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Georgia 2025 Rankings: Moonshots, Part 1

September 2, 2022
Justin Goetz
PBR Georgia Assistant Scouting Director

This 2025 Class contains many unbelievable jumps into the relevance of our rankings. Just like the Top 10, the players in this article contain a good mix of current ability and projection. Most importantly, they’re all natural baseball players with tons of feel. Let’s get into some deep analysis of the rocket ship these five players are riding, and what got them here.

Hyland Brown RHP / Walton, GA / 2025
Ranking : Unranked to No. 14
Uncommitted. 6-foot-4, 170-pounds. One of the smoothest deliveries in the class with an impressive mix of projection and pitchability. He’s got advanced command for his age & possesses 3 pitches with standout movement. All we’re waiting on now is a jump in velo, which is undoubtedly coming as he grows into the frame. This is a very unpredictable arm who can throw any pitch in any count and work the zone north/south/east/west with impeccable ease of operation. Brown has elite balance in his delivery from beginning to end, which is a big part of his high % of strikes and consistent life on all pitches. The sequence and timing of his upper & lower half all start with the good rhythm he creates with his glove and lift knee. His arm action is very efficient for a deeper, longer full circle and maintains a gradual build of momentum/arm speed. Hyland sits perfectly into his lower half in the down+out phases, holding a slight bend in his back knee until landing. His lead leg block will improve as he gains more strength, but the front side stays firm enough thru release. His smooth, lengthy arm action allows him to reach for good extension late as the chest gets over the front knee. The 84-86 FB life is special with a nasty combo of elite IVB numbers and standout HZB causing a simultaneous ride+run action. The pitch is already dominant up in the zone. His advanced 74-76 CH works great off the FB, with more run metrically than the plate is wide and extremely late depth!! This is a pitch with sure plus potential down the line. Brown’s 72-75 CB has consistent 11-5 shape with two plane depth on the way.

Nolan McKinstry RHP / South Paulding, GA / 2025
Ranking : No. 42 to No. 18
Uncommitted. 6 foot 1, 155 pounds. This future flamethrower is flying up our rankings, and for good reason. His growth spurt of 4 inches and weight gain of 30 pounds in the last year are the biggest reason for a 7 mph jump in velo! The arm speed has always been there, but it’s noticeably faster than last summer. Nolan has made a couple very key mechanical adjustments since 2021 - 1. No longer drifting to the plate with his hips when the knee gets to the top of the “up” phase. Now he lets the knee come down before releasing his hips to the plate in stride, allowing him to sit into his legs and keep pressure on them until landing 2. His hip/shoulder separation has improved dramatically, creating serious torque as he works to landing. It keeps his upper half over the rubber and connects the arm action with the backside & core, allowing them to fire together violently after landing. He has a very unique crossfire delivery that creates nasty angle from a L ¾ slot.  Many prospects who make a large velo jump like this lose some control/feel for the strike zone, this isn’t the case with McKinstry. There’s impressive tempo & twitch in his short circle arm action that you can’t see until it comes out of the hand. His 85-88 T90 FB starts out on top of RHH, with a vicious ride and run up in the zone. It’s just as effective low in the zone, with near edge to edge run. He can also front hip freeze LHH with his comeback life. This is going to be a special pitch. His ceiling as an arm will depend on his development of the breaking ball. The 1st step is switching from the CB to a SL/SLV. The low 70’s offering is thrown from a higher slot and doesn’t fit his delivery. With his athleticism and unique crossfire+slot, I feel he can have a nasty sweeping SL/SLV that he doesn’t have to worry about “getting on top” of. This is no doubt one of the most exciting arms in the state for ‘25 and we’re pumped to see him continue to rise!

Jackson Rose LHP / Etowah, GA / 2025
Ranking : Unranked to No. 24
Uncommitted. 6 foot 3, 185 pounds. This is a very good athlete on the mound who oozes projection. The delivery is extremely explosive and he moves through it better than most in the class. It is well sequenced with a smooth build of pace and elegant thru up+down+out phases (from leg lift to stride landing). Rose lands in a near perfect line to the plate time after time, putting him in a great position to throw and allowing his arm to work freely post landing. The lower half direction is better than most HS arms in the state, regardless of class. The future weekend starter has great feel/timing for working his front leg to lockout (lead leg block) post release, allowing knee to knee clearance in the lower half for extra torque. As his legs get stronger, that will become a huge benefit and part of his next jump in velo. Jackson’s arm action is a clean, mid depth full circle that's very tough to pick up for hitters. He fires from a funky low ¾ slot creating unique angle on all 3 pitches. The arm speed is noticeable and works seemingly under no stress. He attacks hitters relentlessly early in the count with his disgusting 82-84 T86 FB with high voltage edge to edge run. The life on it is sharp and late, and gets on you quick. His sweeping SL in the 73-74 range is deceptive with 1/7 shape and gets late depth at times. His mid 70’s CH has enormous potential, with gradual fade and depth. We couldn’t be more excited to cover this projectable gunslinger over the next 3 years!

Jake Gaskill OF / North Gwinnett, GA / 2025
Ranking : Unranked to No. 29
Uncommitted. 5 foot 9, 155 pounds. This lightning bolt of a human was a major standout at both the LP Open and Underclass Games. He is one of the best hitters in the class pound for pound, with arguably the best body control in the class. Gaskill repeats his swing at such a high level that each cut looks like a carbon copy of the next. Repeating excellent swing mechanics is the precursor to hitting the ball hard consistently, which is exactly what he does. Jake averaged 90 EV in BP, sending lasers to all fields with beautiful backspin.  Mechanically - the knees angle inside feet keeping him close to center of balance, touch & go off backside w/ hips, perfect rhythm+sequence in forward move. His separation timing & load are very efficient and his hands work into a small c right near the hitting slot, allowing him to create explosiveness in one compact spot. The knob path creates extended barrel time in the zone and is so clean+quick all the eyes see is a flick of the wrist. His perfect hip pace and lower half direction allow his hands to work inside the baseball and allow him to effortlessly pepper both gaps. His twitchy actions impact the game just as well in other areas. Gaskill ran 6.68 for us in his most recent showcase, showing off a quick reaction time and a sudden burst of acceleration. This benefits him well on the basepaths, as he’s an aggressive base stealer and wreaks havoc on opposing pitchers. It also shows in the outfield, lending him tons of range and getting to balls others don’t. The NG Bulldog is an instinctive player in all facets of the game, and we’re excited to track his progress this Fall & Spring.

Carson Zagryn IF / Blessed Trinity, GA / 2025
Ranking : No. 68 to No. 50
Uncommitted. 6 foot 2, 175 pounds. A high energy player with a positive attitude, lots of projection, and a bat/glove combo we really like. This is a player with a natural feel to hit and some advanced actions at the plate. Zagryn has one of our favorite swing paths in the class, an efficient & explosive level plane that promotes consistently loud contact. He presets the hitting base, starting sunken into his legs which simplifies the lower half and keeps him down thru the swing from start to finish. Zagryn creates a good rhythm in his hands and they never stray far from the hitting slot. His short, simple hand load with minimal separation helps him time up quality velo and gives him time to quickly manipulate the barrel on different pitch locations. Carson does a very good job of keeping his direction up the middle of the field and gains proper ground in stride to consistently make contact in front of the plate, attacking the baseball instead of letting it attack him. His long levers and all fields swing path allow him to cover the entire zone and expand his opportunities as a hitter. Although a fringy runner currently, he has lengthy & athletic strides and should end up at least average as he gets stronger. His mid 80’s arm from the IF should end up A/AVG and his glove should develop similarly. The hands are very soft and he repeats a subtle push thru the ball, with the ability to react quickly on bad hops. The footwork is solid, creating good momentum for his throws and positioning him well on reads. He adjusts throwing angles better than most in the class, with a fluid exchange and throw on off balance plays and slow rollers.
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