The arduous summer showcase circuit is mostly in the books, which has given us, the PBR Georgia staff, the time to collaborate and compile notes in order to rank the state’s 2022 class – headlined by a couple of the top ranked sophomores in the country.

What really helped us dissect this class, specifically this top-10 below, was the amount of 2022s rostered on Team Georgia earlier this month at the inaugural PBR Future Games live from LakePoint. In fact, half of the top-10 below participated on Team Georgia, including three of the top-five prospects in the ‘22 class.

Today, we’ll be detailing the top-10 in full, starting with the No. 1-raked right-hander in the country, thus, the top-ranked prospect in Georgia’s 2022: Dylan Lesko (Buford).

The top-10 table

Lesko remains uncommitted, granting him the title of highest ranked pitcher in the country still on the market, and is open recruitment allowed him to pitch in front of a sea of college evaluators earlier this month at LakePoint. There, the Buford righty showed that combination of present stuff and comfortable projection – he pitches like a matured vet but his age and look indicate that he’s still got room to grow. He sat 90-92 mph for Team Georgia with premium feel for his changeup in conjunction with a biting breaking ball. 

The word advanced can be dangled about this day and age, but the only prep to show these types of attributes at such a young age was one Dylan Bundy, who decorated and accoladed constantly throughout his prep career in Oklahoma. Lesko is unafraid on the mound and has no problem establishing his fastball, which he locates and hides well behind his technically sound front side and on-line arm stroke. He makes it look easy.

Dylan Lesko, PBR Future Games (7/31/19)

And our state has not just Lesko, but SS Termarr Johnson (Mays; uncommitted) to follow as top-of-the-scale prospects on a national level. Currently the top-ranked middle infielder in the entire 2022 class, Johnson comes in ranked No. 2 on Georgia’s board for elite speed and athleticism. 

At the start of July, National Crosschecker Shooter Hunt said Johnson had an “early stake as the most exciting player in the 2022 class.” It’s high praise for the diminutive speedster. But don’t let his 5-foot-8 frame fool you, his uber fast hands allow his barrel to whip through the zone with force, giving him some surprise bat strength for a prospect his size.

That brings us to our first committed prospect in the state’s 2022 class: OF Andruw Jones (Wesleyan), a Vanderbilt commit. Jones was ranked inside the top-10 of our national board when it was released at the end of May and he slots in at No. 3 on the state’s rankings. His quick-twitch tools are very loud across the board and he’s able to punish baseballs best by lagging his bat through the zone, generating regular hard-hit contact. Jones is a high-follow prospect for this mix of premium tools and athleticism. His bloodlines only bolster confidence of Jones’ ability to continue maturing at this rapid pace, as the son of the five-time MLB All-Star and Atlanta Braves legend of the same name.

Lesko’s high school teammate, RHP Riley Stanford (Buford; uncommitted), is another one of the country’s best arms. He has elite arm strength and had the highest velocity of anyone at the Future Games, sitting 92-94 mph – those 94s were two ticks better than the arm behind him. He’s still polishing his overall repertoire, refining his offspeed and gaining a better feel to pitch, but Stanford is a pure athlete, which makes it easy to bet on his ability to bring it all together one day.

Riley Stanford, PBR Future Games (7/31/19)

Circling back to the Team Georgia roster that repped at LakePoint, the squad had what was very likely the most loaded one-two punch at catcher of any team in attendance, including the 2022’s class Jared Jones (Walton; uncommitted). Jones didn’t let football get in the way of stealing the show against mostly elder competition on workout day at the Future Games. He recorded one of the day’s best exit velocities (102 mph) and he also posted some of the day’s best defensive metrics of anyone in the country – a low pop of 1.90 and his throws topped 82 mph through the infield, one tick of the leaders. He’s as tooled-up as it gets and he’s launched himself onto the national radar after exploding at LakePoint.

Jared Jones, PBR Future Games (7/31/19)

A pair of committed shortstops pull in at Nos. 6 and 7: Hayden Murphy (Tiftarea Academy; Auburn) and Brant Baughcum (Brookwood; Georgia Tech). Murphy is actually more of a two-way prospect, since he is also harboring some massive potential from the mound. He’s got a picture-build pitcher’s build to go along with an easy, athletic arm stroke and delivery. Auburn has a high-ceiling athlete headed their way. As for Baughcum, he was a Team Georgia participant who landed his future home following the event. He’s a gamer on the diamond who plays with a high IQ and is relentless in the right-handed batter’s box. He looks fit for a long-term home on the left side of the infield, too. Baughcum is ranked inside the top-70 nationally and is recently committed to Georgia Tech.

Brant Baughcum, PBR Future Games (7/31/19)

Florida recruit Cade Fisher (Northwest Whitfield) is this class’ top-ranked left-hander. He’s a tall, long southpaw who has been up into the 87-88 mph range with strikes and a feel to pitch.  Fisher is the kind of lefty that scouts have no problem double projecting on because he has no choice but to get stronger. The signs are already in place.

Redan’s Jason Avila, an outfielder with a Florida State commitment, is next up, at No. 9 on the state’s 2022 board. At 5-foot-7, 160 pounds, Avila has a smaller stature but he’s got more thump in his right-handed bat than opposing pitchers first expect. His game’s ingrained with fast twitch actions that fits a lead-off profile, and he roams the outfield with ease, gliding through his routes to the baseball.

The third Buford prospect on this list is Jackson Gaspard, still uncommitted. Gaspard is another gamer type, like the aforementioned Baughcum, and brings with him to the ballpark a tremendous amount of versatility. He, too, was a member of Team Georgia’s 2019 PBR Future Games roster, where he both played the field and pitched. He’s becoming known for his ability to roll up his sleeves and get to work wherever and whenever he’s called on, but his work on the mound is his separator right now. He’s a medium-framed right-hander who sits in the mid-80s with the makings of a true swing-and-miss curveball. Gaspard is a strike-thrower with compact actions that could keep him in a rotation long-term, but has the kind of projection that could allow him to explode in a high-leverage bullpen role, too. Wherever he fits best at the next-level and beyond, his Swiss Army set of tools has him ranked inside the top-10 of the state’s loaded ‘22 class.

Jackson Gaspard, PBR Future Games (7/31/19)

 
  Complete Class of 2022 Rankings

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