The Top Story Of 2015: The Release Of The 2018 Player Rankings

December 31, 2015

Dan Cevette
Director, New Jersey

New Jersey is loaded with young baseball talent, evidenced by the number of division-one commitments already in the 2018 (Sophomores) class. So, it comes as no surprise that an article releasing the top prospects from the 2018 class received thousands of views - in a short period of time (article was released Oct. 5). Take a look for yourself below - the No. 1 most viewed story of 2015.

2018 Player Rankings Released

Since launching the Prep Baseball Report in New Jersey in June our scouting staff has been on the road identifying talent. Over the course of the summer, we were able to identify many highly talented 2018 graduates and are now ready to release our 2018 class rankings.

Our New Jersey Top 40 2018 rankings reflect everything that our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff has seen since the playoff portion of the high school season. Being that these players are so young, we understand that players mature physically and develop as players. We also understand that in three short months, we have not yet seen all of the 2018 talent that exists in the state. We will continue to update the rankings when and where we see fit. Any major changes to these rankings; expansion or change in top 10, will be noted.

The initial Top 40 includes six committed players; five verbally committing to the ACC and one committed to the SEC. It should be noted that three of the top ten players in the state have committed to continue their academics and athletics at the University of Maryland, a program who certainly makes it presence known in the Garden State.

No. 1 in the 2018 class is 3B Justyn-Henry Malloy (St. Joseph Regional). Malloy committed to Vanderbilt this weekend after a very successful summer where he earned a Team USA roster spot, a gold medal, and MVP honors. Our National Scouting Supervisor, Nathan Rode, recently discussed the exciting summer with Malloy and wrote about it here: Malloy Earns Gold Medal, MVP Honors. Malloy has a mature, physical build and has a knack for hitting baseball hard and far. The corner infielder hit .538 in the Pan American Championships.

No. 2 in the ’18 class is RHP and Duke commit, Jack Carey (St. Peter’s Prep). Carey is a super athletic 6-foot, 170 pounds with a ton of fast twitch in him. The talented righty plays for Bubba Baseball, a growing organization based in the Philadelphia area. He recently participated in our Underclass Games where he showed a firm 84-87 mile-per-hour fastball with arm side bite. He also showcased a tilted breaking ball at 72-73 MPH. Carey has an advanced feel for pitching for a player his age and he has shown higher velocities in the past. The arm speed projects for more velocity to come.

Sitting at No. 3 is OF Nick Decker (Shawnee High School). Decker plays for one of the best developmental programs in the state in All Out Baseball. The 6-0, 185 pound outfielder committed to play for the Terps this summer and is yet to step in the batter’s box during a varsity game. The left-handed swinger possesses highly projectable raw power, putting it on display several times this summer.

Rounding out the top 10 are four right-handed pitchers, one outfielder, one shortstop, and one catcher; four of whom were present at our Underclass Games on September 20^th.

Quick Look at the Top Ten

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Justyn-Henry Malloy	NJ	St. Joseph's Regional	2018	3B	Vanderbilt
2	Jack Carey	NJ	St. Peter's Prep	2018	RHP	Duke
3	Nick Decker	NJ	Seneca HS	2018	OF	Maryland
4	Alex Havlicek	NJ	Indian Hills HS	2018	RHP	Virginia Tech
5	Jack Herman	NJ	Eastern Regional	2018	OF	Maryland
6	John Ariza	NJ	Seton Hall Prep	2018	RHP
7	Sean Heine	NJ	Shawnee HS	2018	RHP	Maryland
8	Colin Wetterau	NJ	Shawnee HS	2018	C
9	Danny Serretti	NJ	Governor Livingston	2018	SS
10	Nick Hohenstein	NJ	Christian Brothers Academy	2018	RHP

View the Entire Top 40 Here.