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Top Five Players in the Class of 2013 Released

May 19, 2013

By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

The final Class of 2013 player rankings are scheduled to be released tomorrow with the remaining classes scheduled to be released as follows:

  • Class of 2014 (May 27)
  • Class of 2015 (June 3)
  • Class of 2016 (June 10)

In preparation for the release of the top 250 players in this year's senior class, those players ranked No. 6 through No. 10 were released yesterday (CLICK HERE). Today the top five players in the class are revealed.

Top 10 prospects (#1-#5)

No. 1 - RHP A.J. Bogucki, Boyertown HS, North Carolina

Bogucki UAAs one of the top right-handed prospects in the country, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Bogucki carries the greatest draft potential of prospects in Pennsylvania. His fastball sat 87-90, touching 92 early in the spring, but he has been consistently 89-92 recently. The North Carolina recruit commands a 77-81 mph slider that shows hard bite, to go along with a tumbling, 11/5 breaking ball at 68-72 MPH. He has a consistent, effortless release and is able to locate both his fastball and slider with regularity. Bogucki participated in the Under Armour All-American Game last summer at Wrigley Field in Chicago, working a scoreless inning. The talented senior has 71 strikeouts in 51 innings of work this season to go along with a 4-2 record and an ERA just over 2.00.

RowlandNo. 2 - 3B Matt Rowland, Springside-Chestnut Hill (Louisville)

Rowland is a 6-foot, 190-pound University of Louisville recruit. He has a solid 82 mph arm across the infield and runs a 6.67 60-yard dash. With his athleticism and foot speed, a move to the outfield could be in the future for Rowland. He has hovered in the top 10 for the past two years reaching the number two spot last fall. With larger parks at the college level Rowland is likely to plug a few gaps with his line-drive approach at the plate. His foot speed will likely turn a fair number of those hits into extra bases during the course of his college career.

Chris MelilloNo. 3 - 1B/C Chris Melillo, Lasalle HS (Notre Dame)

Melillo is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound power hitting 1B/C who has played 1B for most of his high school career. He has spent plenty of time behind the plate during summer and fall travel season and has consistently shown 1.95 pop times on throws of 80 mph from the crouch. The Notre Dame recruit has demonstrated the versatility to be able to play both positions at the next level. With his frame and the ability to put up consistent power numbers, Melillo is likely to get opportunities early in his college career with the Fighting Irish.

DresslerNo. 4 - 1B Shane Dressler, Red Land HS (VCU)

Dressler was one of three PA players to participate in the Super 60 Showcase from Pennsylvania. He displayed a 93 mph bat exit velocity and a power stroke at the plate. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound VCU recruit ran a respectable 7.34 60-yard dash and showed agility defensively around the first base bag. He has a prototypical left-handed power hitter's frame and swing. Dressler impressed at the PA Top Prospect Games in October when he put an exclamation point on his batting practice round by hitting a ball off the foul pole in right field. The ball hit roughly 3/4 of the way up the pole and caromed back into shallow right field.

Brett HilemanNo. 5 - 3B Brett Hileman, Hollidaysburg HS (Pitt)

Hileman is a 6-foot, 190-pound 3B/RHP headed to Pitt. He sat 87-89 with his fastball, while also showing command of his 74 mph spike curveball and 82 mph changeup at a winter workout. Hileman displayed a strong arm across the infield (87mph) and used a compact left-handed swing to consistently drive the baseball during his round of batting practice. He is hitting .453 with eight doubles, four triples and a home run this spring. Hileman has also struck out 24 batters in 12 innings of relief work this spring with five saves.

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