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By Jordan Chiero and Dylan Hefflinger
Ohio Director of Scouting / Editor in Chief/Scout

Ohio Insider: Updated Class of 2019 Player Rankings (April)

This 2019 class is shaping up to be one of the deepest classes in the past few years. Over the winter, we had the opportunity to criss-cross the state. With the addition of Winter Scout Days, we have gotten to see some of the state’s top young talent.

That being said, we have had the pleasure of seeing a number of solid players this past Fall and Winter. Prospects are popping up left and right, making velocity jumps, improving 60-yard dash times and showing more power with the bat.

To view the entire list of 105 prospects please click here.

For insider information and scouting notes from the PBR staff during the 2017 spring/summer season visit the 2017 Ohio Scout Blog by clicking here.

Interested in attending a PBR Ohio event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

What’s New At The Top

Every year, there is a prospect or two that separates themselves from the pack.

In the 2019 class, two position players are beginning to do just that.

Outfielders Jack Frank (Strongsville) and Joey Velazquez (Columbus DeSales) are separating themselves from the pack as two of the top players in Ohio and the Midwest.

Frank continues to prove he is a special talent. The Strongsville HS standout has all five tools with the ability to change the game with his glove and his bat. In this rendition of the 2019 class, Frank edges out Velazquez for the top spot, but it will be fun to see these develop and mature over the next few years.

Velazquez is a physical beast that swings it as well as anyone in the 2019 class. The Ohio State commit possesses raw power and impressive feel for the barrel. He was amongst the top performers at our Preseason All-State event while being one of the few 2019 prospects invited.

RHP Mack Anglin (Highland) sits at No. 3 and continues to be the highest rated pitcher in the Class of 2019 Rankings. The Clemson recruit possess a big, tall frame and a fastball that reaches into the low-90s.

Every year, it seems that Defiance HS has one of the state’s top products. It appears that 1B/LHP Blayne Robinson is maintaining that tradition. The 6-foot-5, two-way talent has received attention from schools across the country after his strong fall and winter. His bat looks to be his top tool but don’t sleep on his potential on the mound at such an early age. Robinson moves into the No. 11 spot in the class.

The Risers

RHP Tyler Kean (Springboro) headlines the group of prospects who have made a jump in the 2019 class. Kean has been on the radar of D1 schools over the past year with his frame and arm talent. Earlier this winter, he showed at our Dayton Classics Scout Day. He has all the physical signs of velocity to come and you shouldn’t be shocked if he’s a mid to upper-80s guys this spring. The recent Buckeye commit move to the No. 13 spot.

Two-way prospect Nathan Karaffa (Toronto) was a standout at the Bo Jackson Elite Scout Day. Karaffa continues to show tools that make him attractive to college coaches a position player, but his improvement on the mound took him to No. 14 spot. He is bring above average athleticism on the mound with clean arm action and a mid-80s fastball. His secondary stuff is more than playable and he still has room to add strength to his frame.

Another prospect who really took the next step was LHP/OF Hunter Jessee (Kings). The two-way prospect really impressed at the Cincinnati Flames Scout Day. Jessee has all the physical tools to be a top of the class outfielder as well as the arm talent to pitch at the next level. The Kings HS standout made his way up to the No. 18 spot in the class.

At the Midland Scout Day, Ryan Galanie (Moeller) showed he has taken his game to another level. Galanie was noticeably more physical and fluid than when we saw him in the summer. The Moeller product has the skill set to hit in the middle of the order and play in the middle of the field. Galanie lands at the No. 37 spot.

THE NEWCOMERs

With the amount of talent we saw this winter, we expanded the 2019 rankings to 100 prospects. This meant an addition of over 40 prospects. Below, we highlight several prospects that made the most impact with their winter performance.

LHP Christian Lothes (Lakewood-Hebron) was one of, if not the top performer over the winter. The southpaw has positioned himself as one of the top arms in the 2019 class. Lothes features a mid-80s fastball with feel for his secondary offerings. His arm really works and he shows all the physical signs of velocity to come. He comes in at No. 10 in the class.

OF/RHP Nick Campagna (North Royalton) came onto the scene with a huge performance at Premier’s Scout Day. He is a an above average athlete with serious upside at the plate. His bat speed is electric with advanced strength through contact. Campagna showed power potential to his pull side with the ability to drive the ball into the opposite gap with authority. He also stood out from the outfield and on the mound. He comes in at the No. 16 spot.

RHP Paul Troyer (Uniontown-Lake) came out of nowhere when he touched 88 mph multiple times at the Brownlee Lookouts scout day. Troyer has some room to grow mechanically but the arm talent is hard to ignore.  Troyers breaks his way into the top 25 at the No. 21 spot.

TOP UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS BY POSITION

+ Top Right-Handed Arms: Yianni Skeriotis, Alec Sayre, Ben Vore

+ Top Left-Handed Arms: Christian Lothes, Blake Smith,  Jay Luikart

+ Top Catching Prospects: Sammy Sass, Joe Powell, Garret Gray

+ Top Hit Tool Prospects: Blayne Robinson, Michael Williams, Jack Spellacy

+ Top Middle Infield Prospects: Jase Bowen, Nathan Karaffa , Ryn Galanie

+ Top Outfield Prospects: Caden Kaiser, Hunter Jessee, Kyle Westfall

PBR OHIO CLASS OF 2019 TOP 105

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Jack Frank	OH	Strongsville	2019	OF	Michigan State
2	Joey Velazquez	OH	Desales	2019	OF	Ohio State
3	Mack Anglin	OH	Sparta Highland	2019	RHP	Clemson
4	Nick Hoffmann	OH	Centerville	2019	RHP	Clemson
5	Sammy Sass	OH	Upper Arlington	2019	C
6	Caden Kaiser	OH	Olentangy	2019	OF
7	Yianni Skeriotis	OH	Jackson	2019	RHP
8	Braedon Norman	OH	Vandalia Butler	2019	RHP	Wright State
9	Alec Sayre	OH	Dover	2019	RHP
10	Christian Lothes	OH	Lakewood Hebron	2019	LHP

***** To view the entire top 105, please click here.