VA/DC Class of 2028 Rankings: An Initial Look
December 17, 2024
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It is with great excitement that we announce the unveiling of the VA/DC Class of 2028 this week. Tomorrow we will release our Top 30 in the 2028 class. There are a couple standard notes for each class that we release:
- We do not rank classes until the winter update of their freshmen year.
- All of our classes start out smaller and will continue to expand over the next three years, ultimately capping at 250.
- The majority of rankings and movement in updates for young classes come from identification at events and tournaments.
- Why? Because the vast majority of freshmen are not on varsity teams, and if they are they usually do not get significant playing time.
- With not seeing many freshmen during the spring season, it puts much more emphasis on our evaluations that happen at tournaments or events.
- Throughout the player's time as a high school baseball player, the way a player is looked at and evaluated changes as they mature.
- The younger the class, the more emphasis put on projection and tools over current polish and in-game production.
- The older the class, the more emphasis put on current ability, present tools > future tools, and while projection still plays a role, it takes more of a backseat in comparison to a freshman.
To start off our initial look into the 2028 class, we are going to focus on some players that we have seen multiple times. These are players that we have gotten an in-depth look at, and feel very comfortable about where we stand in our evaluation with them at this time.
Class of 2028: An Initial Look
*All players listed in alphabetical order.*
+ Elijah Archer - Highland Springs - 1B
Solid 5-foot-10, 211-pound frame with present strength, especially for a true freshman. Archer first stood out at some tournaments this past summer and then at the Junior State Games. It was very important for our staff to be able to land Archer for the Junior Future Games, so that he could showcase his offensive ability on a national stage. The Highland Springs HS product has elite, yes elite, power for his age/class. The left handed hitter had the 2nd highest BP exit velo at 97.8 mph, the top max distance at 372 feet, and had the hardest batted ball in game at 104.8 mph. That nearly 105 mph blast went out of right field in a hurry, but Archer was not done there. He would hit a 360' blast at 98 mph the next day for his 2nd homerun in as many days. While it is easy to see the raw power potential, it may be the actual ability to hit that is the most impressive part. He handled most all arms he saw, used the whole field, hit in two strike counts, and had low swing and miss rates. There is some figuring to do with where he will fit long term on the defensive side, but the offensive impact and hit tool is probably the best in the state.
+ Gibson Beck - St. Christopher's School - SS
6'1", 143-pound athlete. Long levers and should fill out as he continues to mature. True freshman that was starting at shortstop as an 8th grader for St. Chris, a perennial power in Virginia. First thing that stands out about Beck is his length and ability to defend for a young middle infielder. The arm strength is average to slightly above for a freshman and has a chance to be a well above average arm as he continues to add strength. Right now, Beck is an average to maybe slightly above average runner, turning out a 7.11 at the Junior Future Games. Like the arm strength, the run tool should continue to get better for the 15 year old. The majority of the time, players will shave anywhere from two to three tenths off of that 60 time from the time they are moving into 9th grade to the time they are a junior/senior. Sometimes they cut more and sometimes they are similar, but I would expect Beck will be in the 6.9 or better range in the next 18-24 months. At the plate, the hands load in rhythm with the low lift to stride. Level path and mainly works gap to gap with doubles power. While there is the potential for more when it comes to power, but I would not expect this to be a "power" bat. More hit tool and doubles with some versatility at the top of the order. Could he be the next high level standout produced by Coach Szymendera and the Saints?
+ Tyler Jackson - Liberty Christian Academy - SS
If you like watching a smooth operator in the infield, this is your guy. An extremely advanced defender in the infield and a big time competitor that plays with an edge. Jackson has been punching above his class for quite some time, playing and practicing with players much older than him. If history proves true with some others that have been in a similar spot, the IQ, ability to slow the game down, and comfortability in any setting will be second to none in his class. Average runner that, like we discussed with Beck, should get better with added strength and maturity. The most important part of the run tool is that it plays better in game. His instincts and ability to create angles of approach allow the run to play a touch better. While it is a compact 5-foot-7 frame, there is a little juice that he showed in BP. The Lynchburg area product produced the second best Max Distance for the entire event. His 366' barrel was second only to Team Virginia teammate, Elijah Archer. Jackson also had the sixth best exit velocity (95.1 mph). It is a defensive first profile, and while he is just a freshmen, this is an infielder that you can go out on a sturdy limb and say he will have the ability to stick in the middle. The competitive nature and "want to" will allow the offense to continue to develop. Oh, I almost forgot. The kid can absolutely deal on the mound, but that is what baseball players do, compete.
+ Drew Wade - Miller School - RHP/IF
Looking for confidence and someone who is not afraid to attack hitters on the mound? Look no further than Wade. While the velo is above average from a "class as whole" type of overview, on the national level, the fastball velo is average, but it should continue to get better. Most importantly, Wade is not afraid to compete versus the best hitters with the fastball. It is a high three-quarter slot and the fastball plays downhill and is able to get it to the glove side consistently. While the velo is average to slightly above, the breaking breaking ball is the separator. Recently, we have discussed at length the need for right handers to do something else in order to separate themselves from all the other right handers, and the breaking ball does that for the Miller School arm. Wade can spin it at a pretty high level. While it will need to firm up a bit, the shape and overall pitch makeup is on the higher end. He can land it for strikes, misses bats in the zone, and gets some chases outside of the zone as well. He put on a clinic at the Mid-Atlantic State Games with the breaking ball. In addition to the well above average breaking ball, Wade has shown a changeup for a third pitch at times. Right now it is more of a show pitch, but has a decent feel for a third pitch of a freshman arm. Uber competitive arm with some two way potential and flashes some impact from the left side of the plate.