As the fall comes to a close, the PBR Missouri staff is set to update all of our class rankings for one final time in 2023. This fall was as in-depth as ever for our crew, as we saw more players than we’d seen before through events and PBR Tournaments. 

We've grown our knowledge of this class plenty over the last six months, expanding the board more so in this update with several talented names rising, and a multitude of others debuting this time around.

Below you will learn more about this class as a whole - the top 10, risers, and a handful of newcomers detailed in more, below.

THE TOP 10

RANK	NAME	SCHOOL	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Cooper Shrum	Belton	RHP/INF	Tennessee
2	Nolan Sissom	Fort Zumwalt West	MIF/C	Missouri
3	Jathan Spain	Cape Central	RHP	-
4	Dylan Curtis	Francis Howell	RHP	-
5	Rocco Marriott	Platte County	OF/RHP	-
6	Brendan Pyle	Fort Zumwalt East	INF	-
7	Johnny Carver	Raymore-Peculiar	LHP	Arkansas
8	Jake Brettschneider	Francis Howell	RHP	-
9	Grant Mehrhoff	CBC	LHP	Louisville
10	Caden Throneberry	Marquette	OF	Missouri

There wasn’t any movement inside the top-10, as all of the same names from our fall update remain the same with the order unchanged. We were able to check-in on a few of these names this fall and all of them did nothing but solidify their prospect status within this class. 

+ MIF/C Nolan Sissom (Fort Zumwalt West; Mizzou commit) had a strong all-around showing at the Recruits Scout Day in late September. Sissom, who helped propel his Jaguars’ club to 30 wins as a freshman this spring, is the second-highest ranked player in this class: 

From 9/28/23: “...continued to look the part of a high-end prospect in the state’s sophomore class at this event. Committed to Mizzou, Sissom swings a simple and direct left-handed barrel with advanced polish for his age, peppering line drives on repeat to the pull-side in BP. He’s a top-of-the-order type of offensive threat that flashed some bat strength too, squaring up his hardest ball at 94.3 mph. Defensively, Sissom took reps both behind the plate and on the infield, and he looked the part at both spots, too. He’s accurate from the chute with a quick release, popping in the 1.92-to-2.00 range while reaching 76 mph on his hardest throw. Sissom’s a fluid mover on the infield dirt, particularly on the move, where he’s able to slow the game down to play in rhythm. He trusts his hands and feet, working around the baseball in rhythm, and is also able to throw from multiple arm angles when need be. Where his future lies with the glove is undecided, though it’ll be up the middle, and only enhance a profile that’s already shown capable of impacting the game positively in multiple ways.”

Nolan Sissom

+ Perhaps the most impressive look from the fall came from RHP Dylan Curtis (Francis Howell) at the Missouri Fall Underclass Games. The ‘picture perfect’ definition of projection at 6-foot-5, 155-pounds, Curtis looked the part of his normal dominant self, and he’s starting to grow more confident in his arsenal as a whole. Few in the class rival the ceiling of Curtis, who’s primed for an excellent sophomore year from top to bottom: 

From 9/20/23: “...did nothing but cement himself as a high-end prospect in Missouri’s 2026 class. Coming off a dominant summer, the 6-foot-5, 155-pound highly projectable sophomore made the trip to Columbia for this event and, presumably, stole the show. An easy, free-flowing mover that controls his body downhill more than comfortably for his age, Curtis pitched in the low-80s with his fastball in this brief look, touching 85 mph, with plenty more to come. He pounded his heater around the zone and landed a 72-73 mph curveball for strikes off it, fading a changeup on occasion, too. Curtis’ polish goes further than his ability to land his entire arsenal for strikes, spilling over into the confidence he exudes in each individual pitch, which adds to his effectiveness even more so. Expect him to keep going in the right direction as his stuff keeps ticking up, upping what’s already one of the highest ceilings in the state’s sophomore class.” 

Dylan Curtis

+ Like the aforementioned Sissom, we also saw INF Brendan Pyle (Fort Zumwalt East) at the Recruits Scout Day this past September. His polished right-handed swing was on display, per usual, though Pyle did appear to make improvements defensively with more rhythm and fluidity on the infield dirt: 

From 9/28/23: “...the 5-foot-10, 175-pound sophomore was especially impressive on the infield, where he bounced around the dirt with a naturally confident presence to him. Pyle’s glovework on the move looked improve, particularly his backhand play, which he picked effortlessly and then fired an accurate strike across the infield. Offensively, Pyle worked direct to the baseball from a short, compact swing that was on the barrel to the pull-side, recording a 93.9 mph high. Pyle figures to be one of the top prospects in the state’s 2026 class throughout his prep career.”

Brendan Pyle

ON THE RISE

These two names both climbed considerably in this update after highly impressive showings this fall:

Henry Vedder RHP / St. Francis Borgia, MO / 2026 From 9/26/23: "...was one of the day’s biggest takeaways, leaving this event as an arrow-up prospect in the state’s sophomore class. Built at a lanky, long-limbed 6-foot-4, 170-pounds, Vedder showed a power three-pitch mix, grabbing uncomfortable swings-and-misses with his entire arsenal over a two-inning stint. His fastball played with carry up in the zone at 83-85, touching 86 mph, from a tight, compact arm window. Vedder’s best secondary pitch in this look was a true tumbling splitter that showed power swing-and-miss bite at 74-77 mph. He showed hard horizontal action on a 71-75 mph slider too, though he’s still fully developing feel for the pitch. Vedder is a high ceiling arm with all sorts of upside in the state’s 2026 class."

Cameron Taylor 3B / Kearney , MO / 2026 From 9/17/23: "...6-foot-1, 160-pound frame with athleticism and lean, well-proportioned strength. 6.96 runner, flat barrel through the zone that sprayed line drives to all fields throughout his round. Hopped on the mound following his position player workout and showed a live, loose, and athletic arm that touched 89 mph, pitching in the mid-to-upper-80s. Spun a low-70s curveball and turned over a changeup at 74-77 mph, too."

NOTABLE NEWCOMERS

All of these players make their debuts within the top-100 in this update:

Brayden Davidson RHP / Liberty North, MO / 2026 From 9/17/23: "...6-foot-1, 165-pounds. Athletic, controlled mover, arm plays short and in a tight window, finishing out of a high 3/4 slot. Fastball played with true four-seam carry, pitching in the low-80s, touching 84 mph. Flashed feel to spin a slurvy-type breaking ball for strikes, 65-67 mph, and he showed a changeup at 67-70 mph that played around the zone. Upside arm with more to come as he continues to physically develop."

Osar Tate SS / Lutheran North, MO / 2026 From 10/9/23: "...came away from this event as a follow prospect in the state’s sophomore group. Tate has all sorts of athleticism and he showed that in all facets of his game, starting with an event best 60 time (6.85). He showed easy balance with a loose, level right-handed swing that was on the barrel to the left-center gap, spraying line drives that way throughout his round. Tate’s hardest ball came off his bat at 89.4 mph, while his furthest traveled 340 feet - good for the event lead. Defensively, Tate plays with natural bounce on the infield and moves freely to both sides, particularly up the middle. He’s confident in his hands and feet, playing around the baseball with a soft, steady glove to pair. Tate also threw the day’s hardest fastball, touching 81.1 mph on his highest bullet. With plenty more to come from a physicality standpoint, Tate figures to be a high follow sophomore into this off-season and beyond."

Seaton Thompson SS / Ladue Horton Watkins, MO / 2026 From 10/9/23: "...was another winner from this event. Thompson stands at a well-proportioned 6-foot, 160-pounds with present lean strength, and he’s plenty capable of adding more muscle mass as he continues to mature physically, too. A switch-hitter, Thompson brings a quiet and collected presence at the plate with loose easy hands that work uphill to contact from both sides of the plate. Thompson was on the barrel some throughout his round, squaring his hardest ball up at 92.7 mph. On the infield, Thompson plays with natural bounce pre-pitch and gets around the baseball on the move."

Devin Freeman OF / Ladue, MO / 2026 From 10/3/23: "...is a long, lean-limbed 5-foot-11, 155-pound athlete with loose levers that offer plenty of physical upside. Freeman nearly paced the event in peak throwing velocity from the outfield (T86 mph) and he also ran a 7.02, which was one of the day’s faster marks. At the plate, Freeman showed hand speed from a long, level right-handed swing that was on the barrel to the middle of the field. His hardest hit ball came off his bat at 90.9 mph and traveled 329 feet, per TrackMan."

Jacob Noland OF / Kirkwood, MO / 2026 From 9/20/23: "...is a highly intriguing 6-foot-1, 160-pound athlete to follow from this event. He’s a loose, easy athlete at the plate with a controlled right-handed swing that produced consistent barreled contact throughout his round. Noland’s firmest swing resulted in a 94.4 mph high, though he had two other 88+ mph swings as well. There’s plenty more to project on with Noland, who’s seemingly just starting to come into his frame and offensive potential at the plate."

Jackson Miller SS / Chaminade College Prep, MO / 2026 From 9/20/23: "...offers premium projectability, stepping onto the field at a lean and lanky-levered 6-foot-2, 165-pounds. Still learning how to control his levers consistently, Miller’s best barrels came to the pull-side, where he recorded his peak exit velocity (87.5 mph) and furthest batted mark (318 ft.), both of which are likely to trend up as he continues to get stronger. Away from the batter’s box, Miller’s 60 time (7.13) and max infield velocity (82 mph) were both the second-highest marks in their respective categories from this event."

Carson Howard 3B / Francis Howell North, MO / 2026 From 10/9/23: "...is a strong-bodied 6-foot, 160-pound athlete that led this event in a few statistical categories. Howard barreled the day’s hardest ball (94 mph) and he posted the highest average exit velocity (88.6 mph) as well. His strength showed positionally too, as Howard paced infielders in throwing velocity (80 mph) and he was also up to 81 mph on the mound."

Teagan Trent C / Logan-Rogersville, MO / 2026 From 9/26/23: "...first popped onto our radar this past winter, and the 5-foot-11, 160-pound backstop put together a strong all-around showing in this most recent look. Trent stays balanced at the plate and knows how to use the whole field, staying through the baseball from a simple right-handed stroke. His carrying tool figures to be his glove, however, as Trent has the makings of a potential asset behind the plate. He has above-average arm strength for his age (T75 mph), popping a 1.97 on his best bullet during the workout, and showing a quick release in-game to nab a would-be base stealer, too. He’s a natural receiver with soft hands, adept blocking skills, and he showed vocal leadership various times in-game, too."

**CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2026 RANKINGS**

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