With the spring and summer seasons under our belt, it’s time for another update to the state’s 2024 rankings.

This class continues to solidify itself as another high-end group to roll through the ‘Show Me’ state, with premier talent at the top and plenty of players scattered throughout that will have impactful careers at the next level.

Earlier this week, our staff officially updated our 2024 board, highlighting several of the state's top prospects within our release. You can find that by clicking HERE.

Yesterday, we dove deeper into the rankings themselves, shining light on a handful of players that earned a rise up our board after showing well to our staff this summer. To learn more about those 18 names, click HERE.

We'll put the finishing touches on this update today. We welcomed a handful of new names to the rankings, expanding our board slightly. Below you'll learn more about a few players that just made their debut to our 2024 rankings.

NEWCOMERS

Rusty Buckner RHP / Licking, MO / 2024 From 6/13/23: “...Committed to Jefferson JC, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Buckner had arguably the loudest day of the event. His hardest ball screamed off his barrel at 99.2 mph, averaging 88.7 mph per batted ball, and he was on the barrel often (67%) in his round. Buckner hopped on the mound later on in his workout and pumped his heater up to 88 mph, pitching in the mid-to-upper-80s throughout, with gradual spin on a 64-65 mph curveball and he showed a 67-69 mph changeup, too.”

Gavin Caldwell RHP / Sacred Heart, MO / 2024 Uncommitted. 6-foot-1, 175-pound well-proportioned frame with present strength and room for more. Simple mover downhill, repeats and stays in line to target. Short tight arm stroke, high 3/4 finish. Fastball played in the low-80s at the Building Champions Scout Day, touching 84 mph, with four-seam carry at times. Tight spin on a 74-75 mph breaking ball, 2400+ RPM, flashed late break.

Charlie Brien RHP / DeSmet Jesuit, MO / 2024 Uncommitted. Lean, athletic 6-foot, 165-pound frame. Traveled to Lindenwood for the St. Louis Top Prospect Games this summer. Fastball played in the low-80s and showed feel to spin a 68-71 mph breaking ball that flashed heavy horizontal action at times (T18.5").

Sam Weller SS / Webb City, MO / 2024 Uncommitted. Athletic 5-foot-10, 160-pound left-handed bat that can play multiple positions on the diamond. Simple and direct swing, barrel stays level through the zone with line drive feel. Consistently produced hard contact in BP (87.8 mph), peaking at 92.4 mph, and he sent his furthest ball 340 feet in BP. Active defender with athletic feet to pair.

Lucas Pearson 3B / Francis Howell Central, MO / 2024 From 6/27/23: "...owns advanced bat strength for his age and showed that throughout BP at this event. Pearson drove two balls 360+ feet to the pull-side in BP, with a 370 foot peak, while regularly elevating baseballs to the deepest part of the left-center gap from a long, uphill right-handed swing. Pearson found the barrel for a single in the gameplay portion of the event and batted .326 over 98 plate appearances for Francis Howell Central this spring."

Drew Vonder Haar 3B / Webb City, MO / 2024 From 6/20/23: “…Built physically at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds with strength throughout, Vonder Haar showed noticeable juice within a powerful right-handed swing. The uncommitted soon-to-be senior repeatedly found the barrel, averaging 92.8 mph per batted ball with a 99.8 mph peak. Vonder Haar’s peak hand speed (26.9 mph), bat speed (76.8 mph) and rotational acceleration (30 g) were amongst the event’s leaders, too.

Cale Berkbuegler RHP / Kirkwood, MO / 2024 From 6/13/23: “...Berkbuegler owns an impressive aptitude to spin his entire arsenal at a high rate and showed that throughout his ‘pen on Tuesday. Berkbuegler’s fastball played at 82-84, touching 85 mph, while spinning at 2463 RPM on average, peaking at 2529 RPM. He spun two distinct breaking balls, ripping them both off at an advanced rate. His curveball, a low-70s offering, had more depth and vertical break to it, averaging 2536 RPM with a 2654 RPM max. Berkbuegler’s slider played at 72-74 mph with lateral, more horizontal action, spinning at 2643 RPM on average, while peaking at 2859 RPM. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound soon-to-be senior was arguably the top pitching prospect in attendance and he’s still uncommitted.”

Evan Mannebach 1B / St. Dominic, MO / 2024 Uncommitted. 6-foot-4, 215-pound large, highly physical athlete. Swings a flat left-handed barrel that stays on plane with length through the hitting zone. Slashed .328/.391/.414 in 66 plate appearances for St. Dominic this spring.

Cole Murray RHP / Blue Springs South, MO / 2024 Uncommitted. Strong, square-shouldered 5-foot-10, 160-pound athlete. Attended the MOKAN Open this summer and earned a spot on these rankings after a quality showing. Four-seam fastball plays in the low-80s, touching 84 mph, from a short arm stroke. Drops to a 3/4 slot to create more horizontal run on a high-70s two-seam fastball as well. Curveball plays at 66-68 mph with depth.

Aaron Strohm C / Branson, MO / 2024 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame with compact strength. Impressed defensively at the Midwest Mavericks Scout Day in June with one of the stronger, more impactful arms behind the plate. Consistently popped in the 1.94-to-1.98 range with true carry through the bag, topping at 79 mph. Offensively, swings a flat right-handed barrel with length to contact.

 

**CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2024 RANKINGS **

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