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MD/DE Class of 2024 Rankings Update: Risers

November 14, 2023
PBR Staff
MD/DE Coverage

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It's officially that time of the year, and once again our staff will be updating the rankings throughout the next few weeks. First up is the Class of 2024, and although we are not expanding in terms of total number of players ranked, we do see some movement throughout the Top 225. Today, we kick off the rankings week with an in-depth look at four players that make a jump and rise through the rankings.  

Risers

Andrew Kerns RHP / St. Maria Goretti, MD / 2024

Plenty of physicality and projection in the 6-foot-4, 190 pound frame, the Virginia Tech commit is one of the more electric arms in what is a loaded, top heavy class across Maryland. Featuring a high 80's, low 90's fastball that shows arm side run and late life through the zone, the upside and high ceiling is easy to see. The ability to manipulate shapes on the breaker, inducing whiffs in and out of the zone is what makes this arm that much more special, while also flashing a developing changeup/splitter that has shown effectiveness down around the knees. The key with Kerns is overall strike percentage, and if the ability to spin for strikes remains consistent, look for this to be a marquee arm to not only see this Spring, but for many years to come. 

Tim Tyler LHP / 1B / Caravel Academy, MD / 2024

Another Top 10 player that sees a rise in the rankings, the two-way James Madison University commit looked the part at the PBR Virginia Fall Championships in September and has consistently shown the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball. The velo on the bump continues to tick up, as the fastball works in the mid to upper 80's with a tight swing-and-miss slider at the bottom of the zone. It's a deceptive look that induces a slew of awkward swings and weak contact in and out of the zone. 

Although the arm looks to have the higher ceiling in comparison to the bat, don't sleep on the hit tool. It's a power bat from the left side with average to above average contact rate that has shown an eye-opening ability to backspin to the pull side. 

Vance Bonior C / OF / Walter Johnson, MD / 2024

A steady riser throughout the class, Bonior sees a climb inside the Top 20 for the first time in this update. An advanced bat-to-ball skillset, the physical backstop has shown time and time again the ability to pepper line drives to both gaps with loud strength and power that is surely developing. Defensively, the hands and athletisicm are fluid with above average arm strength that bodes well for the UMASS commits future. 

Jacob Hauk C / 3B / Loyola Blakefield, MD / 2024

Coming off a standout Spring campaign, Hauk backed it up with a stellar Summer and Fall season, leading to a commitment to the University of Maryland and a rise inside the Top 25 of this latest update. Easy to see the strength in the 6-foot-3, 225 pound frame and the sneaky athletisicm has some intrigue to it when looking at the near future. The raw power is evident and has some of the more potent pull side juice in the class with the ability to cut it down from time to time and spray line drives to both gaps. When Hauk stays in his legs and allows the raw bat speed to take over, this is one of the more special bats across the state.