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Power 25 HS Preview: #16 North Atlanta

January 27, 2023
PBR Georgia Staff
Justin Goetz

The 2023 Georgia high school baseball season is less than a month away. With the season getting pushed up one week the coaches and players have an extra week to prepare for opening day. Will it be sunny and 75? Or below freezing for opening day? The Georgia weather is unpredictable, just like trying to predict who will come out on top of each classification. The talent in the State of Georgia continues to be one of the best in the country. Some regions have a fresh new look, and some region foes will continue to battle for that top spot to earn the best road to the state championship.

We will begin to preview our Power 25 rankings each day until the season begins. Each week we will be releasing our players of the week, updating the Top 10 in each GHSA classification as well as a Power 25. Be sure to follow PBR Georgia on twitter for live action each week, as our staff travels throughout the state to cover baseball in the great state of Georgia.

High School Name: North Atlanta

Coach’s Name: Ricky Plante

Classification: 6A

2022 Record: 18-13

Region: 4-6A

No. of Returning Starters: 13

Team Strengths: Senior Class

Top Returning Players:

Top 2024 Prospects:

Top 2025 and 2026 Prospects

 

Team Outlook

With 3 SEC/ACC commits, this Warriors team has nearly unmatchable offensive firepower at the top of their lineup. This is the most talented North Atlanta team I can remember since the days of Astros 2008 2nd Rd CF Jay Austin. The big 3 are led by potential day 1 or early day 2 draft prospect ‘23 SS Antonio Anderson. Not only is he a switch hitter with equal power from both sides, but what allows that power to routinely show is his selectiveness at the plate. Antonio’s tracking ability puts him in advantageous counts on a consistent basis, and he doesn’t miss when he gets his pitch. His A/AVG raw power will continue to grow, as will his plus arm. Not only can he glove it with the best of them, he’s also up to 91 on the mound! Next is the fastest player in the state and a draft prospect in his own right, ‘23 CF Isaiah Drake. This is a prototype table setter who knows how to play to his strengths, looking to hit lasers on the ground or on a line. I'm a big fan of his centered approach, and he has a good feel for wasting pitches to wear down opposing staffs. Once he gets on, he’s swiping 2 bags immediately and scoring before you can blink. With him in CF, North Atlanta will be a no fly zone every Mon/Wed/Fri at 5:55 pm.

 

 

Antonio Anderson SS / RHP / North Atlanta, GA / 2023

Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 21 / POS: 8

 

 

 

 

Isaiah Drake OF / RHP / North Atlanta, GA / 2023

Rankings  StateRank: 38 / POS: 6 OverallRank: 340 / POS: 62

 

 

Another impact addition is a Mizzou commit with big projection, ‘24 SS Ira Jeffries-Harris. Although far from his eventual physical ceiling, his rubber band-like stretch in separation creates ridiculous torque and fires the hands through the zone like a whip. His swing is built for backspin, as he’s able to create consistent lift from a naturally steep launch angle. Their unquestioned ace is one of the best under the radar talents in the southeast, ‘23 RHP Sims Delong. The Washington & Lee commit has one of the best two pitch combos in the state. His 88-89 T91 FB hisses out of the hand with ride & run at 2400 RPM, a HS RHH’s nightmare. If you survive it, you’ll have to deal with a tightly rotating low to mid 70’s CB with well above average spin. If his velo ticks up at the right time, we believe he can capitalize off the draft hype of Anderson & Drake and get some looks himself. This team will go as DeLong goes, but he’s not their only impressive arm.

Ira Jefferies Harris SS / 3B / North Atlanta, GA / 2024

Rankings  StateRank: 17 / POS: 7

 

 

 

 

Sims DeLong RHP / 3B / North Atlanta , GA / 2023

Rankings  StateRank: 212 / POS: 71

 

 

‘23 LHP Gunnar Plante is a 6 foot 8 skyscraper of a human who works in the mid 80’s with a sharp mid upper 70’s SL. Don’t be surprised if schools come calling on him this spring, as he’s shockingly still uncommitted. Their State Championship goals will need get dependable play from their supporting cast, such as quick twitch ‘23 IF/OF Jonathan French and ‘24 C Walker Stone. We would not be surprised to see them at Truist in May.

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