Prep Baseball Report

2025 Rankings: Post Fall Update


Brandon Gowins
Texas Scouting Director

TEXAS - Now that the 2022 season is over, the PBR Texas Staff has updated the 2025 Texas Rankings.  We expanded the list to 100 players and have a few new entries into the top 10. Texas Tech commit Kayson Cunningham retains the #1 position while Xavier Mitchell was the biggest mover after an impressive summer and fall. We break down the top 10 below.


CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS

 

#1 Kayson Cunningham - MIF - SA Johnson - Texas Tech Commit

Cunningham takes over the #1 spot in the 2025 state rankings after a standout spring season at SA Johnson and a summer in which he hit everywhere he went.  The LHH has some of the best barrel to ball skills in the state regardless of class.  Very rarely does he swing and miss, showing excellent hand eye coordination and strike zone awareness. He has the ability to hit line drives from foul pole to foul pole, while doing it with authority. Cunningham is also an above average runner and it plays up because of his plus instincts on the diamond.  He is always looking to take an extra base when he can.  Defensively, Cunningham has all the tools to stay up the middle.  Has the foot speed, range and anticipation to stick at short, plus he has been in the upper 80’s on the mound, showing he has more than enough arm to stick at the 6 spot.  The Texas Tech commit has produced at a high level for a long time, and the  San Antonio Johnson product continues to elevate his game each time we see him. 

 

 

The Texas A&M commit may get the superlative as the best defender in the state.  Boughton plays the shortstop position with a confidence and bounce you rarely see from a player his age.  He has the range and arm necessary to make any play from the shortstop position. He is an above average runner and it plays up with his plus instincts At the plate, the right handed hitter has a compact swing that he repeats well and it really projects. When he gets ahead in the count, he will get aggressive and show some pull side power.  Boughton’s frame still has a lot of filling out to do on his frame, so as he continues to get stronger, the power will continue to develop. Boughton is one of the more exciting players in the class, and is following the trend of elite shortstops coming out of the DFW area.

 

 
Billings burst onto the scene at the 2021 Future Games and has continued his ascent as one of the best two way players in the country. The Tennessee commit can impact the game in a multitude of ways.  He can change the game with one swing of the bat, showing above avg. pull side power.  It was on display recently when he hit a HR at the Area Code Underclass games. Billings is a good runner for his size, playing an aggressive style of baseball that allows the speed to show up by taking the extra base.  Luke also has an extremely high upside on the mound. The RHP sits in the upper 80’s with an up tempo delivery. He flashes 2 above avg secondary's with a high spin curveball and a changeup he shows good feel for. 



#4 Taylor Tracey - LHP - Dripping Springs - Tennessee Commit

When speaking of upside in the 2025 class, there may be no bigger upside than Tracey.  The 6’5 LHP has all the physical tools needed to be a Friday night arm in the SEC. Recently at the Area Code Underclass Games, Tracey was dominant.  In his outing he went 3 innings only allowing one hit, while punching out 7.  He sat 85-87 mph, with the FB playing up because of his extension out front.  It is a low effort operation, and with his size and athleticism, I expect the velocity to keep rising in a big way.  He flashed a power change in the low 80’s that shows promise against the RHH. He rounded out his arsenal with a low 70’s curveball that shows good shape.  As he gets stronger, the breaker should develop more power and become a bigger weapon for him.  Tracey also plays CF for his HS and bats in the middle of their order, showing the athleticism and coordination you don’t see in many 6’5 kids at Tracey’s age.

 

#5 Xavier Mitchell - LHP - Prestonwood Christian - Texas Commit

The Soph. Lefty really showed well in some big moments at PBR events.  The Texas Commit was extremely sharp at the Future Games when he shut down an impressive Team Georgia Lineup.  He was also extremely sharp at the Texas State Games, where he mowed through the lineup for 3 innings.  It is a good blend of present stuff with a lot of projection left. His Fastball is an effortless mid 80's pitch that will touch 87.  That number will keep rising.  He also shows feel for both his breaking ball and his changeup.  Mitchell is an intelligent pitcher who has a feel for the game.  The future Longhorn has some of the highest upside in the class.

 

#6 Marcos Paz - RHP - Hebron - Uncommitted

Coming in at the #5 spot is Paz. The 6’2 righty had a monster freshman year for Hebron and he continued that through the summer.  The first thing you notice with Paz is the presence and maturity with how he attacks his craft.  He never gets too high or too low, and always seems to have a low pulse. He attacks the hitters with a FB that sits in the upper 80’s with heavy ASR and sinking action.  When Paz has command of the fastball, that usually leads to weak contact on the ground as he is tough to elevate.  His breaking ball has continued to get better throughout the course of the season.  He tunnels it well off the FB and CH making it tough to pick up. His best secondary pitch is his changeup.  He throws it with the same arm speed and conviction as his fastball. It has good sinking action and generates a lot of swing and miss.  Paz has one of the highest floors in this class to go with an extremely high ceiling. 

 

#7 Cooper Fulbright - RHP - Strake Jesuit - Texas A&M Commit

The recent Texas A&M commit is another projectable hard throwing righty. Fulbright, who is a recent Future Games Participant, has one of the highest upside arms in the class. The 6’1 righty has a high waist with plenty of projection left on the frame.  His fastball will get into the low 90’s and sit upper 80’s. He features 3 offspeed pitches that all project to avg. or better.  He has the slower 12 to 6 curveball that he throws in the lower 70’s. It has great depth and he can spin it 2800+ rpm’s.  His other breaking ball is a slider that he throws in the 78-79 range.  It is more of the sweeping variety, and  it generated a lot of weak swings at future games.  He also flashes a changeup that shows real potential.  He doesn’t have to throw it often now, but when he does he shows the ability to throw it with conviction and good arm speed. Fulbright is more control over command right now but as that continues to improve we could see him continue to rise.

 

#8 Ryan Bevington - RHP - Strake Jesuit - TCU Commit

The 6'2 RHP has the look of the Traditional Hard throwing Righty Texan.  He has a good frame with broad shoulders. His fastball sits in the upper 80's touching 89 regularly.  He moves down the mound well and repeats the delivery.  He also flashes a swing and miss Slider that he throws in the mid 70's, The TCU commit shows serious arm talent and the feel for spin, I expect him to make some noise this coming spring.

 

#9 Tye Briscoe  - LHP - Abilene Wylie - Arkansas Commit

The lefty from Abilene has some of the best arm talent in the state. The sophomore has a fastball that will peak at 92 and sits in the upper 80’s.  He also features a breaking ball that he throws in the low 70’s that shows the shape for a potential power breaker. He mixes in a changeup as well that he throws in the low 80’s. He doesn’t have to throw it much now, but he shows enough feel for it that it should be at least an average pitch down the road.  Briscoe’s mechanics are clean and he has a low effort delivery. He is more control over command right now, and the next step in Briscoe’s progression is fastball command. The Razorback commit has all the ingredients to be a Friday night in college.

 

#10 Jack Mckernan - LHP - Ridge Point - Texas Commit

The Longhorn commit from Houston has had a great freshman campaign, helping Ridge Point make a deep playoff run and is concluding it right now as he is pitching for the 15u National Team. The LHP pitches predominantly off  his upper 80’s fastball.  He shows good command of the pitch and the ability to get to both sides of the plate with it.  He primarily relies on his breaking ball for his secondary pitch.  He throws it with good power and it generates a lot of swing and miss. Mckernan has good tempo in his delivery matching his aggressive nature on the mound. The future Longhorn is another high floor arm with an even higher ceiling.

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Fort Worth Preseason ID TX 01/03 Weatherford College (Roger Williams Ballpark) - Weatherford, TX
Houston Preseason ID TX 01/07 Rice University (Reckling Park) - Houston, TX
San Antonio Preseason ID TX 01/08 Marion High School - Marion, TX
South Houston Preseason ID TX 01/14 Alvin Community College - Alvin, TX
Dallas Preseason ID TX 01/15 Lake Dallas High School - Corinth, TX
Central Texas Preseason ID TX 01/16 Salado High School - Salado, TX

 

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