After a flurry of winter events, including a Preseason All-State Showcase that saw an astonishing number of players make gains, especially the group of pitchers, a significant update to the 2022 rankings was necessary.

Let me first start by saying that this update was probably the toughest, and certainly took the longest of any our staff has had in 8 and a half years. We spent hours upon hours combing through our scouting notes, measurables, and videos, and even then there were some tough decisions. It was an offseason in which we have never seen the number of players make such drastic improvements. There are players ranked in the 30’s and 40’s in this class that in other years would certainly have easily been in the top 25, which only speaks to the quality depth of this class. For these rankings, we tended to err more on the side of players we have seen do it in game action for players who graded out similarly, rather than a preseason bullpen, for example. Of course, where players are currently, as well as future projection, all factor in to the rankings. As we see players perform during the high school season, we will tweak the rankings as necessary leading up to our summer events.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ENTIRE 2022 Rankings

Here are a few things to highlight:

The top four remains the same in Louisville commits Korbyn Dickerson, Justin West, Tennessee commit Bennett Myers, and Eastern Kentucky commit Chase Alderman.

Catcher Luke Gaffney (Purdue commit) and his power bat jump into the No. 5 spot.

Three new players see themselves climb into the top 10, all three of which have two-way ability.

SS/RHP Patrick Forbes climbs all the way to No.7. The athletic prospect has elite hand and bat speed and is really becoming a power threat at the plate. He was also up to 88 in the preseason on the mound with a sharp breaking ball.

OF/RHP’s Elijah Underhill and Paul Osting put on their own two-way shows at the Preseason All-State event, showing bat speed and power to go along with elite arm strength. Both also feature high 80’s fastballs.

Eastern Kentucky commit Nathan Lawson rounds the top 10 with his high-80’s fastball and big breaking ball that dominated hitters all fall.

Biggest Risers
RHP Cade Schneider makes a huge jump after an impressive fall led to another velocity increase this winter. Schneider features a high 80’s fastball, but it’s his hammer of a slider that separates him with spin rates approaching 2700. He checks in at No. 13.

LHP Tait Lakin makes a big jump to No. 17. The 6-foot-2, 195 pound lefty pummeled the strike zone with a three-pitch mix at two events during the winter with his fastball topping out in the high-80’s.

RHP Joey Howard saw his ranking climb to No. 28 as he showed a big velocity jump this winter with a high-spin fastball that topped at 88 mph and a sharp, late breaking slider.

RHP Jacob Price with his 6-foot-5, 215 pound frame and fastball that reached the high 80’s (a big jump) climbs all the way to No. 32.

RHP Logan Wilson is another pitcher who made a big velocity jump into the high 80’s. He rose to the No. 35 spot in the rankings.

Highest Ranked Newcomers
SS Zach Taylor jumps into the rankings at No.25 after an impressive winter that saw him run a 6.83 sixty and put on a laser show in BP. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Taylor has strength throughout his frame and impressive athleticism.

RHP Matthew Ray jumps into the rankings at No. 44. The 6-foot-5, 180 pound righty is a picture of projection and just scratching the surface of his potential. His fastball works 85-86 and he features a solid curveball in changeup in his three-pitch mix.