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The end of the fall season gives the scouting staffs at Prep Baseball a chance to do a quick clean of their class rankings.  This week will feature the Sophomores in high school, the 2027 grads.  The class expanded to the top 155 players in the state with several players making small moves within the rankings based on what our scouting staff saw this fall season.  Events like the Open IDs and the Top Prospect Games allowed our scouting staff to hone in on players with their eyes and the full analytical package, detailing players strengths and giving some feel for what their future could hold as they continue to develop.

The process of rankings players can be somewhat simple but it does take a ton of time and effort.  For every player the Prep Baseball scouting staff in NC sees, they work to put a player grade on the player and a confidence rating on the grade.  The confidence rating can be related to the number of times a player is seen, and the number of different ways that player is evaluated.  Once ready, the database is sorted blindly, with all player information hidden outside the player grade, confidence rating, and tool grades.  When the data base is sorted by player grade, the tool grades are used to flush out players with similar overall grades.   As the sorting process is finished, the rankings are basically set.  Our scouting staff will go through the list to see if there are any outliers, where the grade may have been off for one reason or another.  As this process is finished, the rankings are ready to post.

One of the biggest years in the recruiting and development of high school baseball prospects is the Sophomore year.  Many college coaches will begin to identify players in their Sophomore year, as they are allowed contact the summer after the Sophomore year.  The contact period falling on August 1st is just after the nations top uncommitted event, the Prep Baseball Future Games, this year featuring the top 2027 grads from across the country.  The depth in North Carolina's 2027 class should yield a very talented Team NC at the Future Games.  The race towards the Future Games really begins in the preseason, but with an additional 25+ players added to the rankngs list after the fall season, the Prep Baseball staff is already identifying key players in the class.

Below we begin the process of breaking down the top talent in the 2027 class.  The NC 2027 class will be the first to go their entire high school career with the new recruiting rules in place.  Some of the rules include the August 1 contact date, expanded official visit time, an increase in potential scholarship allotment, a decrease in roster size at the D1 level, and more.  These rankings will evolve but we see a jump of over 25 players added to the fall update.  The next big jump will be after the preseason period. The entire class of 2027 Rankings update, expanding it to the top 155 players in North Carolina, can be seen HERE.

2027 Class Rankings Update

Big Movers

While the fall update is typically a small lift as many athletes may be playing football, and others may power down a bit in the fall season, we still saw several athletes continue to build upon their grades and rankings this fall.  As our scouting staff sees players in different environments, they get a better picture of who the player could become.  Below are 3 names that make big jumps with this fall update.

Banks Woody C / 3B / North Raleigh Christian Academy, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 14 / POS: 3 A name to know after his Team Carolina Trials workout in the summer, Woody continued to show athleticism and power in an electric right handed bat.  Big arm strength behind the dish should play at a high level as well.  The Top Prospect Games appearance in the fall propelled his player grade with a strong performance in the workout and game play portions of the event.

Carter Huff SS / OF / Reagan, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 17 / POS: 4 Huff continued to grow into his athletic frame, showing an increased ability to move laterally.  His barrel feel already had good marks from both sides of the plate but the Top Prospect Games gave our scouting staff a close up look while facing good arms from across the state.

Brandon Bush OF / RHP / Hoggard, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 20 / POS: 5 A known commodity after a stellar performance for Team NC at the Super SO Games, Bush continued to see his stock rise after finding a ton of barrels during the Top Prospect Games.  The athleticism also stood out amongst a group of highly athletic players in attendance.

New to the Rankings

Expanding the rankings list from 125 to 155 players, the list easily adds 25+ players from the 2027 class.  This is a small increase compared to what will come as more players are identified and others continue to mature prior to the SO spring season.  We tend to see a big jump after the SO preseason and again just before the JR school year begins.  This class is trending in a similar fashion.  Below are 3 players making their rankings debut in NC.

Coleton Newbern C / RHP / DH Conley, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 38 / POS: 8 Athletic and loose receiver has excellent bend and hands that worked with ease from the crouch.  At the dish, there is quickness and looseness.  The frame screams projection and as he adds strength, we should see his quickness transform into explosive movements.

Benjamin Bernard 2B / RHP / Green Level, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 49 / POS: 1 Stood out at the Scout Day with the OC Crushers in the Triangle area.  Bernard then backed up that performance while surrounded by other top talents from acros NC at the Top Prospect Games. Potential high end utility player, there is feel for the game and a high baseball IQ paired with solid athleticism.

Baines Raynor OF / 3B / Eastern Carolina Academy, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 50 / POS: 11 Twitchy athlete is just beginning to scratch the run times he may post in the coming years.  Plays a bit faster than his times read, but when you dive into his times, there are some very interesting splits as he gets to full speed.  Offensively, there is rhythm and looseness with solid barrel feel.  Shined at the Fayetteville Fall ID and then backed up that performance at the Top Prospect Games.

Previewing the Top 10

While it is not time for pro scouts to begin to pay attention to the 2027 class, they will begin to hear names while around the ballparks in NC.  Below we take a look at the top 10 players in the updated rankings.  There was not a ton of movement from the summer but we expect these spots to become very competitive out of the preseason workouts.

CLICK HERE to see the updated and expanded class of 2027 rankings list.

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