By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

It’s been a busy three-plus months since the last overall Class of 2017 rankings update. Spanning the spring high school season and the first half of the summer - both on the state and national levels - our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff has seen a dizzying amount of baseball. All of which is reflected in our updated and expanded Top 400 Class of 2017 rankings.

It is important to note that the PBR overall rankings only include the states that we intimately know from our scouting staff. The updated Top 400 Class of 2017 rankings is comprised of our current 31-state coverage area, which now includes recently added North Carolina.

With the Class of 2017 now taking center stage after the 2016 MLB Draft, much has changed in over the last three months. In fact, there have been massive shakeups in the overall rankings, starting at the top.

For the first time in a half year, there is a new No. 1 prospect: RHP Ben Jordan (West Carter HS, KY). At 6-foot-9, 210 pounds, Jordan features extraordinary length and upside to go along with now ability. While Jordan has been a fixture in the top 10 overall rankings for the last three years, he vaulted to the top of the list after enjoying a dominant spring, followed by a jaw-dropping performance at the Area Code Tryouts in Indiana. The Kentucky recruit looked like he was playing a leisurely game of catch at 93-97 mph, mostly in the mid-90s, to go along with a vastly improved breaking ball in the low-80s. Although his remarkable length sometimes makes it difficult to sync up his mechanics consistently, Jordan’s athleticism and natural ability enable him to throw consistent strikes from a steep angle. From a physical perspective, he has yet to fill into his frame and may only be scratching the surface of his immense potential.

Jordan is one of three Kentucky prospects in the top 10. OF/RHP Jordon Adell (Ballard HS, KY) features the most electric tools in the 2017 class. Ranked No. 3 overall, the Louisville recruit is a high-end two-way prospect, a primary outfielder who has also been up to 95 on the mound with a sharp slider. The Bluegrass State added one of the country’s biggest risers when RHP Joe Boyle (North Oldham, KY) moved over the summer from Missouri. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Notre Dame recruit came out in the spring at Fort Zumwalt West HS (MO) pumping 91-95 mph fastballs, topping at 96, and he has continued to show that premium velocity this summer.   

Expect Kentucky to become the epicenter of the pro scouting community next spring, similar to what happened last year in Kansas with the likes of RHP Riley Pint, LHP/1B Joey Wentz, SS Nonie Williams, RHP Ryan Zeferjahn and RHP Cole Duensing, to name a few.

Even with Kentucky’s bumper crop of high-end prospects, Florida still reigns supreme in the overall rankings. Four Florida prospects reside in the top 10, headlined by fast-rising SS Brady McConnell (Merritt Island HS, FL), a highly athletic and projectable Florida recruit who jumps from No. 77 to No. 4 overall after a series of impressive performances on the national stage. LHP Jake Eder (Atlantic HS, FL), a 6-foot-4, 210-pound Vanderbilt recruit, is the top-ranked left-hander on our list. And Florida is home of the top left-handed power bat in the country, 1B Alejandro Toral, a Miami recruit who previously held the No. 1 spot. Also in the top 10 is SS Mark Vientos (Flanagan HS, FL), another Miami recruit. Twenty of the top 50 overall ranked prospects are from Florida, including a pair of transplants, C Cal Greenfield (moved from Illinois) and C MJ Melendez (moved from Alabama).

Louisiana, too, is strong at the top of the rankings. RHP Blayne Enlow (St. Amant HS, LA) continues to ascend the list, jumping to No. 2 overall after the highly athletic 6-foot-4, 169-pound LSU recruit put forth arguably the best two pitching performances at USA Baseball’s Tournament of Stars. OF Jacob Pearson (West Monroe HS, LA), an athletic left-handed hitting LSU recruit, and OF/LHP Daniel Cabrera (John Curtis HS, LA) are both high-level prospects as well.

OF Quentin Holmes (Msgr. McClancy Memorial HS, NY), a plus-plus athlete who’s committed to Mississippi State, remains in the top 10 as well.

Along with Boyle and McConnell, some of the biggest risers in the updated and expanded rankings include: RHP Caleb Sloan (Regis Jesuit HS, CO), RHP CJ Van Eyk (Steinbrenner HS, FL), RHP Austin Marozas (Plainfield South HS, IL), RHP Jack Leftwich (TNXL Academy HS, FL), RHP Landon Leach (Pickering HS, ON), RHP Freddy Tarnok (Riverview HS, FL), RHP Garrett Hunter Ruth (Bucholz HS, FL), RHP Jackson Rutledge (Rockwood Summit HS, MO), and RHP Jeff Criswell (Portage Central HS, MI), to name a few.

A look at the Top 20:

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Ben Jordan	KY	West Carter	2017	RHP	Kentucky
2	Blayne Enlow	LA	St Amant	2017	RHP	Louisiana State
3	Jordon Adell	KY	Ballard	2017	OF	Louisville
4	Brady McConnell	FL	Merritt Island	2017	SS	Florida
5	Jake Eder	FL	Atlantic	2017	LHP	Vanderbilt
6	Quentin Holmes	NY	Msgr. McClancy Memorial	2017	OF	Mississippi State
7	Alex Toral	FL	Archbishop McCarthy	2017	1B	Miami
8	Joseph Boyle	MO	Fort Zumwalt West	2017	RHP	Notre Dame
9	Mark Vientos	FL	Flanagan	2017	SS	Miami
10	Jacob Pearson	LA	West Monroe	2017	OF	Louisiana State
11	Nicholas Storz	NY	Poly Prep Country Day	2017	RHP	Louisiana State
12	Logan Allen	FL	University	2017	LHP	Alabama State
13	Caleb Sloan	CO	Regis Jesuit	2017	RHP	Texas Christian
14	Daniel Cabrera	LA	John Curtis	2017	OF	Louisiana State
15	Sam Carlson	MN	Burnsville	2017	RHP	Florida
16	Adam Hall	ON	AB Lucas Secondary	2017	SS	Texas A&M
17	CJ Van Eyk	FL	Steinbrenner	2017	RHP	Florida State
18	Landon Leach	ON	Pickering High School	2017	RHP
19	Jordan Butler	FL	Alonso	2017	LHP	Florida
20	Austin Marozas	IL	Plainfield South	2017	RHP	Mississippi State

>> CLICK HERE to view complete updated Top 400 overall prospects