Ranking Review: 2018
January 8, 2016
By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director
The 2018 class had some strong performances as freshman and the rankings reflected that. As we move forward and more players get a chance to compete on a bigger stage it will be intriguing to see how the rankings change. The next chance to see change will be in February as we roll out the updated 2018 rankings. Before we make changes let’s take a look at where we are right now.
2018 RHP Connor Noland, Greenwood HS lands the No.1 ranking. The hard throwing right-hander led the bulldogs on the mound last spring and even picked up a win in the 6A State Tournament.
2018 RHP Connor Noland, Greenwood HS
Noland is a 6-foot-2 180-pound, right-hander with a large frame and an athletic build. Noland anchored a Greenwood pitching staff as freshmen. He competes in the strike zone with a fastball 84-86 mph. His breaking ball has 11/5 shape and is thrown with near fastball arm speed. Mechanically he is sound with repeatable mechanics and rhythm. He pitches from an H ¾ arm slot with a quick loose arm. Noland is a good athlete with a big arm and advanced ability to throw strikes. Noland is already garnering attention from the elite of college baseball.
In at No. 2 is Jakobi Jackson, a multi-talented athlete that did a little bit of everything for the Wildcats last spring, he hit lead off, played centerfield and help on the mound. Jackson runs a 6.9 in the 60, and has shown the ability to hit for power to both fields.
2018 OF/LHP Jakobi Jackson, Watson Chapel HS
Jackson is a 6-foot 190-pound athlete with a large frame and an athletic build. He is an advanced offensive player with ability to hit for power to both fields. He starts from an athletic stance with a fluid load, he attacks the baseball with fast bat speed. He has slight uphill bat path. He does a sound job maintaining rhythm and balance throughout his swing. Defensively he shows good instincts on balls in the air. He plays through the baseball with a fluid exchange and a strong arm with carry. As a pitcher Jackson pounds the strike zone with a fastball 79-82 mph. He compliments the fastball with a 1/7 curveball with sharp late break. Overall Jackson is an advanced hitter with above average athletic ability.
Pitchers round out the remaining top 5 which includes No. 3 RHP Connor McCullough , No. LHP 4 Evan Hiatt and No. 5 LHP Jordan Wicks. All three played significant roles at their respective high schools and are expected to do the same this spring. Recruiting as already begun for all of them and I expect decisions to be finalized with Hiatt soon, McCullough committed to Oklahoma last summer.
2018 RHP Will Richardson has made a jump through the fall up to No. 7 he appears to be the other arm of the 2018 class to be garnering early recruiting attention.
The arms in this class are solid but there are a few position players that should start getting some love as they continue show well on the bigger stages, No. C 6 Nick Farkouri, No. CIF 8 Luke Johnson, No. 9 MIF Kam’Ron Mays Hunt and No. MIF 10 Pate Fullerton.
A few players that have shown potential to be the largest mover’s No. 17 OF Parker Gavazzi, No. C 27 Layne Hartsfield and No. 31 RHP Bennett Shoptaw. These players should all have larger soles for their high schools in the spring, with more experience I believe they could make a jump.
|
Rank |
Name |
State |
School |
Class |
Pos |
Commitment |
|
1 |
AR |
Greenwood |
2018 |
RHP |
||
|
2 |
AR |
Watson Chapel |
2018 |
OF |
||
|
3 |
AR |
Maumelle |
2018 |
RHP |
Oklahoma |
|
|
4 |
AR |
Catholic |
2018 |
LHP |
||
|
5 |
AR |
Conway |
2018 |
LHP |
||
|
6 |
AR |
Sylvan Hills |
2018 |
RHP |
||
|
7 |
AR |
Woodlawm |
2018 |
RHP |
||
|
8 |
AR |
Shiloh Christian |
2018 |
1B |
||
|
9 |
AR |
Bentonville |
2018 |
SS |
||
|
10 |
AR |
Harding Academy |
2018 |
SS |
||
|
11 |
AR |
Shiloh Christian |
2018 |
RHP |
||
|
12 |
AR |
Watson Chapel |
2018 |
LHP |
||
|
13 |
AR |
Ashdown |
2018 |
3B |
||
|
14 |
AR |
Ashdown |
2018 |
C |
||
|
15 |
AR |
Bentonville |
2018 |
1B |
||
|
16 |
AR |
Catholic |
2018 |
LHP |
||
|
17 |
AR |
Conway |
2018 |
OF |
||
|
18 |
AR |
Conway |
2018 |
C |
||
|
19 |
AR |
White Hall |
2018 |
OF |
||
|
20 |
AR |
Benton |
2018 |
SS |
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