The calendar has flipped to 2018 so the Hotlist is looking ahead with storylines to follow for the year.

AB: Alberta Looking To Enter National Discussion
After a bronze-medal win by Team Alberta at the 2017 Canada Summer Games, the province as a whole is looking to put itself on the map in 2018. The Midget AAA Canadian National tournament will be held in Fort McMurray, AB, showcasing some of the top high school players the country has to offer. Baseball Alberta has made changes to how the Midget AAA Northwest League will be scheduled with a tiering system. Leading the way for Alberta as top prospects are IF Cesar Valero (Foot Hills Composite HS, AB), LHP Adam Macko (Vauxhall HS, AB) C Ayden Makarus (W.H. Croxford HS, AB) and IF Justin Breen (Father Mercredi HS, AB).

AZ: Loaded 2018 Draft Class in AZ
It’s a banner year for Arizona’s high school draft class with four players in the PBR Draft 100, including two in the top 15. Leading the way is LHP Matthew Liberatore (Mountain Ridge HS, AZ), who checks in at No. 1. He shined on the showcase circuit last summer and was the winning pitcher in Team USA’s gold medal win over Korea at the 18U World Cup. At No. 12 is 3B Nolan Gorman (Sandra Day O’Connor HS, AZ), who provides big power from the left side to go with excellent defense at the hot corner. He was also on Team USA. Also in the PBR Draft 100 are SS Jonathan Ornelas (Kellis HS, AZ) at No. 37 and RHP Ian Mejia (Sahuarita HS, AZ) at No. 58. It’s also worth keeping an eye on OF Brennen Davis (Basha HS, AZ), who has shown marked improvements after focusing solely on baseball.