With the recent release of the updated PBR 2021 class rankings, the state of Louisiana placed 12 prospects in the top 500 nationally. These 12 young men have performed at well throughout the years in both state and national events landing them on this prestigious list. This list includes an elite defender at shortstop, several impact left-handed bats, two brothers of elite prospects and a total of five guys with professional baseball lineage including 3 with with big league ties.

Connor Simon SS / 2B / St. Paul's, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 50 / POS: 10 Louisiana State recruit. Currently ranked No. 1 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 50 overall. Athletic 6-foot-0, 175-pound frame with room for more added strength. Elite level defender with advanced actions and arm strength. Bat to ball skill has always been there but the bat has really started to progress as he's continued to get stronger, continuing to increase his stock. Slightly above average runner with high-end instincts.

Josh Pearson OF / 2B / West Monroe , LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 5 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 79 / POS: 13 Louisiana State recruit. Currently ranked No. 2 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 79 overall. Physical 5-foot-10, 195-pound solid frame. At the plate, the left-handed hitter showed his power in the box with a strong exit velocity of 95 mph. Begins in a strong athletic  stance with a big load, then uses a small leg kick to initiate his swing. Had an uphill swing plane and explosive bat speed, and he ended his swing with extension on his finish. Found a lot of barrels in his round. Pull side approach. In the infield, his best throw was registered at 79 mph; had smooth footwork, a clean exchange and sure hands. Showed a high ¾ slot with long arm action. The athletic recruit showcased his speed with a sub-seven 60 time of 6.76. Brother of current minor leaguer Jacob Pearson who was a 3rd rounder in 2017.

Jack Walker RHP / 1B / Barbe, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 135 / POS: 42 Mississippi State recruit. Currently ranked No. 3 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 135 overall. Strong 6-foot, 180-pound frame, athletic, durable build. Was dominant during the 2019 spring season. Strike thrower with quality stuff, advanced feel to pitch. Long, clean arm action into high-3/4 release with quick arm speed, and easy effort. Athletic delivery with fluid rhythm, level shoulders, in-line direction, lands square and finishes athletically. Pitches 88-92 mph with his fastball, premium command to both sides of plate, flashes heavy sinker at times. Two different breaking balls. Slider has flashed premium out-pitch potential with explosive late, sharp break at 83-86 mph, swing-and-miss pitch. Curveball shows 11/5-shape with tight spin, quality depth, deception and fastball arm speed at 76-79 mph, manipulates it well, throws for strikes, creates soft contact. Also flashes quality feel for changeup with fastball arm speed, deception, and fade action at 80-81 mph.

Peyton Stovall SS / 2B / Haughton, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 4 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 150 / POS: 33 Arkansas recruit. Currently ranked No. 4 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 150 overall. Physical 6-foot, 175-pound frame. One of the top offensive performers at the Future Games overall, premium hit tool. Productive at-bats all weekend, consistent hard contact, impact bat. Left-handed hitter hits from a taller, upright stance, simple load with a minimal, small stride, short compact path with balance and strength throughout, uses a gap-to-gap approach with good rhythm and timing, creates good extension with advanced bat speed yielding an exit velocity of 94 mph. Solid defender, hands and feet work well together, solid actions with clean exchanges. Short arm action into ¾ release with accuracy and carry on throws that produced an 84 mph positional velocity. Likely projects as an offensive second baseman going forward. Solid athleticism, posted a 6.90 60-yard dash.

Joshua Stevenson OF / LHP / St. Thomas More, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 3 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 163 / POS: 28 Louisiana State recruit. Currently ranked No. 5 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 163 overall. Athletic 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame with long levers with fast-twitch actions. Advanced athlete, fluid runner, long strider. Impact defender with soft hands, fluid footwork, advanced, natural instincts, and elite range. Left-handed hitter that hits from an athletic setup, smooth load, and short stride. Line-drive approach, consistently found the barrel in game with simple, direct path spraying the baseball around the ballpark, flashed solid bat speed and strength as he continues to show growth. Brother of current big leaguer Andrew Stevenson who was a 2nd rounder in 2015.

Brennan Holt SS / 2B / Parkview Baptist, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 3 OverallRank: 219 / POS: 47 Louisiana State recruit. Currently ranked No. 6 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 219 overall. Smaller, athletic 5-foot-9, 155-pound frame. Super athletic middle infielder, turned in a blazing 6.65 laser-timed 60-yard dash. Left-handed hitter hits from a taller, upright stance, simple load with a minimal, small stride, short compact path with balance and strength throughout, uses a line-drive approach with good rhythm and solid timing, creates good extension and bat speed yielding an exit velocity of 88 mph. Put together outstanding weekend in-game, barreled balls consistently, handled velo and secondary stuff. Showed bat speed and strength to the pull side. Impacts the game on the bases with his quickness and feel to steal bags. Quality defender, with soft hands, active feet, works through balls athletically. Clean, quick exchanges into a short arm action and high-¾ release with accuracy and carry on throws that produced an 88 mph positional velocity. Showed range with quick first step and instincts, getting to balls either way with enough arm strength to finish the play.

Brant Smith 1B / 3B / Live Oak , LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 8 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 373 / POS: 14 Louisiana State recruit. Currently ranked No. 8 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 373 overall. Physical 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame. A legitimate two-way prospect; Left-handed hitter starting from relaxed and balanced setup. Smooth, simple rhythm working into balanced hitting position. Direct path and loose stroke, present power to pull side with strength at contact that produced an exit velocity 89 mph. Defender that worked through ball well with receptive hands and smooth footwork, working into long whippy high-3/4 release posting a positional velocity of 80 mph. Ran a 7.66 60-yard dash.

Blake McGehee RHP / SS / Tioga, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 9 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 375 / POS: 125 Mississippi recruit. Currently ranked No. 8 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 375 overall. The 6-foot, 170-pound right-hander turned in the most efficient outing of the 2019 Future Games as he worked a perfect two innings in what felt like less than five total minutes. His fastball got on the plate in a hurry as it jumped out of the hand to the bottom of the zone. He threw strike after strike to both sides of the plate at 86-89, and there is likely more in the tank. Remaining compact throughout an uptempo, polished delivery, McGehee was able to find a consistent high ¾ arm slot throughout. His breaking ball backed up at times at 72-73, but it was thrown for a strike and played well of the fastball. He also showcased a 74mph changeup with fade that he showed comfort in throwing. Given his efficiency as a strike-thrower with three pitches, McGehee has a strong chance of continuing as a starter moving forward. Son of former big leaguer Kevin McGehee who was an 8th round pick in 1990.

Seaver Sheets SS / RHP / Sterlington, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 7 / POS: 4 OverallRank: 378 / POS: 80 Auburn recruit. Currently ranked No. 9 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 378 overall. Athletic 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame. At the plate, the left-handed hitter's 91 mph exit velocity showed his ability to drive the ball with power. Started in a balanced athletic  stance, had a big load and used a toe tap Displayed an uphill swing plane, as well as electric bat speed and extension on his finish. Barreled up lots of balls throughout the round. Pull side approach. In the infield, showed the ability to throw the ball well at 94 mph; had athletic footwork, soft hands and a clean exchange. Showed athletic movements laterally and fielded with ball out front. Showed an-over-the-top slot with loose arm action. He performed well in the 60-yard dash, clocking a speedy time of 6.96. On the mound, he has lightning arm speed and a high ¾ angle. He is a up-tempo type pitcher and uses max effort. Has an athletic balance point and even shoulders. Showed a falling off finish and lands square. Clocked sitting at 86-90 mph with a max of 90 mph; had some action with hard movement. Showed command low in the zone and plus action on his tight curveball (72-74). He has tailing action on his changeup(78-79). Son of four time MLB all star Ben Sheets who was a 1st rounder in 1999.

Benjamin Tate LHP / OF / Teurlings Catholic, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 422 / POS: 50 Tulane recruit. Currently ranked No. 10 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 422 overall. Strong 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame with an athletic build. Left-hander with a longer arm action into a high-¾ slot. He put his three-pitch mix on display working 85-87 mph with his fastball with quick arm speed and a medium efort. Showed solid command of both a 76-79 mph slider and a 77-82 mph changeup. The slider showed tight spin and late, short 10/4 shape. The change up is a developing pitch as he showed feel to manipulate the pitch creating a 5 mph variance with near fastball arm speed.

Ian Montz OF / LHP / Acadiana, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 11 / POS: 3 OverallRank: 423 / POS: 66 Louisiana-Lafayette recruit. Currently ranked No. 11 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 423 overall. Long, rangy 6-foot-2 170-pound frame with room to add strength. Loose body, advanced athlete turned in a 6.69 60-yard dash. Showed athleticism, loose actions, easy body control and advanced arm strength with easy carry on throws during defensive workouts posting an 87 mph position velocity. The left-handed hitter hits from a tall, balanced set up, hands around back shoulder, small leg lift loading onto backside creating forward momentum, front leg braces well creating advanced bat speed and delivering a short compact stroke. Uses a line-drive approach, and sprays it around to all fields with advanced bat speed producing an exit velocity of 83 mph. Nephew of former big leaguer Luke Montz who was a 17th rounder in 2003.

Baylor Cobb C / 3B / Franklin Parish, LA / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 12 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 498 / POS: 50 Tulane recruit. Currently ranked No. 12 Louisiana's 2021 class, No. 498 overall. Projectable 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame, long levers, room to add strength. Left-handed hitter working from a wide, athletic setup, smooth load into a leg kick stride, lands athletically maintaining balance with an explosive lower half. Gap-to-gap approach with fluid rhythm, aggressive slightly uphill path, showing strength at contact and bat speed that produced an exit velocity of 93 mph. Advanced defender with soft hands, smooth footwork and quick, clean exchanges. Short arm action into high-3/4 release with accuracy and carry on throws, recording a pop time of 2.00-2.14 seconds, and a 79 mph positional velocity. Also posted a 7.47 laser-timed 60-yard dash.

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