Florida 2016 Rankings Released: The Top 10 Gets Shaken Up

July 21, 2015

By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

With the 2015 high school season and most of the summer circuit wrapped up, it is time to take a look at the top players in the 2016 class in the state of Florida. We have expanded our list to 200 players so there are many new faces, as well as some who rose in the rankings and some who fell. Overall, with the players we have scouted and the information we have accumulated over the past few months, it seems like this is a very deep class that will have players making a strong impact immediately at the college level and in the 2016 draft.

The top 10 was shaken up some, with LHP and Vanderbilt commit Jason Groome jumping to the number one spot in the rankings. The 6-foot-6 Groome exploded onto the scene this year at IMG Academy, making his presence felt early, with his easy mid 90’s fastball and solid 12/6 curveball. He really is a can’t-miss prospect with his size, velocity, mechanics, and loose arm. Jason has also somehow improved as the year has gone on, recently touching 97 mph with his fastball. Barring an injury or a college player have an incredible year, we could be looking at not only a first rounder, but the number one overall pick in the 2016 draft.

Former number one Austin Bergner of Windermere Prep dropped to number two mainly because of the year Groome has had. Bergner is still an elite prospect who runs his fastball up into the mid 90’s from the right side and has a plus breaking ball. Austin committed to North Carolina earlier this summer but, like Groome, will have a serious decision to make as he will likely be a first round pick in the 2016 MLB draft.

There are also three new players to the top fifteen who have really had strong summers and helped themselves out a lot. In the number eight spot, J.J. Bleday of Crawford Mosley HS is an OF/LHP and also a Vanderbilt commit. Bleday had an excellent showing at the Tournament of Stars and shows that he is a legit two-way player. From the mound his fastball sits in the upper 80’s and at the plate he consistently squares up the ball with an advanced approach. Next, Jesus Luzardo of Stoneman Douglas is a LHP committed to Miami and has ran his fastball up to 94 mph this summer with a ML average breaking ball. In the eleventh spot, Luzardo’s teammate Colton Welker is a SS who is committed to Miami and can really swing the bat. In the field he has smooth actions and at the plate he consistently squares up elite pitching, which is what he did at the Tournament of Stars.

The top newcomer to the rankings has to be switch-hitting SS Camryn Williams of Gaither HS. Williams has a strong, athletic, and projectable frame at 6-foot-2 190 pounds and has big league bloodlines as his father, Reggie Williams, played for the Angels. Camryn is slick fielder with a plus arm across the diamond and is a ML average runner. He can really swing the bat from both sides of the plate with raw power.

SS/C Joey Bellini of Edgewater HS improved his stock at the Top Prospect games last month as he showed he is an advanced defender at SS and behind the plate as he can really pick it and fires a 2.0-2.1 down to second. He also has an advanced approach at the plate with a smooth swing and good bat speed that produced an 86 mph exit velocity. His showing has catapulted him into the top 150 of the rankings.

Florida Top 10

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Jason Groome	FL	IMG Academy	2016	LHP	Vanderbilt
2	Austin Bergner	FL	Windermere Prep	2016	RHP	North Carolina
3	Herbert Iser	FL	Osceola	2016	C	Miami
4	Cole Ragans	FL	North Florida Christian	2016	LHP	Florida State
5	Gregory Veliz	FL	Key West	2016	RHP	Miami
6	Bo Bichette	FL	Lakewood	2016	3B	Arizona State
7	Anthony Molina	FL	West Broward	2016	RHP	Miami
8	J.J. Bleday	FL	Crawford Mosley	2016	LHP	Vanderbilt
9	Jesus Luzardo	FL	Marjory Stoneman Douglas	2016	LHP	Miami
10	Carlos Cortes	FL	Oviedo	2016	2B	South Carolina

CLICK HERE to view Top 200 2016 Rankings

Florida 2016 Rankings Released: The Top 10 Gets Shaken Up

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