2022 Overall Rankings Update
December 8, 2020
The fall season has ended, and with that, the elevation to “prospect status” begins for the 2022 class. Nearly halfway through their junior year, this group is merely months away from being on the clock for the 2022 MLB Draft, and teams are already focused on gathering stats, data, and intel.
And this group more than warrants such attention.
As the class continues to emerge and unfold with top players making jumps and new players rising, the narrative being preached from the numerous PBR boots-on-the-ground staff and state directors is this: immense depth from coast-to-coast, and perhaps more importantly, immense depth in premium talent and tools. That being said, there is a case to be made for more than 50 players to ultimately rise into the top 10, and for this, PBR remains committed to continuing to monitor the evolution of the class (and for all of amateur baseball).
Setting the tone for this elite crop of players is OF Elijah Green (IMG Academy, FL). The Miami recruit checks every box for scouts as a potential five-tool player, and his superior strength and athleticism transfer to in-game production, and his ability to continue making quality advancements only amplifies his status as the top prospect in the class.
The rest of the top 10 remains intact as each of the prospects continued ascending throughout the fall, and reinforced their massive potential in looking toward July 2022. In fact, the biggest change to the group came from a couple of commitments (this class has been refreshingly slow to commit to programs from some of the top players). Vanderbilt received commitments from the No. 2 overall prospect and top pitching prospect, RHP Dylan Lesko (Buford HS, GA), along with the big left-handed power of No. 6 overall, OF/1B Ryan Clifford (Leesville Road HS, NC). With those two commitments, the Commodores now have six out of the top 20.
Helium Arms
RHP Brock Porter (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s HS, MI), a Clemson recruit, continues to see his stock soar, and moves up to No. 15 with a clear path to rising even higher in the spring. At 6-foot-3, 182 pounds the big right-hander possesses a wiry-athletic, wide-shouldered frame that presents plenty of room to add more strength in the future. He is dynamic down the mound with a whippy-quick arm that runs an explosive fastball up to 94 mph. His changeup (79-84) is a near-plus offering thrown with split-finger intent for present swings-and-misses, and the breaking ball (73-77) shows equally as much upside. Porter presents one of the highest ceilings in the class, and should it all continue coming together, there is strong Day 1 potential.
Though a more modest jump in the rankings from 34 to 18, RHP Caden Marcum (Paola HS, KS), presents equally as impressive upside as Porter. A wiry, 6-foot-5, 155-pounder, Marcum is committed to Tennessee as a two-way prospect thanks to his twitchy athleticism and whip to his barrel at the plate, and will likely garner draft interest as a position player should he want it. However, his value as a premium starter is hard to ignore with an electric arm that whips fastballs up to 92 mph (2350 rpm) along aptitude for multiple breaking balls including a swing-and-miss slider (83-84) and multi-tier curveball. He also flashes feel for a faded changeup at 74-76. Perhaps above all else, the projection of the frame, and especially the special athleticism, has a chance to propel Marcum even higher in the future.
Strong Fall
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Bryant Zayas SS / Miami Christian, FL / 2022Zayas reclassified from a 2023 and still looks every bit the elite prospect. There is compact strength throughout an athletic, 6-foot, 175-pound frame, and it transfers to all aspects of his game. The North Carolina State recruit posted a 6.59 60-yard dash time at PBR Florida’s Junior State Games, and followed that up with exit velocities up to 97 mph at the plate. A right-handed hitter, Zayas possesses twitchy hands that whip the barrel uphill through the zone with eye-opening bat speed. His ability to impact the ball with a simple, direct approach should allow for continued advancements in the future, and there is clearly more power potential. In the field, the shortstop already exhibits advanced glove-to-hand abilities with smooth footwork to go along with a stronger (87 mph) arm across the diamond. |
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Travis Sanders SS / Copperas Cove, TX / 2022Sanders, a Texas Tech recruit, continues to trend upwards and took a step forward this fall. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound shortstop demonstrates advanced confidence in his defensive abilities thanks to clean glove-work, and especially a strong (90 mph) throwing arm. The ability to stick at shortstop long term is likely to have scouts following him closely moving forward, and the strength (96+ mph exit velocities) that he exhibits at the plate should only progress as his wiry-athletic, 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame continues to fill out. |
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Jimmy Rolder 3B / Marist , IL / 2022Rolder, who committed to Illinois following the PBR Future Games, took advantage of the delayed high school football season to excel on the baseball diamond. Also a talented football player, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound third baseman moves impressively well for his physical frame including a 6.92 60-yard dash time, and has the athleticism to stick on the left side in the future. However, it was his knack for unleashing loud contact from gap-to-gap throughout the fall that saw him make a leap in the overall rankings, and given the advancements that he was able to make in what was likely his first ever fall without football, there is plenty to be excited about for his future. |
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Carlos Gonzalez RHP / Inwood Academy, NY / 2022The uncommitted right-hander possesses some of the biggest arm-talent in the class, and ran his fastball up to 95 mph including 2520 RPM. Longer in the back with quickness and quality extension out front, Gonzalez demonstrates developing feel for both a 78-79 curveball and 81-83 changeup. At 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, his frame is still adding strength, and there is a chance he continues to see even greater velocity spikes in the future. Should his consistency in the strike zone continue to come together, it is safe to say that Gonzalez has one of the higher ceilings in the class, and could ultimately be one of the bigger “helium guys”. |
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Logan Olson LHP / Academy of Holy Angels, MN / 2022Olson appears to be continuing a quality stretch of high-end arms coming out of the state of Minnesota. The wiry-athletic southpaw committed to Oregon following a quality Future Games performance, and appears to be trending upwards thanks to a quick arm and projectable 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame. Polished and compact while throwing over a higher front side, Oslon creates a downward angle from a high ¾ slot, and has been up to 87 mph with much more on the way. Separating him amongst his peers is a sharper, 1/7 curveball (70-73) with tight spin and multi-tier break that already demonstrates potential as a swing-and-miss offering at the next level. Add to that a faded, 73-75 changeup, and the long-limbed left-hander has a chance to continue as a starter at the next level. |
Welcome Utah
The addition of scouting director Jeff Scholzen, a 20-plus year MLB scout with deep roots in the Beehive State, to spearhead the coverage and promotion of amatuer talent is a major asset to the Prep Baseball Report. Scholzen is a perfect candidate to be the voice of the state to the nation, as his passion for the players is unmatched. With his present knowledge of the talent along with a recent kickoff event, Utah’s 2022 crop is welcomed to its first overall rankings with six prospects.
Mic Paul (November 2020)
Leading the way in the top spot is twitchy Arizona-recruit, OF Mic Paul (Olympus HS, UT). The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder is a premium defender in the outfield where he puts his 6.64-speed to good use. At the plate, the compact and athletic left-handed hitter utilizes a simple stroke with a direct path to produce firmer gap-to-gap contact with a slightly uphill path.
BYU holds commitments from three of the top five players in the state including OF Luke Anderson (Snow Canyon HS, UT), SS/RHP Payton Gubler (Desert Hills HS, UT), and SS Fisher Ingersoll (American Fork HS, UT). Anderson is a consummate “gamer” with impressive bat speed that produces loud (95+ mph) exit velocities with the potential to hit for more power in the future. Gubler presents real two-way potential with an athletic frame and quick arm. His 90-plus fastball was spun as high as 2441 RPM, and he shows equally as much aptitude for spin on the slider (2653 RPM). Perhaps the most intriguing of the prospects is Ingersoll. The All-State football player is a premium athlete with an uber-projectable 6-foot-3 frame, and could see significant advancements over the next two years on the diamond.
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