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By Jordan Chiero and Dylan Hefflinger
Ohio Director of Scouting / Editor in Chief/Scout 

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Ohio Insider: Updated Class of 2018 Player Rankings (November)

With the summer/fall showcases coming to a close, Prep Baseball Report Ohio takes a look at the updated Class of 2018 Player Rankings. Many new prospects come into the rankings while many prospects have made jumps, some drastically. Below we will take a look at “What’s New At The Top”, “Rising Prospects”, and some of the top uncommitted prospects.

What's New At The Top

As the summer comes to an end and fall comes around, a number of the state’s summer programs make their way down to Florida for some of the most highly scouted baseball of the year. This gives some of Ohio’s top prospects an opportunity to compete against some of the best competition in the country.

The top sees similar faces as the update in August as RHP/OF Casey Maniglia and SS Cal Conley continue to prove they belong at the top of the class, while RHP Austin Becker has solidified himself as one of the top recruits in the country. Becker, a Vanderbilt recruit, competed this summer and fall with national powerhouse EvoShield Canes, where he has been clocked as high as 96 mph with his fastball.

There was a new addition to the top 5, as RHP Cole Ayers proved he belongs in the conversation as one of the top arms in this class. The Loveland HS product is a fierce competitor on the mound and has some of the best secondary stuff in the class to go along with his upper-80s to low-90s fastball. Ayers moved his way up to the No. 3 spot in Ohio’s 2018 class.

The Risers

The past few months a number of prospects have shown they deserved to move up in the rankings. Whether it has been in down south or at events within the state, we have seen players take their game to the next level.

Few prospects have improved their stock more this fall than RHP Lane Flamm. The New Richmond product showed off an 88-90 mph fastball, while running it up to 92 mph in Florida. Flamm also flashed a solid curveball/slider combination and feel for a changeup. He was impressive enough to move his way into the top 10, finding his way to the No. 8 spot.

Another prospect who continues to climb the rankings is Bloom Carroll’s Collin Sells. Sells made a name for himself while competing for Team Ohio in the PBR Future Games and recently made his commitment to the University of Kentucky. The 6-foot-4, RHP features a mid to upper-80s fastball and solid feel for his secondary stuff. Sells cracked the top 15, climbing up to the No. 14 spot in the class.

1B/RHP Mo Schaffer used a strong performance at the Southern Ohio Fall Underclass Preview to make his way into the top 50, moving up to the No. 44 spot. Out of Moeller HS, Schaffer can flat out swing the bat. A physical prospect that has power potential from the right side. Also showed attributes that make him attractive on the mound as well.

THE NEWCOMERS

Whether it was the first time we’ve seen them or the fifth time we have, this fall has also given us the chance to come across prospects that showed they deserved to be ranked in the 2018 class.

What a difference a year has made for RHP Sam Wirsing. The Madeira product has a noticeably more physical build and his added strength/maturity has translated to the mound. Wirsing has one of the higher ceilings in the class with a 6-foot-4 frame and velocity that continues to rise. This fall he consistently sat 84-87 mph with his fastball and topped at 88 mph, while showing command of his secondary stuff. The recent Wright State commit cracked the top 20, landing at No. 19.

RHP/MIF Jackson Eyink used an impressive showing at the Northern Ohio Preseason Preview to make his way up to the No. 43 spot. Out of St. Ignatius HS, Eyink was a top performer on the mound at the event. An athletic presence on the mound that has loose arm action and sat 84-86 mph with his fastball. Also spins a tight breaking ball and has decent feel for his changeup.

The term “gamer” gets thrown around a lot, but if it fits with INF Tyler Chumita. The Hilliard Darby infielder participated in our fall league and stood out amongst his peers with his advanced baseball IQ. Chumita consistently works counts, repositions himself in the infield as he reads swings, and takes extra bases with ease. A prototypical lead off guy that will be a solid defender and a high level base runner.

TOP UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS BY POSITION

Below we look to name the top two to five prospects in specific categories for the 2018 class. Beyond the top three, there are numerous prospects that can help a collegiate program in some capacity.

+ Top Right-Handed Arms: Lane Flamm, Tyler Hays, Spencer Kiehl

+ Top Left-Handed Arms: Drew Batcho, James Myers, Jason Blevins

+ Top Two-Way Prospects: Marcus Ernst, AJ Fritz, Manny Vorhees

+ Top Catching Prospects: Manny Vorhees, Cole Andrews, Mark Mohnickey

+ Top Corner Infield Prospects: Trenton Gillison, Mo Schaffer, Griffin Merritt

+ Top Middle Infield Prospects: Gregg Gilbert, Daunte DeCello, Nicholas Erwin

+ Top Outfield Prospects: Ryan McCurry, Josh Thompson, Bryce Johnson

+ Sleeper Prospects: Seth Gergely, Bryce Johnson, Devon Lee, Logan Andonian, Matthew Brosky

PBR OHIO CLASS OF 2018 TOP 170

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Austin Becker	OH	Big Walnut	2018	RHP	Vanderbilt
2	Casey Maniglia	OH	Solon	2018	OF	North Carolina
3	Cal Conley	OH	Loveland	2018	SS	Miami
4	Zach Dezenzo	OH	Marlington	2018	SS	Ohio State
5	Cole Ayers	OH	Loveland	2018	RHP	Kentucky
6	Nicholas Northcut	OH	Mason	2018	RHP	Vanderbilt
7	Nick Thwaits	OH	Fort Recovery	2018	RHP	Kent State
8	Lane Flamm	OH	New Richmond	2018	RHP
9	Keegan Fish	OH	Lakota West	2018	C	Ohio State
10	Nolan Clegg	OH	Toronto	2018	OF	Ohio State

***** To view the entire top 170, please click here.