Updated Florida 2018 Rankings Released

December 2, 2015

By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

As we head into the month of December, the fall season has officially ended and the Florida high school season is now about two months away. With the 2016 season right around the corner, we have already ranked the top players in the 2016 and 2017 classes and now it is time to rank the top sophomores in the state.

The 2018 class is another impressive group as about one-third of the top 100 players are already committed. Possibly more important than being committed is the fact that many of these young men are competing, and sometimes even standing out, at some of the top events that feature mostly juniors and seniors. Like always, this Florida class will be a major factor in the 2018 overall rankings.

The No. 1 spot is now boasted by a strong, physical, athletic and projectable outfielder who has exploded onto the scene this fall. Elijah Cabell of Winter Park HS stands at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and possesses incredible bat speed, a plus arm and at least above average speed. He plays with high energy, a lot of emotion and is fearless when playing against the top 2016 prospects. His showing in Jupiter drew attention from Major League scouts and proved that he is a potential future five tool player.

Coming in behind Cabell is Plant HS standout Connor Scott. The Florida commit has a loose, athletic and projectable frame at 6-foot-3, 170 pounds. The smooth-swinging lefty and outfielder is already drawing comparisons to his former teammate and first round pick Kyle Tucker. He proved as a freshman that he is one of the top players in his class as he hit over .300 with two home runs in a tough 8A district. Look for Scott to have a strong sophomore campaign and be one of the top players in the Tampa Bay area.

RHP Kristofer Armstrong has moved up into the number three spot in the state. Armstrong, who attends The Benjamin School in South Florida, shows a clean delivery with a loose, easy arm action and the ability to pound the zone. He solidified himself as the top 2018 arm in Florida when he sat 87-90 mph with a plus breaking ball in Jupiter. His 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame is athletic and projectable and will continue to add muscle with age. Armstrong’s velocity will definitely improve with age and could be touching the mid-90s by his senior year.

A few players who are new to the top ten are RHP/SS Lyon Richardson, RHP David Luethje, and RHP/3B Levi Kelly. Richardson an athletic two-way player who can really swing the bat from both sides of the plate and runs his fastball up to 92 mph. Luethje is a projectable 6-foot-4 right-hander who sits 86-90 mph with his fastball with an above average breaking ball and changeup. Luethje’s stuff will only improve with age and maturity. Kelly attends IMG Academy and recently moved down from West Virginia. The LSU commit has a strong frame at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and can run his fastball up to 91 mph.

Top 10 2018 Florida Rankings

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Elijah Cabell	FL	Winter Park	2018	OF
2	Connor Scott	FL	Plant	2018	OF	Florida
3	Kristofer Armstrong	FL	Benjamin	2018	RHP
4	Christian Robinson	FL	Viera	2018	OF	Florida
5	Lyon Richardson	FL	Jensen Beach	2018	RHP
6	David Luethje	FL	Vero Beach	2018	RHP
7	Alec Sanchez	FL	Providence	2018	SS	Florida State
8	Levi Kelly	FL	IMG Academy	2018	RHP	Louisiana State
9	Xavier Edwards	FL	Trinity Christian Academy	2018	SS	Vanderbilt
10	Michael Bacica	FL	Windermere Prep	2018	RHP	University of North Carolina

CLICK HERE to see complete Top 100 2018 Florida Rankings