The top 12 unsigned high school pitchers from the 2022 draft

Earlier this week, we took a look at the top high school hitters to reach campus and before that looked at a rather shallow group of unsigned college players. We'll close it out with incoming freshman pitchers, which bring eleven different schools for the twelve arms. Just like with the hitters, LSU is again the only school with multiple names on their list, and their five combined blows out second place Notre Dame with two combined. Pitchers can be more unpredictable than hitters, but certainly keep an eye on these names as past lists have included names like Jack Leiter, Hunter Barco, Cade Horton, Ricky Tiedemann, Tanner Witt, Thatcher Hurd, Chase Burns, Brody Brecht, and Carter Holton, all of whom went on to become impact pitchers in one way or another. This list also includes my top overall recruit at any position in terms of MLB Draft value in Andrew Dutkanych, who regularly flashed first round potential.

1. RHP Andrew Dutkanych, Vanderbilt. My 2022 draft rank: #37*.
Andrew Dutkanych removed himself from the draft before the event and therefore did not appear on my draft rankings, but he would have ranked #37 and is therefore the top high school prospect at any position to reach campus this fall, well ahead of #54 Max Martin of Rutgers. Dutkanych's stock had been very up and down throughout the draft cycle, so rather than play games with the draft, he'll look for more consistency as part of a Vanderbilt program that could use a boost in the rotation. He looked exceptional at times over the summer and heard his name as high as the middle of the first round, but also had some rougher outings that threw some doubt into the equation. While warm weather arms like Jackson Ferris, Dylan Lesko, and Brandon Barriera got off to hot starts, Dutkanych had to hang back an extra minute while the Indiana weather warmed up, and he slipped a little on boards. Then he came out firing early in the Indianapolis spring, rocketing back into the first round conversation, before his command began to falter and he slipped back down once again. So what is Vanderbilt getting? I'm personally a fan of Dutkanych, who at his best looks like by far the best incoming freshman pitcher in the country. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and can touch 97 with some ride, while his short, tight slider looks plus at its best and can miss a ton of bats. He also throws a loopier curveball that shows promise if he can tighten it up in addition to a fringy but improving changeup, giving him the chance for four average or better pitches. The 6'3" righty loves to go right after hitters and pounds the strike zone with intent, throwing all of his pitches with conviction just the way you want to see it. His control is ahead of his command, as he can miss up with his fastball and spike his breaking balls and is overall inconsistent in that department, but that's where you'd rather miss and I have confidence Tim Corbin's staff will get him straightened out. Even with Christian Little gone to LSU and Chris McElvain now in the Reds system, it's a crowded rotation picture in Nashville between Dutkanych, Carter Holton, Devin Futrell, Patrick Reilly, and the litany of talented young arms waiting to step up. Dutkanych will be draft eligible again as a sophomore in 2024, having been born right on the cutoff day just like Stanford's Malcolm Moore and Texas' Jalin Flores ironically enough, so he'll want to earn those innings sooner rather than later. I think he can, and he could challenge Holton for the Friday night spot by 2024.

2. LHP Tristan Smith, Clemson. My 2022 draft rank: #68.
Clemson thought they might land two of the best high school pitchers in the country when both Tristan Smith and Brock Porter slipped out of the top three rounds, but even with Porter signing with the Rangers for a massive bonus, Smith will bring some real firepower to a pitching staff that remains largely intact outside of ace Mack Anglin (Royals). With only Anglin gone, it may be tough to find innings in a rotation that will also add impact transfer Willie Weiss from Michigan, but the 2022 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year has what it takes to break through. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball and can reach back for 96, with high spin rates that give it plenty of life. His best pitch is a plus slider, again with high spin rates, that comes in with sharp, late break to miss bats in bunches. Smith mainly works off those two pitches and will need to develop his changeup to eventually take over that Friday night role, but it's a very loud arsenal regardless. The 6'2" lefty is athletic and moves well on the mound, though he has some moving parts in his delivery and can lose his release point at times, leading to inconsistent command. It's good enough for now, but he'll want to clean that up quickly because he's extremely old for an incoming freshman and will be draft eligible again in 2024. If he can't take a step forward with either his command or his changeup, he'll project well as a starter in pro ball, but there is some long term relief risk.

3. RHP Riley Kelly, UC Irvine. My 2022 draft rank: #88.
Riley Kelly is a projection play that may not make an immediate impact at UC Irvine with only moderate turnover on the pitching staff, but given some time, I think he could become the next great Anteater ace. He was a pop-up prospect this spring and had some serious draft helium as scouts came rushing in to Orange County to see him at Tustin High School, though he was still just a little bit to raw to command a signing bonus large enough to steer him away from school. His fastball sits around 90 and tops out around 94, dipping into the upper 80's at times. Kelly's best attribute is his curveball, with huge top to bottom break that he can sharpen up for a tighter look if he wants. He commands it well and it might be the best incoming freshman breaking ball coming to campus this fall. The changeup is a distant third pitch for now, which of course he'll want to develop in order to take that Friday night role eventually. The 6'4" righty is tremendously projectable and will almost assuredly add velocity in Irvine as he fills out that big frame, especially as he smooths out a methodical delivery that loses power as he moves through it. That in turn should help his command, which is presently fringy. Kelly has a ton of work to do to reach his lofty ceiling, but UC Irvine has a strong track record of pitching development from Trenton Denholm to Andre Pallante.

4. LHP Levi Huesman, Coastal Carolina. My 2022 draft rank: #110.
Levi Huesman has some work to do before he's ready to take on Sun Belt competition, but Coastal Carolina lost its entire weekend rotation and would love for him to step up if possible. He burst onto the scene last fall at the WWBA Championship, then rode a solid but unspectacular spring to a seventeenth round selection by the Rays. Huesman sits in the low 90's with his fastball and can get up to 96 at best, though he didn't always maintain that velocity last spring and often pitched closer to 90. He also throws an interesting sweeping slider that looks like a plus pitch at its best with plenty of break, but he does need to tighten it up as it gets loopy at times. Lastly, his changeup is well behind and will need to be developed. The Richmond-area native stands just six feet tall and doesn't offer a ton of projection with his skinny frame, but he is very athletic on the mound and repeats his delivery well, pounding the strike zone with average command. His shorter stature also helps him get a lower release height on the ball, giving his fastball great ride and helping the slider play off it. Coastal Carolina will want to help him get stronger so he can maintain his peak stuff over a long college season, and if he can hold his command together while doing so, he has every chance to jump into that weekend rotation.

5. RHP Chase Shores, Louisiana State. My 2022 draft rank: #111.
LSU landed three names on the position player version of this article, and Chase Shores gives them their first pitcher. Last year, LSU was more known for their bats than their arms, but they return virtually everyone from last year's staff save for starter Ma'Khail Hilliard (graduation) and relievers Eric Reyzelman (Yankees) and Paul Gervase (Mets). In addition, they're bringing in a huge class of transfer arms led by Thatcher Hurd (UCLA), Christian Little (Vanderbilt), and Paul Skenes (Air Force), and then there's the freshman class led by Shores and the next man on this list, Jaden Noot. So long story short, it will be tough to earn innings, but he could be up to the task. Standing 6'8', he's already the tallest man in the dugout, and at 250 pounds he's no string bean. Shores comes in with a low to mid 90's fastball that can touch 98, playing up with running and sinking action from a low three quarters slot. That slot and height combination gives hitters a very tough look, and immediately gives him a leg up even on SEC competition. The West Texas native has a full set of inconsistent secondaries that flash average, with the slider the most promising pitch for now with above average grades at its best. Meanwhile, his arm slot can drop when he gets tired, leading to diminished command in those cases, but he fills up the zone when he's at full strength and getting on that LSU conditioning program should help him stay there. It feels redundant to say with a 6'8" freshman that can touch 98, but there is a ton of upside here if Jay Johnson's staff can get him more consistent with his secondary stuff while holding the command together.

6. RHP Jaden Noot, Louisiana State. My 2022 draft rank: #118.
Jaden Noot will jostle with Chase Shores for innings on that crowded LSU pitching staff, and he may have a better shot to win innings right away in 2023. He's also a big man at 6'4", 235 pounds, but he's more physical and not quite as athletic at this point. Noot sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can get up to 97, adding a slider that flashes above average, a loopy curveball with good depth in the low 70's, and a decent changeup. It's a very college-ready arsenal, though he does need to sharpen some things up to get from freshman innings eater to impact Friday/Saturday guy. The fastball has the velocity, but it's fairly straight and he'll need to play it off his other pitches. Meanwhile his curveball needs to add power to complement its depth, while he can slow his arm down on changeups at times. None of that is anything crazy, and there's no reason Jay Johnson and co. shouldn't be able to get him there. The Southern California native has tremendous arm strength and looks like he's just playing catch out there, which makes up for a relative lack of athleticism. If he can maintain his body and refine his offspeed stuff a bit, he has the chance to pitch a lot of big innings in Baton Rouge.

7. LHP Cade Obermueller, Iowa. My 2022 draft rank: #124.
Cade Obermueller draws a lot of parallels to Coastal Carolina's Levi Huesman. He's another undersized lefty that stands just 5'11", though he's thirty pounds lighter than Huesman and clocks in at just 155 pounds. Obviously the first thing the Iowa staff will want to do will be to stuff him full of steaks and protein, but he's already a great athlete and should put any added strength to good use. His fastball sits around 90 for now and tops out at 93, with similar flat plane to Huesman from a lower slot, albeit with some cut as well that makes it a fairly unique pitch. He brings a sweepy slider similar to Huesman as well and a decent changeup, rounding out a three pitch arsenal. Once Obermueller puts that weight on, he'll likely add a tick or two of velocity to his fastball and power to his slider, which will be necessary for him to fill Adam Mazur's shoes as a Friday night starter. Otherwise, his floor is something similar to Illinois' (now the Marlins') Cole Kirschsieper if the stuff doesn't tick up, which is still solid. The Iowa City native is a great athlete who should be able to hold his command together as his stuff ticks up, making it a very interesting profile all around. With Mazur (Padres) and swingmen Dylan Nedved (Padres) and Duncan Davitt (Rays) gone to pro ball, he'll have the opportunity to step into some innings quickly.

8. RHP Kassius Thomas, Duke. My 2022 draft rank: #130.
Duke is losing four of its top five arms by innings from 2022, plus TJ returner Henry Williams, so getting Kassius Thomas to campus will be a huge boon and he'll have an opportunity to earn big innings right away. He and Jaden Noot formed one of the best 1-2 punches in the country at Sierra Canyon High School in the Los Angeles area, and now both are heading way east for school. While Noot is a big, sturdy power arm, Thomas is more athletic and projectable as he trends in the right direction. His fastball sits in the low 90's and gets up to 95, with a quick right arm that promises more velocity as he fills out. He works in a full arsenal of solid secondary pitches, lead by a slider that flashes plus at its best and followed by a solid curveball and potentially above average changeup. The 6'1" righty doesn't always repeat his arm slot and can get around his breaking stuff, losing bite in the process and impacting his command, but he is trending in the right direction and hopefully Duke can keep that progress rolling. There is plenty to work with here and Thomas is a heady athlete with a high baseball IQ, so if he can put the velocity, athleticism, and feel for spin together consistently, he'll be a star in Durham.

9. RHP David Lally, Notre Dame. My 2022 draft rank: #134.
Interestingly, two of my favorite lesser-known names getting to campus are both heading to Notre Dame. Incoming infielder Estevan Moreno is my sleeper pick as a hitter, while righty David Lally is a very interesting one on the mound. The Irish will have significant turnover on the mound, losing most of their go-to arms either to pro ball or the transfer portal while also bringing in a couple of useful transfers, not to mention swapping head coaches from Link Jarrett to Shawn Stiffler. All that upheaval will give Lally a chance to break through, though he is fairly raw and might not be quite ready from the get go. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can get up to 96, with running life that can make it tough to square up. His breaking ball hasn't quite found its identity yet, but he does show good feel for spin and with some coaching could make some real leaps int hat area. Additionally, Flint, Michigan-area native shows a very strong changeup for a cold weather arm from an area that isn't traditionally a prospect hotbed, giving him an immediate weapon to use in South Bend. Standing 6'4", he comes with good projection and moves very well on the mound, though his mechanics are raw and will need to be smoothed out by the Notre Dame coaching staff. All together, if they get this right, Lally brings a ton of upside as a hard throwing righty that could end up with two or even three above average offspeed offerings.

10. RHP Jack O'Connor, Virginia. My 2022 draft rank: #142.
Despite losing Friday night starter Nate Savino (Diamondbacks) and swingman Brandon Neeck (Dodgers), among others, UVA projects to bring back a deep pitching staff augmented by a strong transfer class, so Jack O'Connor will have to fight for innings early on. He was inconsistent this spring, but had a little bit of late helium and may be ready. O'Connor sits in the low 90's with his fastball and can get up to 96, adding in a full set of secondaries. His above average slider is the best for now, and he can turn it into a harder cutter if he needs to, while his curveball is a bit looper and his changeup is a fringy pitch at this point. The Northern Virginia native hides the ball well from a very short arm action, though his command has been inconsistent and he'll want to get that ironed out in Charlottesville in addition to getting more consistent with his secondaries. O'Connor is big and projectable at 6'5" with plenty of arm strength, giving him a ton of upside, though UVA has had mixed results with premium arms that have reached campus lately like Savino and Mike Vasil.

11. RHP Grayson Saunier, Mississippi. My 2022 draft rank: #144.
Six different pitchers started at least five games for Ole Miss in 2022, and five of them plus closer Brandon Johnson are gone to either pro ball, the transfer portal, or medical school (props to you, John Gaddis), so there will be turnover on that champion pitching staff. That gives Grayson Saunier a chance to wrestle for innings in the rotation, though I see him more as a long term projection play who may not be ready for extended innings in the SEC until 2024. He has missed significant time with injuries in high school but should be healthy now, giving him the opportunity to build up for the season. Those injuries have caused Saunier's fastball to dip into the upper 80's at times, but he's up to 96 at his best with a ton of projection in his 6'4" frame promising to bring even more. His secondaries all flash big promise, with a couple of high spin breaking balls and a fading changeup making for a very intriguing four pitch arsenal. Being hurt has meant that he hasn't gotten the opportunity to refine those offerings and get more consistent, but now that he's healthy the Ole Miss coaching staff will get to work on that with him. The Memphis-area product has a clean, athletic delivery with the aforementioned ideal frame, so once he gets a little stronger, the sky is the limit if everything breaks right.

12. RHP Eli Jerzembeck, South Carolina. My 2022 draft rank: #153.
South Carolina returns the vast majority of its pitching staff and adds a couple of big transfer arms as well, so Eli Jerzembeck will have to fight for innings.  The good news is that he's fairly advanced coming in and should be able to provide quality innings as a reliever before jumping into the rotation in 2024, when he'll be draft eligible again due to a very early birthday. Jerzembeck sits around 90 with his fastball but has been up to 96, so the arm strength is certainly there. His best pitch is a plus curveball with sharp, late bite that can get SEC hitters out right away, while his slider and changeup are less used pitches. The 6'2" righty does need to iron out his mechanics as a short strider and an upright thrower, and doing so could help him settle closer to his peak velocity than he does right now. Out of the USC bullpen, I can imagine him sitting 93-95 with that power curveball and carving up SEC lineups immediately, then working into the rotation as he gets those mechanics optimized and refines the rest of his arsenal a little more. How well he makes those adjustments will also determine his future role in pro ball.

Honorable Mentions
#158 RHP/QB Sam Horn, Missouri
#160 RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara
#163 RHP Hayden Murphy, Auburn
#167 RHP Malachi Witherspoon, Jacksonville
#185 BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, Mississippi State
#189 LHP Brennan Phillips, Oklahoma State
#197 LHP Bradley Loftin, Mississippi State
#204 LHP Zach Crotchfelt, Auburn

2022 MLB Draft: One potential hometown pick for every AL/NL West Team

If you've followed me for any amount of time, you probably know that I love a good hometown pick. Over the offseason, I recreated all thirty teams if they only used players from their "home turf," and last year I practiced this same exercise for the draft. None of the AL/NL West ones came true, not that I expected them to, but some did in other divisions. So, thinking about our friends making up the AL and NL West divisions, if each of them were to take a shot on a hometown kid, who might that be? Let's go team by team.
AL/NL Central
AL/NL East

Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Gavin Turley, Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ
Hometown: Midway, Utah. My rank: #46.
I'm not sure exactly how this situation played out, but it looks like Gavin Turley grew up in Midway, Utah, just over the Wasatch Range from Salt Lake City. His brother Noah went on to play college baseball at the University of Arizona, and and it looks like Gavin followed him there to finish his high school career at regional powerhouse Hamilton High School in Chandler, a southern suburb of Phoenix. Anyways, the Diamondbacks usually prefer to go hit over power with their prep bats, as evidenced by names like Jordan Lawlar (2021), Corbin Carroll (2019), Alek Thomas (2018), and Matt McLain (2018), but they did briefly break that trend with A.J. Vukovich in 2020. Gavin Turley is a supreme athlete that has shown some of the best raw tools in the class, showing plus in a smatter of different areas. He's a right handed hitter with an extremely loose, busy operation at the plate, unleashing powerful swings that produce big time exit velocities. His hit tool has been less consistent and the barrel accuracy is not always there, but he has had stretches where he gets hot and looks like a surefire first round pick. Turley has also turned in some plus-plus run times and shows big arm strength, giving him huge upside in the field just like at the plate, though he does need refinement out there and may end up in right field rather than center. Arizona would need to show some patience in developing him, but the payoff could be huge in a five tool player that can significantly impact the game in multiple areas. Turley may come into play with Arizona's CBA pick at #34 or their second round pick at #43 if they're feeling aggressive, but by the time they pick again at #82, it might be prohibitively expensive to sign him away from an Oregon State commitment should he still be on the board.
Other options: C Daniel Susac (Arizona via Roseville, CA), 3B Jacob Berry (Louisiana State via Queen Creek, AZ), OF Justin Crawford (Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV), OF Mason Neville (Basic HS, Henderson, NV), OF Joe Lampe (Arizona State via Petaluma, CA)

Colorado Rockies: RHP Riley Cornelio, Texas Christian
Hometown: Monument, Colorado. My rank: unranked.
There is some real talent from the Front Range in the big leagues today, mostly on the mound in Kevin Gausman (Centennial), Marco Gonzales (Fort Collins), Kyle Freeland (Denver), Mark Melancon (Golden), and the Rogers twins (Littleton). The region's top two prospects this spring, at least that I am aware of, are both pitchers as well, though both headed to Texas for college as neither Colorado, Colorado State, Denver, nor Wyoming offer baseball. While Andrew Morris has taken over as the Friday night starter at Texas Tech, Riley Cornelio is seeing his first ever consistent innings at TCU after combining for just 17.2 between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Cornelio was a highly touted recruit out of Pine Creek High School on the far north side of Colorado Springs, earning some draft buzz but ultimately fulfilling his commitment to the Horned Frogs. He was off to a strong start in 2022 with a 2.87 ERA through mid-April, but has been a bit more human lately and now sits at 4.28. The 6'3" righty has explosive stuff in a fastball that's been up to 97, a sharp breaking ball, and a decent changeup, and his command has improved considerably during his time in Fort Worth as he's toned down his high effort delivery. There are more starter traits here than there were out of high school, though he's old for a junior and will turn 22 before the draft. If the Rockies wanted to throw him back in the bullpen, the stuff could play up and they wouldn't have to worry as much about his still-inconsistent command. He fits in the fourth to sixth round range and could be an under slot candidate given his age.
Other options: RHP Andrew Morris (Texas Tech via Boulder, CO), OF Gavin Turley (Hamilton HS, AZ via Midway, UT), SS Andrew Pintar (Brigham Young via Spanish Fork, UT), 3B Skyler Messinger (Texas via Niwot, CO), OF Justin Boyd (Oregon State via Parker, CO)

Houston Astros: RHP Brandon Birdsell, Texas Tech
Hometown: Willis, TX. My rank: #99.
Usually, the Houston area is teeming with talent, both in the prep ranks and in players that left for school. A few years ago, the Cypress Ranch High School varsity team had four players that would go on to be top fifty picks – JJ Goss (Rays), Matthew Thompson (White Sox), Colton Cowser (Orioles), and Ty Madden (Tigers). That's not so much the case this year, with most of the talent in the state hailing from DFW, San Antonio, and even the Permian Basin. One name from Southeast Texas has taken a step forward this year, though, and that is Brandon Birdsell. A native of Willis, which is about 45 minutes north of downtown Houston on I-45 just past Conroe, Birdsell has been all over the state. He spent his freshman season pitching sparingly at Texas A&M, then transferred to San Jacinto JC in Houston where his stock exploded. However, he went unselected in the five round draft in 2020 and moved on to Texas Tech, where he continued to receive draft buzz before shoulder problems ended his season prematurely. Healthy in 2022, he's pitching as well as ever and has worked his way back into discussion in the top couple of rounds. The 6'2" righty sits in the mid 90's with his fastball and regularly tops out in the upper 90's, coming from a short arm action that hides the ball well and helps him command it. His power slider flashes plus in the mid to upper 80's, and he also flips in an occasional curveball and changeup as well. It's a full starter's arsenal, and the Astros develop pitching at a high level. He turned 22 in March and is on the older side, but that should hardly be a problem given how he's thrown when healthy. As of now, the Astros' first shot at him will probably be with their third round pick at #103, but if he continues to throw well into the postseason, he may not be available there.
Other options: SS Gavin Guidry (Barbe HS, Lake Charles, LA), SS Trey Faltine (Texas via Richmond, TX), RHP Cole Phillips (Boerne HS, TX), OF Jared McKenzie (Baylor via Round Rock, TX), C Silas Ardoin (Texas via Moss Bluff, LA)

Los Angeles Angels: RHP Riley Kelly, Tustin HS, CA
Hometown: Santa Ana, CA. My rank: #61.
The Angels' first love is college arms, but Orange County is a bit light on those this year. Instead, we'll go with a local pop up prospect in Riley Kelly, who has had a very loud spring for Tustin High School a few miles down I-5 from Angel Stadium. A projectable 6'4" righty, his fastball has crept up to around 90 and touched 94 this spring, with more in the tank for sure. His bread and butter, though, is his hammer curveball, which posts huge spin rates and ridiculous vertical drop. Many high schoolers that are lucky enough to possess electric breaking balls struggle to command them, but Kelly has shown good feel to spot it. There is a lot of work to be done for the tall righty, who currently comes from a high, short release point with mediocre extension, but if the Angels believe in their pitching development, they might be able to unlock a lot by tweaking his mechanics. Very few kids can spin the ball like Kelly can and it's hard to teach something like that, so if he's still in play when the Angels pick at #89, it could be an over slot opportunity. He's committed to UC Irvine, so he may stay in Orange County anyways.
Other options: SS Mikey Romero (Orange Lutheran HS via Menifee, CA), 3B Jacob Reimer (Yucaipa HS, CA), SS Jordan Sprinkle (UC Santa Barbara via Palm Springs, CA), RHP Max Rajcic (UCLA via Fullerton, CA), SS D'Andre Smith (USC via Diamond Bar, CA)

Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Kassius Thomas, Sierra Canyon HS, Chatsworth, CA
Hometown: Northridge, CA. My rank: #103.
Sierra Canyon High School in the San Fernando Valley has not one but two pitchers in its rotation that could go in the top couple of rounds this spring in Jaden Noot and Kassius Thomas. We'll give the Dodgers a shot at Thomas, who has impressed evaluators with a strong spring and is looking at roughly a third round selection, where Los Angeles holds the 105th overall pick. He would likely require an above slot bonus to sign away from a Duke commitment there, but the Dodgers likely would not pull the trigger with their first pick at #40. Thomas is a 6'1" righty with a low to mid 90's fastball that has regularly topped out around 95 this spring, flashing a plus slider as well as a curveball and changeup that really round out his arsenal nicely. He has feel for all four pitches, with a quick arm that portends further velocity gains as he gets stronger. The Northridge native can battle his mechanics at times, losing the strike zone and occasionally getting around his breaking stuff, but the Dodgers develop pitching extremely well and I expect that wouldn't be an issue for their staff. There's some real upside here as a mid-rotation starter, especially if a team like the Dodgers gets their hands on him.
Other options: RHP Jaden Noot (Sierra Canyon HS, CA), RHP Luis Ramirez (Long Beach State via East Los Angeles, CA), RHP Marcus Johnson (Duke via Fontana, CA), RHP/UT Austin Charles (Stockdale HS, Bakersfield, CA), 3B Jacob Reimer (Yucaipa HS, CA)

Oakland Athletics: OF Dylan Beavers, California
Hometown: Paso Robles, CA. My rank: #17.
Dylan Beavers grew up in Paso Robles and attended high school just south of there at Mission College Prep in San Luis Obispo, then turned around and headed north to the East Bay for college. He fits in with recent A's picks like Denzel Clarke, Max Muncy, and Logan Davidson as a strong athlete with a track record of performance. Beavers has consistently tapped above average raw power in from the left side in games with a smooth, loose swing, also showing more patience this spring and getting good pitches to hit. There is some swing and miss in his game due to his lanky, 6'4" frame and some inconsistencies in his swing mechanics, but youth is on his side as he won't turn 21 until August and has that much extra time to develop. A good athlete with a strong arm, he has a chance to stick in center field and become a true five tool player. There is a ton of upside here, especially for a college bat, and his overall game is pretty similar to James Madison's Chase DeLauter. Both are young for the class, tall left handed hitters with unorthodox swing mechanics but big power, and good runners that could be well above average defenders in right field. The main difference, though, is that DeLauter hit .298/.397/.589 in the Cape Cod League while Beavers managed just a .233/.286/.300 line. The A's pick at #19 this year and that's the perfect spot to swipe up the Cal product.
Other options: OF Brock Jones (Stanford via Fresno, CA), OF Payton Brennan (Rocklin HS, CA), C Malcolm Moore (McClatchy HS, Sacramento, CA), LHP Cooper Hjerpe (Oregon State via Capay, CA), OF Joe Lampe (Arizona State via Petaluma, CA)

San Diego Padres: RHP Tyler Bremner, Scripps Ranch HS, San Diego, CA
Hometown: San Diego, CA. My rank: #140.
The Padres love prep talent, especially prep bats, but most of the talent to come out of the San Diego area in this class is on the college side. Tyler Bremner is the top prospect on the prep side coming out of Scripps Ranch High School on the north side of the city, and he could definitely make sense for the Friars around the middle of day two if they want to buy him out of a UC Santa Barbara commitment. Bremner is an athletic 6'1" right hander that stands out more for projection than the present product. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball, topping out around 94, adding a curveball and a changeup. The fastball is his best pitch, as he gets good extension down the mound and the pitch can really jump on hitters. As he adds velocity, it could become a plus pitch in time. His curveball is a bit behind, with slurvy action and not much present bite, while his changeup is an average pitch. The Padres would be buying Bremner's athleticism, which helps him stay extremely loose in his delivery and throw strikes. They'll hope that they can work with the considerable raw talent to sharpen those offspeed pitches and turn him into an impact starting pitcher.
Other options: OF Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt via Encinitas, CA), LHP Brycen Mautz (San Diego via San Diego, CA), OF Anthony Hall (Oregon via San Diego, CA), RHP Derek Diamond (Mississippi via Ramona, CA), RHP Troy Melton (San Diego State via Anaheim, CA)

San Francisco Giants: OF Henry Bolte, Palo Alto HS, CA
Hometown: Palo Alto, CA. My rank: #42.
The Giants already have a proud Palo Alto High School alum on their roster in Joc Pederson, and they could add another in Henry Bolte, a favorite of West Coast scouts (or Oregon SS Josh Kasevich, who figures to go in the second or third round). Bolte has been a slow and steady riser in this class, showing off a wide variety of impact tools that have teams interested as early as the back of the first round. It will be expensive to buy him out of a Texas commitment, but if the Giants want to keep him home, pick #30 seems early enough that it shouldn't require too big of an over slot bonus. He's a big kid at 6'3", showing off plus power when he turns on one but also the ability to go the other way with authority. He's still learning how to apply it as a full package and put loft under his hits, but he's improving and should continue to do so in a player development system as strong as the Giants'. Bolte is also a plus runner that might have a chance to stick in center field if he doesn't slow down as he fills out. There's real upside here as an impact hitter that could hit 20+ home runs a year and steal a few bases while playing good defense.
Other options: LHP Cooper Hjerpe (Oregon State via Capay, CA), OF Brock Jones (Stanford via Fresno, CA), SS Josh Kasevich (Oregon via Palo Alto, CA), OF Dylan Beavers (California via Paso Robles, CA), OF Payton Brennan (Rocklin HS, CA)

Seattle Mariners: RHP JR Ritchie, Bainbridge Island HS, WA
Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA. My rank: #37.
JR Ritchie probably fits somewhere between the Mariners' first two picks (#21 and #58), but high school pitchers can be very unpredictable and it wouldn't surprise me to see Seattle jump on him early or catch him in the second round and give him a big over slot bonus. They've tended towards college pitchers lately and Gonzaga's Gabriel Hughes or Trystan Vrieling could be also be options in the first and second/third rounds, respectively. But Ritchie might be too good to pass up, especially if he's available in the second round and they have pool space to pay him a multi-million dollar bonus to cross the Puget Sound from Bainbridge Island. The 6'2" righty sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and gets up to around 97, getting some hop on the pitch as well. His best pitch is a plus slider that has been recalled by many of the top prep bats in the class as one of the best breaking balls they'd seen on the showcase circuit, and he also adds a curveball and a changeup that he can locate. Ritchie is ultra athletic and gets down the mound well, with the command to make everything play up. He's also a very smart kid that understands the art of pitching and knows what he needs to do to get better, so he could develop quickly. The one drawback to his profile is his age, as he turns 19 in June, but he also brings the maturity and baseball IQ that comes with an older prospect. He is committed to UCLA and will be eligible as a sophomore in 2024 if he goes that route.
Other options: RHP Gabriel Hughes (Gonzaga via Eagle, ID), RHP Trystan Vrieling (Gonzaga via Kennewick, WA), SS Carter Young (Vanderbilt via Selah, WA), RHP Jackson Cox (Toutle Lake HS, Toutle, WA), OF Jacob Melton (Oregon State via Medford, OR)

Texas Rangers: 3B Jayson Jones, Braswell HS, Little Elm, TX
Hometown: Savannah, TX. My rank: #78.
The Rangers do not pick between #3 and #109, which made this a difficult exercise by ruling out two players I think they would love in Jett Williams (Rockwall-Heath HS) and Peyton Graham (Waxahachie native at Oklahoma). We will go with Jayson Jones, who attends Braswell High School up on US 380 in Little Elm, the far northern tip of the rapidly expanding Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He's not quite as neat a fit as Williams or Graham because Texas does prefer athleticism and positional flexibility, but they like big power as well and Jones has plenty of it. In fact, the 6'2" slugger generates as much torque as any high schooler in recent memory, with ridiculous strength and bat speed that could blow an old baseball to pieces if the seams were coming loose. That alone makes him an extremely intriguing prospect, though the rest of his offensive game has regressed a little bit. Earlier in his high school career, he showed a relatively balanced approach at the plate and performed well against high end pitching, but starting this past summer he got too power conscious and began pulling off balls and has never quite recovered that approach. Because of that, I'm not convinced he'll ever be able to handle pro pitching and get to his power. The Rangers would be taking a big risk on the Arkansas commit, but you simply cannot develop the kind of raw power he possesses and they could try to work out the rest. They took a similar chance on a falling prep bat last year in Ian Moller and Jones comes into play in the third round for them. On the defensive side, Jones actually moves well for his size and should be able to stick at third base, where his cannon arm would be an asset.
Other options: 2B Jace Jung (Texas Tech via San Antonio, TX), RHP Jacob Meador (Dallas Baptist via Burleson, TX), OF Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist via Elgin, TX), RHP Chase Shores (Legacy HS, Midland, TX), OF Brenner Cox (Rock Hill HS, Prosper, TX)