. To go with that and his left-handedness, Rolison has a breaking ball that will be at least a plus pitch when it’s all said and done.

RHP Casey Mize (Auburn), the No. 4 prospect, has electric stuff and excellent strike-throwing ability. His smooth arm action produces a mid-90s fastball and his go-to secondary pitch is a split-changeup in the mid-80s with tumbling action. He lacks a wipeout breaking ball, but his short slider at 85-87 has a chance to be solid average.

At No. 5 is the first position player in SS Nick Madrigal (Oregon State). He doesn’t look like much at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, but his tools, instincts, makeup and high-level performance has endeared him with the scouting industry the last few years. He is quick-twitch in everything he does and has a knack for finding the barrel at the plate. His arm strength is average, but his ability to get rid of the ball quickly helps it play up.

Rounding out the top 10 is OF Jarred Kelenic (Waukesha West HS, WI), RHP Mason Denaburg (Merritt Island HS, FL), RHP Logan Gilbert (Stetson), LHP Shane McClanahan (South Florida) and RHP Kumar Rocker (North Oconee HS, GA).

Arkansas, Florida and Stanford are the best-represented colleges with three prospects each in the top 100. The state of Florida has 10 high school prospects and 16 combined.

For the complete rankings, click here.

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