By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

The landscape of the updated overall Class of 2016 player rankings have changed dramatically over the last three months, chiefly because the landscape of the Prep Baseball Report state-specific coverage area has expanded since the last update.

It is important to note that the PBR overall rankings only reflect the states that we intimately know from our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff. The updated Top 400 Class of 2015 rankings now includes Florida, Louisiana and Maryland, in addition to our previously established states. All told, the overall rankings include 21 states and Ontario.

The inclusion of Florida changes the complexion of the overall rankings – including four prospects in the top 10 – but Kansas RHP Riley Pint (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, KS) holds firm at the No. 1 spot. The athletic 6-foot-3 Louisiana State recruit features an easy fastball that has been up to as high as 97, along with a mid-80s slider.

Not far behind Pint, however, is a pair of Florida prospects who will undoubtedly receive high first-round scrutiny next year: RHP Austin Bergner (Windermere Prep HS, FL) and LHP Jason Groome (IMG Academy, FL). Like Pint, Bergner is a highly athletic right-hander who possesses easy mid-90s velocity. Groome, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound Vanderbilt recruit, is the top left-hander in the country. In February, the PBR Florida scouting staff saw Groome pitching at 90-94 mph with a sharp mid-70s curveball.

Groome isn’t the only high-level left-handed prospect in the top 10. Jeff Belge (Henninger HS, NY), who’s been a fixture at the top of the rankings, and Cole Ragans (North Florida Christian HS, FL) are also potential first-rounders.

Three catchers also find their way into the top 10. While Cooper Johnson (Carmel Catholic HS, IL) may be arguably the best catch-and-the-throw prospect in the country, T.J. Collett (Terre Haute North Vigo HS, IN) is one of, if not the top, left-handed power bat in the 2016 class. Herbert Iser (Killian HS, FL) possesses both power and arm strength behind the dish.

RHP Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa HS, NY), a 6-foot-3 Vanderbilt recruit, returns to the top 10, while left-handed hitting SS Gavin Lux (Indian Trail HS, WI), who recently de-committed from his verbal commitment from Virginia Tech, jumps into the top 10 for the first time after several stellar performances over the fall and winter.

Lux isn’t the only big mover in the overall 2016 rankings. RHPs Alex Haynes (Knoxville Central HS, TN) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Topeka Seaman HS, KS) are two of the biggest risers in the rankings after lights-out showings this winter (see their profiles for videos). Other significant risers include RHP Paul Tillotson (Lewis Palmer HS, CO), LHP Lucas Krull (Mill Valley HS, KS), C/RHP Sam Ferri (Niles Notre Dame, IL), and RHP Nick Hanson (Prior Lake HS, MN) to name a few.

A look at the Top 20 overall rankings:

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Riley Pint	KS	St. Thomas Aquinas	2016	RHP	LSU
2	Austin Bergner	FL	Windermere Prep	2016	RHP
3	Jason Groome	FL	IMG Academy	2016	LHP	Vanderbilt
4	Jeff Belge	NY	Henninger	2016	LHP	St. John's
5	Cooper Johnson	IL	Carmel Catholic	2016	C	Mississippi
6	T.J. Collett	IN	Terre Haute North Vigo	2016	C	Kentucky
7	Herbert Iser	FL	Killian	2016	C	Miami
8	Cole Ragans	FL	North Florida Christian	2016	LHP	Florida State
9	Ian Anderson	NY	Shenendehowa	2016	RHP	Vanderbilt
10	Gavin Lux	WI	Indian Trail	2016	SS
11	Drake Fellows	IL	Joliet Catholic Academy	2016	RHP	Vanderbilt
12	Cal Coughlin	IL	Lake Forest	2016	3B	Texas Christian
13	Bo Bichette	FL	Lakewood	2016	3B	Arizona State
14	Todd Peterson	FL	Lake Mary	2016	RHP	LSU
15	Brenden Heiss	IL	Jacobs	2016	RHP	Arkansas
16	Anthony Molina	FL	West Broward	2016	RHP	Miami
17	Zach Linginfelter	TN	Sevier County	2016	RHP	Tennessee
18	Tyler Fitzgerald	IL	Rochester	2016	SS	Louisville
19	Gregory Veliz	FL	Key West	2016	RHP	Miami
20	Carlos Cortes	FL	Oviedo	2016	2B	South Carolina

 

CLICK HERE to View complete Top 400 Class of 2016 Rankings