By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

It’s April, which means high school baseball is finally underway across the country. As Florida approaches the playoffs, teams are just getting started in northern states. The draft is also two months away, so we’re updating the PBR Draft 100 to reflect some changes in the prospect landscape.

The top five remain intact in LHP Jason Groome (Barnegat HS, NJ), RHP Riley Pint (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, KS), OF Mickey Moniak (La Costa Canyon HS, CA), OF Blake Rutherford (Chaminade College Prep, CA) and RHP Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa HS, NY).

One of the biggest risers on the list is no stranger to Prep Baseball Report readers. LHP/1B Joey Wentz (Shawnee Mission East HS, KS) spent the summer touring the country as a hitter, showing off his prodigious power in batting practice. But at the Super 60 in February and in starts since, he has shown that he’s one of the best southpaws in the country. He recently tossed a no-hitter and is sitting in the low 90s with his fastball. A 6-foot-5, 225-pounder with three pitches, the Virginia recruit checks in at No. 12.

A few spots in front of Wentz, at No. 9, is LHP Braxton Garrett (Florence HS, AL). The Vanderbilt recruit was highly lauded after the summer, but solidified himself as a first-round prospect with a dominant outing at the National High School Invitational in March. His fastball ranged from 89-93 mph and he flashed a power breaking ball with depth at 79-81, but it was a nasty changeup that had scouts buzzing. It’s a new pitch for him and already has the makings of being a plus offering, featuring good fade in the mid 80s.

Sticking with the left-handed theme, LHP Zack Thompson (Wapahani HS, IN) and Ryan Rolison (University School of Jackson, TN) also made jumps this spring. Rolison has shown a low 90s fastball to go with his pitchability and Thompson is healthy, ranging from 88-93 with a good curveball.

Also joining the latest rendition of the PBR Draft 100 are OF Josh Stephen (Mater Dei HS, CA) and RHP Jared Horn (Vintage HS, CA). Stephen went off at the NHSI, going 8-for-15 with a home run and four doubles in four games. He has a short, quick swing and excellent barrel awareness. Stephen admitted that he was selling out for power last summer and focused on getting back to using the whole field and hitting for average after being benched on his summer team. Horn, a California recruit, was 89-92 at the Area Code Games last year with a good slider and has reportedly made a jump in velocity this spring, hitting the mid 90s.

A look at the Top 10:

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	Mickey Moniak	CA	La Costa Canyon	2016	OF	UCLA
4	Blake Rutherford	CA	Chaminade College Prep	2016	OF	UCLA
5	Ian Anderson	NY	Shenendehowa	2016	RHP	Vanderbilt
6	Delvin Perez	PR	International Baseball Academy	2016	SS
7	Josh Lowe	GA	Pope	2016	RHP	Florida State
8	Matt Manning	CA	Sheldon	2016	RHP	Loyola Marymount
9	Braxton Garrett	AL	Florence	2016	LHP	Vanderbilt
10	Forrest Whitley	TX	Alamo Heights	2016	RHP	Florida State

>> CLICK HERE to View Complete PBR Draft 100