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Class of 2021- Rankings Updated

April 9, 2021
Brett Thorney
State Scouting Director

As of today, The PBR Arizona- Class of 2021 Player Rankings have been updated. Our staff has been out at games consistently to start the spring and will continue to cover games through the conclusion of the season. We are looking forward to seeing many more players compete. This list includes players from all over the state of Arizona that play across the different classifications of high school baseball. These rankings have been organized through an extensive evaluation process that includes our live game coverage as well as our own PBR events. We have also used valued scouts & local coaches for player recommendations to add to our watch list for further evaluation. Not on the list and feel you got overlooked? Feel free to tag us in any social media posts. We may not like or retweet them all but we're definitely paying attention. We will continue our evaluation into the summer. There will be another opportunity to update this list in the future as we will take another look at the Class of 2021 as season wraps up. 

NEW NO.1, WES KATH

2021 SS Wes Kath (Desert Mountain)- Arizona State recruit, recently moved up to No. 1 spot in Arizona. Stock has been trending up since the Area Code games and is continuing to show why to start the spring. Kath sports an athletic 6-3/200-pound frame with present strength. His foot speed & lateral quickness seem to have received an uptick from the offseason. He's a solid shortstop at the high school level in Arizona in a noticeably bigger frame than others at the position. His defensive abilities & above average athleticism give him some some upside as he may switch over to 3B at the next level. His left-handed bat is what has everyone's attention. Kath shows a strong ability to slow the game down with comfortability in the box. His power potential has been on the rise leading up to the season where has shown the ability to drive the ball over the fence and use the whole field with authority. Kath went 3 for 4 with two HRs and a double in Game 1 of a DH that we were in attendance for. He also hit the game winning walkoff HR over the LCF fence. Kath should continue to receive increased attention leading up the the MLB draft this summer.  

 

STILL BROCK SELVIDGE

2021 LHP Brock Selvidge (Hamilton)- LSU Commit, strong athletic body at 6-3/205-pounds. Selvidge has had plenty of eyes on him to start the spring as he’s one of the better draft prospects in the AZ- Class of 2021. We have had a chance to see him in two of his three starts on the mound to start the spring. In both of those outings, he allowed a single earned run. Pitches with a composed demeanor from a turn & go delivery. Short arm has some quickness from a H3/4 slot while hiding the ball through his delivery. Selvidge worked up to 92mph in his second outing vs Red Mountain where he allowed 1 in hit on the day with some more firmness & better feel spinning the baseball. His FB sat comfortably between 88-91mph, up to 2375rpm. He also mixed in a CV at 76-77mph at 2162rpm. Although Selvidge is view predominantly as a pitch, hes been swing the bat pretty well for Hamilton to start the year to help boost up a young squad. He hit two HRS vs a strong Chaparral team earlier in our coverage. Selvidge will surly continue to be followed through the season as the MLB draft approaches in the summer.

 

SCHIEFER'S "STUFF"

2021 RHP Ryan Schiefer (Campo Verde)- Grand Canyon recruit, wiry-athletic at 6-3/170-pounds with plenty of room for future projection. We have had a chance to see Schiefer in multiple starts to begin the 2021 season. One could say that Schiefer has had a bit of a shaky start. Although, he has showed glimpses of having that electric "stuff" that separates himself from others which he displayed at our PBR- Super 60 back in February. As far as data, there aren't any pitchers in the state that stack up with Schiefer. He has obvious velocity that could keep improving with feel to spin the baseball. The question with him has been the command so far. His fastball has swing & miss capability, thrown up in the strike zone, sitting 90-93, touching 94 & 95mph on a few occasions. The pitch has riding life through the zone, getting up to 2715rm. His breaking balls have the potential to be above average as well. His curveball and slider can be confused for one another at times, sitting 72-75 with 2400-2500 rpm. When combining Schiefer loose arm & data, we wouldn't be surprised if some teams took a chance on Schiefer in this years MLB draft. Scouts will surly be following Schiefer's progress into the future. 

 

SMITH'S BAT

2022 C/RHP Tanner Smith (Basha)- Oregon State commit, 6-foot 215-pounds, thick frame, above average strength. While Smith's stats aren't what they were to begin last season, he's still one of the top hitters in the state of Arizona. Opponents are a lot more careful when pitching to Smith than they have been in the past as Basha has a young group surrounding him this year. Smith uses a simple slow & go approach, showing present body control while creating energy behind the baseball. While he doesn't have the elite bat speed some guys do, his power potential is evident from his strength & letting his body work for him. With the younger squad this year, Smith has also been able to show some versatility playing other positions and even doing pitching. He still projects behind the plate in the future. Often times his receiving skills go undervalued but he shows a strong ability to receive the low strike. He also has a strong, even being clocked at 90mph on the mound. Smith's bat has peaked the interest of some MLB teams this season.  

 

SAY, "HELLO" TO CHAZ ORTEGA-CLEMONS

2021 3B Chaz Ortega-Clemons (Desert Edge)- 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, uncommitted, lean build, long limbs, ultra athleticism. Moved into Arizona from El Paso, TX not too long back. Multi-sport  who excelled in football before putting some more focus on the baseball diamond. Right-handed hitter, squared upright stance, moderately big leg kick trigger, deep load. Flat swing with natural strength through contact, 100mph exit velocity via Trackman. Opens up front side slightly early at times creating a pull-approach. Creates natural bat speed with combination of strength & quick hands. Also has the ability to rotate quickly with athletic hips. Makes consistent hard contact, swing should improve with increased reps. There is a bit of rawness in the actions defensively that leaves room for improvement, strong upside. Athletic choppy footwork, field the ball out infront in a low athletic position with eyes down, flat back & glove angle. Average arm with lower intent at 78mph. Athleticism should give him the ability to make positive adjustments quickly. High upside.

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL LIST

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Wes Kath AZ Desert Mountain 2021 3B Arizona State
2 Brock Selvidge AZ Hamilton 2021 LHP Louisiana State
3 Ryan Schiefer AZ Campo Verde 2021 RHP Grand Canyon
4 Tanner Smith AZ Basha 2021 C Oregon State
5 Ryan Campos AZ Red Mountain 2021 C Arizona
6 Chase Valentine AZ Sandra Day O'Connor 2021 SS Texas A&M
7 Landon Boyd AZ Sandra Day O'Connor 2021 C Oklahoma
8 Daniel Avitia AZ Alhambra 2021 RHP Grand Canyon
9 Chaz Ortega-Clemons AZ Desert Edge 2021 3B  
10 Cade McGee AZ Salpointe Catholic 2021 3B Gonzaga