By Chris Fuller
PBR Kentucky

Our summer events afforded the PBR Kentucky staff the opportunity to evaluate some prospects in the 2020 class, and the time has come to release our initial player rankings.

With three years of high school baseball left for prospects that just began their sophomore year, one thing is certain. These rankings will change and expand significantly as players continue to develop and we continue to go through the process of scouting, evaluating, and gathering information on additional prospects around the state.  The rankings will be revisited again in late October for possible updates after several of the top prospects in this class will participate in the PBR Kentucky Top Prospect Games event on October 8 at Eastern Kentucky University and the PBR Kentucky/Tennessee Border Battle at Western Kentucky University the weekend of October 21-22.

For now, we release out initial top 65 players in the 2020 class.

CLICK HERE to view the entire 2020 rankings.

Kaleb Corbett (Fern Creek HS) sits at the top of the class after lighting up the radar gun at the Underclass Games in July at the University of Louisville. Corbett’s fastball sat 87-90 mph, and he showed a hard high-70’s slider to go along with it. At 5-foot-11, 195-pounds, Corbett doesn’t have prototypical size, but his advanced velocity and breaking ball makes him the No. 1 player in the class at present. Corbett committed to Louisville following that Underclass Games event.

Jackson Fristoe, a 6-foot-3, 165-pound RHP from Paducah Tilghman HS, occupies the No. 2 spot, and you could certainly make a case for him to sit at the top. Fristoe is a highly athletic pitcher with an ultra-quick arm and huge ceiling. He emerged as one of the top prospects in the state at the Top Prospect Games event at the University of Kentucky in June where his fastball sat 84-87 mph, and his low-70’s curveball showed big potential. As the breaking ball continues to develop it will likely become a hard slider over the next three years, and it would almost be expected to see his fastball top 90 mph in the near future. Fristoe committed to Kentucky just two days after the Top Prospect Games event.

Seth Williams (Paintsville HS) checks in at No. 3. Williams was the first player in the class to commit as he verballed to Louisville last fall. Watch him on the field, and it’s easy to see why. The advanced left-handed hitter generates premium bat speed with quick hands that allow him to drive the ball to the gaps. Defensively, he is sure-handed up the middle and makes difficult plays look routine with solid arm strength across the diamond.

Bryce Smith, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound LHP from Dixie Heights HS, burst onto the scene at the All-State Games Event at Western Kentucky University in July where he turned in one of the most impressive outings of the day with a fastball that topped at 85, a sharp mid-70’s breaking ball, and good feel for a low-70’s changeup. Smith generates easy velocity, and though his velocity was down just a tick at the Future Games (81-83), he pitched three shutout innings for Team Ontario at the event. His velocity should continue to rise, and simply put, Smith has a chance to be special.

Ethan Kavanagh (Highlands HS) rounds out the top five. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound SS came away as one of the more impressive performers on a loaded Team Kentucky roster at the PBR Future Games. He collected a hit in each game, finishing 3-for-8 with a double, walk, and stolen base, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Kavanagh routinely made hard contact to all fields, in fact two of his outs were line drives hit on the screws. Defensively, he made play after play while manning shortstop and second base. At 5-foot-9, 155-pounds, Kavanagh is smaller in stature, but don’t let that fool you; he plays at a high level, has the arm strength to play either middle infield position, and plays the game with a never back down attitude.

Here is a look at the Top 10.

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Kaleb Corbett	KY	Fern Creek	2020	RHP	Louisville
2	Jackson Fristoe	KY	Paducah Tilghman	2020	RHP	Kentucky
3	Seth Williams	KY	Paintsville	2020	SS	Louisville
4	Bryce Smith	KY	Dixie Heights	2020	LHP
5	Ethan Kavanagh	KY	Highlands	2020	SS
6	Isaac Humphrey	KY	Owensboro	2020	OF	Louisville
7	Nathan Waldridge	KY	St Xavier	2020	LHP
8	Brock Lucas	KY	Breckinridge County	2020	RHP
9	Austin Reed	KY	Oldham County	2020	RHP
10	Cooper Jones	KY	Central Hardin	2020	LHP	Kentucky