Georgia 2024 Rankings: Deep Dive

December 17, 2020
Phil Kerber
Georgia Scouting Director

PBR Georgia released its first ever Class of 2024 rankings on Dec. 15th with a modest list of the 45 best prospects we have seen to date. Today, we take a deeper dive into the rankings, looking at a couple of the noteworthy prospects outside of our Top-10 list, which we already touched on at length during the rankings release.

Lurking just outside the top-10 is a group of high arms in No. 11 RHP Thorpe Musci (Parkview), No. 12 LHP/1B William Hampton (Calvary Day), No. 13 UTL Jase Peoples (Jefferson), and No. 18 LHP/OF Heath Whitlock (Starr’s Mill). Musci and Hampton were teammates on Team Georgia at the 2020 PBR Junior Future Games. Musci has a quick, athletic arm with more in the tank. He came out during the JFGs sitting 84-86 with sinking action. What really impressed us was his slider, which he has improved all summer. The slider is a swing and miss pitch with depth and downer action that plays in the upper-70s.

RHP Thorpe Musci (Parkview)

Hampton is one of the top left-handers in the state and a potential two-way prospect. He has a strong, physical build at 5-foot-11, 195-pounds. On the mound he has a quick, loose arm that works from a low ¾ slot. Hampton attacks the zone with a fastball and a big slurve that has the makings of an out pitch. He was recently up to 84 at the Shipyard Fall Championships in South Carolina. At the plate, he has a powerful left-handed swing. There is some length to the swing, but Hampton has quick hands, allowing for him to get extension and turn on pitches.

LHP/1B Will Hampton (Calvary Day)

Peoples is truly a do-it-all type, high IQ player. He can slot in at any position on the diamond and excel. His best position may be behind the plate, but we have seen him play shortstop, third base, and in the outfield. What has him trending upwards is how he has progressed on the mound. He works with a short, loose arm action, really pulling down on every pitch through release. The fastball can work up to 85, with more in the tank. Peoples is another arm where the breaking ball is the difference maker. He creates deception by maintaining arm speed, and then spins a late breaking 12/6 that has depth.

UTL Jase Peoples (Jefferson)

Whitlock was the biggest winner from the Fall Underclass Trials hosted at LakePoint Sports in November. The southpaw dominated his bullpen, throwing his fastball for a strike 83.3% of the time and he landed his curveball in the zone at a 100% clip. His curveball is a swing and miss pitch, acting as a slurve it is a big breaker with sharp action. He has a short, quick arm, coming out of a ¾ slot. Presently he can work his fastball up to 83 with more on the way. Whitlock also showed potential as a two-way prospect. He has a smooth, gap-to-gap type swing that has intent behind it.

LHP/OF Heath Whitlock (Starr's Mill)

Sitting at No. 20, we come across the highest ranked catcher outside of the top-10: C Evan Doss (East Coweta). Doss was another big winner from the Fall Underclass Trials where he rated as the top catcher prospect at the event. He made it look easy during the workout. Doss is a strong receiver with soft hands, He led the entire event in pop time, posting a 2.04 best. He placed every one of his throws right on the bag.

C Evan Doss (East Coweta)

Immediately following Doss are two of the middle infielders that anchored Team Georgia at the JFGs. No. 21-ranked Georgia Tech commit SS/RHP Ethan Murray (Buford) is a long, lanky 6-foot with an athletic build. He has great range up the middle and plenty of arm strength to stick at the next level. At the plate, Murray’s swing works uphill, and his quick hands allow for him to gain extension as he elevates the ball. No. 22-ranked SS Adrian Jimenez (Lanier) formed the other half of the tandem. Jimenez really stands out for what he can do at the plate. Despite being only 5-foot-9, 154-pounds, he has a strong lower half and can impact the ball with a smooth swing and quick, strong hands.

SS Adrian Jimenez (Lanier)

A duo of southpaws, who also represented Team Georgia at the JFGs, will be names to keep an eye on. No. 23 LHP Ford Thompson (Parkview) and No. 38 LHP Nathan Kindland (Northview). Thompson has some of the best feel we have seen out of any pitcher in the 2024 class. The arm action is clean and loose with whippy hand speed coming out of a ¾ slot. Thompson lives in the zone with three pitches. When we last saw him in September he relied on his fastball, 80-83, and a sinking changeup that he would pull the string on. Kindland is a physical arm with a wide frame and strong lower half, standing 6-foot, 180-pounds. He works from a low ¾ slot, which plays well with all three of his pitches. His fastball is lively with heavy run, working in the low-80s. He compliments it with a heavy fading changeup and a sharp 1/7 breaking ball that has the makings of a swing and miss pitch.

LHP Ford Thompson (Parkview)

Looking past Thompson at No. 23, we land upon two of the most physically impressive prospects in the rankings, No. 24 RHP Brantley Upshaw (Toombs County) and No. 25 Quindon Wright (Terrell Academy). Upshaw stands out at 6-foot-6, 220-pounds. He towers over other players when he takes the mound. Presently, the right-hander works in the low-80s, but given his frame and how much room there is to fill out, there is no reason to believe he won’t see a big velo jump in the near future. Wright is a physically imposing prospect. He stands an athletic, muscular 6-foot-2, 205-pounds, with a lot more room to fill out. With his strength, Wright is able to generate hard contact no matter how he hits the ball.

We dive further into the rankings where we came across a trio of prospects we recently say. No. 29 3B Cade Brown (Parkview) and No. 31 Dimitri Angelakos (Etowah) were another pair of teammates at the JFGs. Brown has a big stick at the plate that works gap-to-gap. He has a high IQ offensively, taking competitive at-bats routinely, and good feel for the barrel. Angelakos is a silky smooth defender up the middle. He has natural instincts and a quick first step, allowing for good range to go along with a lean, lanky 6-foot-1 frame. No. 32 William Maginnis (Newnan) is another lanky infielder, standing a lean 6-foot-1, 150-pounds. Much like Angelakos, he has good instincts and quick footwork. At the plate, he uses the entire field with a line drive swing.

Complete 2024 Rankings

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