Prep Baseball Report

Risers In The Texas 2019 Rankings


Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Twitter: @PBR_Texas
IG: pbr_texas

It has been a busy fall since the last official update to the Texas class of 2019 rankings. Today the list extends to 170 prospects, as the fall season allowed the Prep Baseball Report scouting staff to track down emerging talent at our events, fall tournaments and scout days. Yesterday, we looked at the Top 5 Players in the 2019 Class. Today, we look at some of the top risers in the 2019 class.

+ No. 14, Josh Wolf, RHP, St. Thomas HS
Texas A&M recruit. Wolf’s current stuff combined with his high-ceiling potential makes him one of the most intriguing right-handed prospects in the 2019 class. At 6-foot-2, 165 pounds, Wolf is high-waisted, wiry, lean and long. He’s far from physical maturity, which makes his 89-92 fastball that much more impressive. It’s easy to dream once he fills into his frame that his velocity will continue to spike in the coming years. He works from a high-¾ slot with a smooth, compact arm circle in the the back, and has an extremely quick hand at foot strike. His delivery is simple and balanced with an open landing. The fastball showed occasional late darting life. Moreover, Wolf also flashed the makings of a swing-and-miss slider at 77 mph, though he was inconsistent with it. With sharpened control around the zone, Wolf can quickly vault into being one of the premier pitching prospects in the country. (Sean Duncan, Prep Baseball Report Executive Director)

+ No. 18, Chandler Freeman, 3B/RHP, Liberty Hill HS
Dallas Baptist recruit. Freeman is a two-way player that had a stellar performance at the Texas All-State Games where he put on a power display in batting practice (93 mph exit) showing easy rhythm, and strong pull side pop, and then threw 91 mph across the infield. On the mound, the right-hander has late arm side life on his fastball at 87-90 mph and can put hitters away with a 75-77 mph slider.  

+ No. 25, Jacob Hasty, LHP, Ft. Worth Christian HS
Louisiana State recruit. Hasty stands 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, and works from a high-¾ slot with a quick arm stroke. This fall, we saw his fastball sit 87-89 mph with good tilt. Right now he has a swing-and-miss curveball with good depth, tight rotation, and 1/7 shape at 76-78 mph. With his frame and quick arm, look for Hasty to continue to make jumps.

+ No. 26, Oscar Moralez, RHP, Goose Creek Memorial HS
Louisiana-Lafayette. Moralez was dominant in Jupiter for 2.1 innings of relief. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-hander struck out five with no walks and no hits behind a lively 89-91 mph fastball that topped at 93 mph. Moralez also threw a high volume of strikes with his 80-81 mph slider that had more lateral action. Moralez works fast out of a high-¾ slot and a compact draw in the back. The ball seemed to jump on hitters quicker than anticipated.  (Sean Duncan, Prep Baseball Report Executive Director)

+ No. 30, Tyler Wade, SS, Midland HS
Tennessee recruit. Wade is a confident, quick-twitch athlete, with high-ceiling tools and a lean-muscular frame at 5-foot-11, 165-pounds. He was a top performer at both the North Texas Underclass Games and the Fall Upperclass Games. The switch-hitter has a chance to develop into a high-level hitter with good power and leverage. On the infield, Wade has a quick first step and moves with long strides to show solid range. Aggressive mentality with rhythm through his fielding position, soft hands and quick transfer. Can throw from different slots and plays on the run with athleticism.

+ No. 31. Couper Cornblum, SS, Midway HS
Wichita State recruit. Cornblum is a quick-twitch shortstop with smooth actions and an athletic 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame. The junior is a high-level defender with plus range, long strides, quick feet and soft hands. He has excellent carry on throws across the infield at 88 mph. The right-handed hitter has a stacked, relaxed set-up at the dish with loose-quick hands and strength at contact (88 mph exit velo) and barrel awareness. Long stride runner with an easy gate, 6.75 60-yard dash, active base runner, gets to full speed quickly.

+ No. 48, Austin Plante, OF/1B, Lake Travis HS,
Texas Christian recruit. Plante passes the eye test with his strong, broad shouldered, high-waisted, 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. He burst onto the scene this fall with his performance at the Waco Open and the All-State Games. The junior is a solid athlete with all-around feel for both the outfield and first base. A left-handed hitter, Plante has real strength at the plate and shows off power during batting practice as the ball jumps off his bat with easy bat speed, and a simple swing. Projectable hitter at the next level with more power to come. In the outfield, Plante plays through the ball with smooth rhythm and timing, quick exchange and easy gather. His arm works well from a short, high-¾ arm stroke, and he is an accurate thrower with carry at 89 mph. Good footwork around the bag and soft hands on picks.

+ No. 49, Ismael “Izzy” Lopez, SS, Arlington Heights HS
Texas A&M recruit. Lopez has smooth actions and handles the ball well in the middle of the field with plenty of arm strength. He “quarterbacks” the field from shortstop with high end situational awareness. In a fall scout league game, he attempted multiple deak plays, fake throws and showed good all-around feel for the game.


Full Texas 2019 Class Rankings

 

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Bobby Witt Jr. TX Colleyville Heritage 2019 RHP Oklahoma
2 Matthew Thompson TX Cypress Ranch 2019 RHP Texas A&M
3 Logan Britt TX All Saints Episcopal Ft. Worth 2019 OF Texas A&M
4 Jacob Meador TX Centennial 2019 RHP Texas Christian
5 Sanson Faltine III TX Ft. Bend Travis 2019 SS Texas
6 JJ Goss TX Cy-Ranch 2019 RHP Texas A&M
7 Jared Southard TX Rouse 2019 RHP Texas
8 Colton Bowman TX Bullard 2019 LHP Oklahoma State
9 Brett Baty TX Lake Travis 2019 3B Texas
10 Kadon Morton TX Seguin 2019 RHP

 

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