By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

It’s been a busy three-plus months since the last Class of 2016 rankings update. The winter months, both on the state and national levels, have shed more light on this extraordinarily talented and deep senior class. Our updated Top 400 Class of 2016 rankings reflect everything our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff has seen.

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 2016 rankings is comprised of our current 30-state coverage area, which now includes Nebraska and all New England states.

While there have been significant shakeups in the overall rankings, the top 10 remains largely intact, with a few exceptions. LHP Jason Groome (Barnegat HS, NJ) once again headlines this pitching-rich draft class. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Vanderbilt recruit has left little question he is the top prospect in the country and is the early front-runner to be the top prep player selected in June’s MLB Draft. Groome’s easy velocity regularly ranges between 93-95 mph, and has shown significant improvements with his secondary stuff.

RHP Riley Pint (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, KS), the top right-handed prospect in the country, created even more buzz in February when he threw a bullpen that saw the athletic 6-foot-3, 180-pound LSU recruit touch 100 mph multiple times, and reportedly was as high as 102 on a gun. RHP Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa HS, NY) has been quiet this winter and holds firm at No. 3. The lanky 6-foot-3 Vanderbilt recruit has freakishly easy velocity, which climbed into the mid-90s last summer, to go along with a sharp 77-80 mph slider and well above-average changeup.

One of the biggest risers in the overall rankings is LHP/1B Joey Wentz (Shawnee Mission East HS, KS). The 6-foot-5, 220-pound two-way talent jumps to No. 5 overall after his eye-opening performance at the Super 60 Pro Showcase in early February. Known primarily for his left-handed power potential, Wentz came to the Super 60 only to pitch – and the decision has catapulted him into one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the country. At the Super 60, Wentz sat effortlessly at 91-93 with his fastball, and showed feel for his secondary stuff. See for yourself:

 

Wentz wasn’t the only Kansas product to see his stock skyrocket at the Super 60. In an unprecedented year, Kansas now features six prospects in the top 50 with Pint, Wentz, INF/OF Nonie Williams (Turner HS, KS), RHP Ryan Zeferjahn (Topeka Seaman HS, KS), LHP Lucas Krull (Mill Valley HS, KS) and RHP Cole Duensing (Blue Valley Northwest HS, KS). Duensing, a highly projectable 6-foot-4, 178-pound Kansas State recruit, enjoyed the biggest overall jump in the rankings, moving from No. 236 to No. 49 overall.

A pair of Pennsylvania left-handed hitters – INF Nolan Jones (Holy Ghost Prep HS, PA) and OF/1B Alex Kirilloff – continue to climb up the top 10. Jones, a 6-foot-4 Virginia recruit who has also been up to 90 on the mound, features a polished left-handed approach with burgeoning power. Kirilloff, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound Liberty recruit, has seen a meteoric rise over the last year. A pure hitter, Kirilloff has quieted down his pre-pitch approach while still displaying pop at the plate and has shown significantly improved athleticism. Also holding firm in the top 10 is 3B Joe Rizzo(Oakton HS, VA), another left-handed hitter who has regularly torched top-level pitching over the last year.

C Cooper Johnson (Carmel Catholic HS, IL), at No. 7 in the overall rankings, continues to prove himself as the top defensive catching prospect in the country after his performance at the Super 60. Johnson wasn’t the only high-level catching prospect who turned in a stellar performance at the Super 60. Left-handed hitting Ben Rortvedt (Verona Area HS, WI) has seen his draft stock climb over the last six months, as the muscular Arkansas recruit has established himself as one of the premier left-handed hitters in the country.

Outside the top 10, there were several other big risers in the overall rankings. With Florida’s high school season in full swing already, SS Drew Mendoza (Lake Minneola HS, FL) is climbing up the draft boards, along with RHP DeAundre Roberts (Atlantic Coast HS, FL), LHP Braeden Ogle, RHP Evan McKendry and RHP John Flowers(Trinity Christian Academy HS, FL).

Outside of Florida, RHP Nathan Brown (Arrowhead HS, WI), a Florida recruit, continues to climb the rankings. Other big risers include RHP Austin Shields (St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School, ON), OF Trevyne Carter (Soddy Daisy HS, TN), RHP/INF Matt Mervis (Georgetown Prep, MD), SS Logan Goodnight (The Linsly School, WV), RHP Alec Marsh (Reagan College Prep, WI), OF/3B Matthew Gorski(Hamilton Southeastern HS, IN), and LHP Dan Dallas (Canisius HS, NY), to name a few.

A LOOK AT THE TOP 20:

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Jason Groome	NJ	Barnegat	2016	LHP	Vanderbilt
2	Riley Pint	KS	St. Thomas Aquinas	2016	RHP	Louisiana State
3	Ian Anderson	NY	Shenendehowa	2016	RHP	Vanderbilt
4	Nolan Jones	PA	Holy Ghost Prep	2016	SS	Virginia
5	Joey Wentz	KS	Shawnee Mission East	2016	LHP	Virginia
6	Alex Kirilloff	PA	Plum	2016	OF	Liberty
7	Cooper Johnson	IL	Carmel Catholic	2016	C	Mississippi
8	Austin Bergner	FL	Windermere Prep	2016	RHP	North Carolina
9	Joe Rizzo	VA	Oakton	2016	3B	South Carolina
10	Cole Ragans	FL	North Florida Christian	2016	LHP	Florida State
11	Ben Rortvedt	WI	Verona Area	2016	C	Arkansas
12	Cole Stobbe	NE	Millard West	2016	SS	Arkansas
13	Jesus Luzardo	FL	Marjory Stoneman Douglas	2016	LHP	Miami
14	Drew Mendoza	FL	Lake Minneola	2016	SS	Florida State
15	Skylar Szynski	IN	Penn	2016	RHP	Indiana
16	Gavin Lux	WI	Indian Trail	2016	SS	Arizona State
17	Colton Welker	FL	Marjory Stoneman Douglas	2016	SS	Miami
18	Bo Bichette	FL	Lakewood	2016	3B	Arizona State
19	Tyler Baum	FL	West Orange	2016	RHP	North Carolina
20	Gregory Veliz	FL	North Broward Prep	2016	RHP	Miami

 >> CLICK HERE to View Complete Top 400 Class of 2016 Overall Rankings