Prep Baseball Report

Class of 2026 Rankings Release


Joe Walentin
Scouting Director, NY

Looking forward to the 2023 campaign, our staff has gathered an initial list of 20 players for the Class of 2026 NY Rankings. Two of our Top 10 have verbally committed to a  ACC school, headlined by C Devin Diaz (Iona Prep) who verballed to Miami.

As a whole, the ascending Freshman class is full of budding two-way prospects, power arms, and intriguing athletes. This list will continue to expand and push out further as we get additional eyes on talent during our rigorous high school scouting, showcase events, and tournaments. It’s an ongoing process as always, noting that some players make faster developments than others at this age, and that there could be multiple unranked players in which we haven’t seen.

Think we’ve missed someone or that we need another look? Sign up for our Preseason ID Events HERE.

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOP 20   

CLICK HERE FOR THE PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST

top 10

Ty Van Valkenburg RHP / 3B / Saugerties , NY / 2026

6-foot-2, 185 lb 2-way prospect. Electric on the mound with a mid 80's FB (peak 86MPH) that jumps through the zone. The swing from the left side repeats and has elite rotational and bat speed metrics pointing toward dynamic power potential.

 

 

Ben Schulman RHP / 3B / Horace Greeley , NY / 2026

Projectable 6-foot-3 180 lb frame. Quick, athletic arm with mound presence. High spin FB up to 84 that gets plenty swing and misses. Counters with a short & tight slider in the mid 70's flashing depth. Virginia Commit

 

 

Devin Diaz C / OF / Iona Prep, NY / 2026

Garnered a lot of attention at the Jr Future Games in Lake Point this past summer. Elite behind the plate, receiving, throwing and commands the field vocally. At the plate has a mature approach with feel for the barrel and the ability to hit good pitching. Miami Commit

 

 

Dannyel Almanzar SS / 2B / All Hallows, NY / 2026

High end athleticism in a 6-foot-3, 180 lb frame. Advanced glove with quality footwork and arm is up to 91 MPH across. Simple timing at the plate with balance through out the swing with feel for the barrel, 89% sweet spot rate with power potential. 

 

Jack Curtis 3B / RHP / Chenango Forks, NY / 2026

Works with good pace in a repeatable delivery. FB plays up in the zone with a high IVB while sitting 82-84 in the early summer. Plus movement on the off speed, High spin breaking ball and a low spin change out of near same release. 

 

 

Myles McBride RHP / SS / Auburn, NY / 2026

Athletic 2-way prospect at 6-foot-1, 175 lbs. Fluid actions on the field with versatility on defense. On the mound his fastball has been in the low 80's with arm side run while countering with a lateral action slider. 

 

 

Will Plunkett SS / RHP / Mamaroneck , NY / 2026

Projection in a 6-foot-2, 180 lb frame with 2-way abilities. Athletic actions in the field with plus bat speed and feel for the barrel at the plate (89% sweet spot rate). High spin FB/CB combo on the mound with plus movement. FB up to 23' IVB with a Sweeping breaker that gets up to 20' horizontal. 

 

 

Daniel Head SS / RHP / Notre Dame, NY / 2026

Projection and athleticism in the 5-foot-11, 150 lb frame. Easy effort bat speed (70 MPH) with bat to ball abilities. On the mound the arm is live with a fastball into the low 80's that flashes ride and run through the zone. Good feel for the spin on a breaking ball that shows sign of swing and miss out pitch.

 

 

Tyler Durkin RHP / Roy C. Ketcham, NY / 2026

High ceiling for the 6-foot-4, 165 lb righty. Feel for 3 pitches featuring a FB with life and arm side run from a low 3/4 slot. Slider has tilt flashing depth as a future swing and miss out pitch while showing feel for a fading change up. 

 

 

Lowell Golub RHP / 2B / BASIS Brooklyn , NY / 2026

Advanced spin traits with plus movement on the FB/CB combo. Fastball was up to 84 MPH at the 14 U National Championship in Georgia this past Summer. 

 

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Super 60 Pro Showcase NATIONAL 02/05 The MAX - McCook, IL
2023 Northeast ProCase (Invite Only) NY 02/12 The Liberty Arena / Williamsport, PA
2023 Preseason ID: Hudson Valley NY 02/19 SUNY Sullivan / Loch Sheldrake, NY
2023 Rising Stars: East NY 02/19 SUNY Sullivan / Loch Sheldrake, NY
2023 Preseason ID: Central NY 02/20 Sport Center 481 / Syracuse, NY
2023 Preseason ID: West NY 02/20 Total Sports Experience / Rochester, NY
2023 Preseason ID: Mohawk Valley NY 02/21 Accelerate Sports / Whitesboro, NY
2023 Rising Stars: Upstate NY 02/21 Accelerate Sports / Whitesboro, NY
2023 Preseason ID: Capital Region (20% Full) NY 02/22 AllStars Academy / Latham, NY
2023 Preseason ID: Downstate - Session 1 (20% Full) NY 02/23 Long Island Sports Complex / Freeport, NY
2023 Preseason ID: Downstate - Session 2 NY 02/24 Long Island Sports Complex / Freeport, NY
2023 Rising Stars: Downstate NY 02/24 Long Island Sports Complex / Freeport, NY