With the conclusion of the off-season and the spring season set to get underway in just a few short days, our staff has updated the state's 2024 Rankings for the first time in 2023. Though there's not much shakeup on this new board, we have expanded the rankings by a handful of names, rising and adding a few names as a result.

Below you'll learn more about these updated rankings for the state's current junior class, including more information on prospects that climbed and those who debuted for the first time.

 

TOP RISERS & NOTABLE DEBUTS

+ RHP Connor Gatwood (Baker, 2024) burst onto the scene in early 2022 with a standout showing at the South AL Preseason All-State, which eventually led to his invite to the PBR Future Games last summer. Although he was stellar on the mound pitching for Team Alabama at that event, he's already showing the progress and physical gains that he's made in the offseason. A South Alabama recruit, Gatwood jumps into the Top-10 in this update after continuing to one-up prior performances. The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder displayed some electric stuff in this extended look, as he never threw a pitch under 91 mph and sat 91-93 mph (2500 rpm) while touching 93.7 mph multiple times in his outing. For his secondary offerings, the right-hander spun a hard slider at 84-85 mph (2250 rpm) that showed two-plane break and sharp lateral movement while turning over a few quality changeups at 86-88 mph with fading action. Gatwood easily cemented himself as one of the top prospects in the junior class and will only continue to improve as he continues to fill out his strong, athletic frame on the mound.

+ RHP/3B Brendan Conner (Corner, 2024) was arguably the biggest winners from last month's North AL Preseason All-State in terms of boosting his stock in a two way role, but probably even more with the bullpen he turned in. The uncommitted junior, who jumps into the Top-20, is strongly-built standing 6-foot-0, 205-pounds, and he certainly uses that strength to his advantage in multiple phases. Starting off his day, Conner posted one of the highest exit velocities at the event at 100.7 mph while showing gap-to-gap pop from the right side, and while exit velocity isn't the end-all, be-all, he was consistently on the barrel throughout his round. The uncommitted junior then hopped on the mound and showed the strides he's already made since the PBR Future Games just five months ago, as he sat 89-90 mph and touched 91.3 mph with his fastball at the event. He also flashed good feel for a power slider at 78-81 mph with consistent spin rates around 2600 rpm. He continues to trend up and establish himself as one of the top uncommitted juniors in the state heading into the spring.

+ RHP/SS Connor Gehr (Gulf Shores, 2024) may not have had the same overpowering stuff in terms of velocity compared to the pitchers mentioned above, but his command for a four-pitch arsenal continues to make him a must-follow on the mound heading into his junior season this spring. Gehr, who rises to inside the Top-50 in this update, showcases intriguing athleticism in his slim, projectable 6-foot-0, 160-pound frame that will carry much more strength in the future. After lining balls to both parts of the field and showing well in the defensive portion of the afternoon workout of the South AL Preseason All-State, Gehr was one of the first pitchers to hop on the mound was equally as impressive, if not more. The uncommitted junior pumped his fastball to both sides of the plate at 85-87 mph (2300 rpm) while showing quality command for his secondary offerings, as well. Gehr featured a firm, tight slider at 76-79 mph (2600 rpm) with more horizontal break and a sharp breaking ball at 74-75 mph (2600 rpm) with more top-to-bottom break. The right-hander also displayed solid feel for a fading changeup at 79-80 mph that works well off his fastball using the same run/sink for both. Another outstanding event for the the uncommitted junior.

+ RHP Brayley Smith (Pell City, 2024) enjoyed a breakout performance at last summer's Top Prospect Games, where he worked in the mid-80's with intriguing metrics on all of his offerings. The uncommitted junior, who rises to inside the Top-50 in this update, continued to show signs of improvement at the North AL Preseason All-State while mixing a quality four-pitch repertoire in his extended bullpen. Listed at 6-foot-0, 170-pounds, Smith has an athletic body with a fast arm that produced a fastball that worked consistently at 86-88 mph with arm-side run and some late life in the zone. The right-hander showed a late-breaking slider at 75-77 mph (2400 rpm) and a slower breaking ball at 69-71 mph (2200 rpm) with more top-to-bottom break and 11-5 shape as his primary secondary offerings, while landing a fading changeup with the same action as his fastball for strikes at 70-73 mph. Another uncommitted prospect in the junior class that will be one to keep tabs on throughout this spring.

+ RHP Austin Uptain (Athens, 2024) was clearly one of the biggest winners at the Huntsville Preseason ID with a stellar showing as a two-way prospect, but may have more upside on the mound. The uncommitted junior, who makes a big leap to inside the Top-50, showed he's already made significant strides this off-season resulting in an uptick in velocity. After being 83-85 mph at the Alabama Fall Games back in August, Uptain was consistently hovering at 87-89 mph and even grabbed an 89.5 mph during his bullpen yesterday with an average of 2300 rpm. He also flashed some feel for a sharper slider in the mid-70's and the same arm speed on a fading changeup. The right-hander works using an up-tempo, athletic delivery that produced plenty of strikes both with his fastball and secondary offerings. He also looked comfortable handling the bat from the left side with firm contact during his round and a top EV at 93.7 mph. Good one to follow throughout the spring.

 

TOP-5 UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS

THE TOP-5