Rankings Insider: Risers in the Updated 2026 Class
December 11, 2024
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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 Juniors in high school, the 2026 grads. The class expanded to the top 265 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.
The recruiting world of high school baseball players has seemed to slow down a bit. While the 2025 class is seeing a fairly normal amount of early signing period commits, many came late in the fall period. For the 2026 class, many schools are in a holding pattern on their high school recruiting process. They are working to manage the new roster limit of 34, the new scholarship process, and the transfer portal. Much of the recruiting world will be quarter by quarter as teams work to constantly fill their roster with talent, depth, and balance. The 2026 class is the first class seeing these changes affect their entire recruiting cycle. We do expect a ton of attention on the 2026 class through the winter and into the spring as the winter transfer period closes and recruiting coordinators work to get a grasp on the talent as they are able to watch games in the spring, leading to a big summer period.
Below we continue the process of breaking down the top talent in the 2026 class. The fall season allows the scouting staff at Prep Baseball to see new players and continue the evaluation process on players already in the rankings database. Today we take a look at 10 players that saw their stock rise after fall evaluations from the Prep Baseball staff. The entire class of 2026 Rankings update, expanding it to the top 265 players in North Carolina, can be seen HERE.
2026 Rankings: Risers
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Cassius Grimsley OF / RHP / Fuquay-Varina, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 68 / POS: 17
Moved from No. 125 to No. 68 An athletic RHP, he has started to climb toward a high ceiling. Grimsley shined at the Top Prospect Games Upperclass at the beginning of November, continuing to show that as he adds strength to his frame, the stuff and electricity of his stuff will grow as well. There is room for Grimsley to continue to grow in the coming year as he continues to mature physically. |
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Peyton Kozink RHP / SS / Jordan, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 73 / POS: 23
Moved from No. 112 to No. 73. An intriguing look at the Riptide Scout Day in late summer was followed by a deeper dive at the Top Prospect Games Upperclass. Kozink has continued to alter and grow his delivery, but it is the arm quickness and overall athleticism that has him moving up the board. |
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Jaxon Mabe 3B / 2B / Uwharrie Charter Academy, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 104 / POS: 8
Moved from No. 196 to No. 104. Another player that saw the confidence of his grade and overall grade climb after a longer look at the Top Prospect Games Upperclass. A solid mover with strength in his hands, there is damage waiting to happen in the box. Still maturing, there is plenty of room to his ceiling. |
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Gavin Smith OF / 3B / South Point, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 114 / POS: 23
Moved from No. 144 to No. 114 Committed to George Mason Scout Days give our scouts a brief look at tools and movement from prospects. A lot of times players can go through the workout and blend or excel, based on their comfort with the plan for the day. Having been through a workout with Prep Baseball, we see player relax and perform better at their next event. Smith highlights this as his fall workout for Charlotte Baseball Academy's Scout Day saw a much better grade come across with his performance. A solid athlete, his game play will probably exceed his workout grade, allowing him to take another step up in the rankings as our scouting staff see him more. |
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Brady Robinson OF / RHP / Sanderson, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 117 / POS: 24
Moved from No. 173 to No. 117. An athletic mover, Robinson plays with twitch and quickness both in the field and on the bump. The more you see, the more you realize he generates power and quickness differently than a lot of players at this age. Still maturing, he will be an interesting follow as he continues to add strength to the frame.
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Jack Piccini C / 1B / Pro5 Baseball Academy, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 119 / POS: 14
Moved from No. 158 to No. 119. As our scouting staff sees players, writes reports, and puts together lists like the 2026 rankings, there are players that dive into what they do well and what needs to improve. When players are able to take the information and adjust how they attack the game, they typically see growth. Piccini made jumps in his toolset across the board and we will not be surprised if we see another set of jumps as we head to the spring season. |
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Jeter Bynum LHP / OF / Pine Lake Prep, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 129 / POS: 12
Moved from No. 192 to No. 129 Bynum has been an interesting follow since first landing on our radar after an Open ID bullpen. The lefty has good rhythm and timing in his delivery and arm and he can spin a breaking ball. Overall strength and arm quickness will determine how high the player grade can rise, but our scouting staff bumped up his future grade after how he has grown in the past year. |
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Jack Bolte 1B / OF / Cardinal Gibbons, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 147 / POS: 12
Moved from No. 172 to No. 147. Bolte had solid numbers from a couple of workouts and BP sessions. The game play section of the Top Prospect Games Upperclass solidified, and raised the confidence grade on Bolte's overall grade. The swing has a chance to generate power moving forward for his prospect. |
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Andrew Riedel C / OF / Cardinal Gibbons, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 154 / POS: 19
Moved from No. 208 to No. 154 Workout events can be much like the NFL combine... it is football-ish, but not really. The pro-style workout is important and gives scouts and coaches numbers to crunch on players, but ultimately, the game play matters. Riedel saw his stock rise because of the way his game actions took over and surpassed some of his workout actions from his RipTide Scout Day. The Top Prospect Games Upperclass gave him a chance to shine again in the workout, and follow that with game play, solidifying a bump in his athleticism and defensive grades. |
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Tanner Waugh C / SS / Mooresville, NC / 2026Rankings StateRank: 169 / POS: 21
Moved from No. 246 to No. 169 Athleticism and quickness can be key components to guaging how prospects may grow in the coming years. As players have success and failure, they will adjust setup and approach in different areas of the game, but it is their ability to move with quickness and create explosivness that begins to separate prospects. Waugh's overall athletic grade took a big jump in this round of evaluations, allowing our scouting staff to grow his overall future grade as well.
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