Updated Class of 2025 Rankings - North Carolina

August 29, 2024
Brandon Hall
NC / Mid-ATL Director of Scouting

The start of the school year can signify the end of the summer season. With the end of the summer, and the start of the fall, our scouting staff went to work to compile information on all the players that were seen over the past 3 months. The Prep Baseball Scouting staff saw close to 1000 athletes this summer, updating and adding player grades in the rankings database.

The process of rankings players can be somewhat simple but it does take a ton of time and effort. For every player the Prep Baseball scouting staff in NC sees, they work to put a player grade on the player and a confidence rating on the grade. The confidence rating can be related to the number of times a player is seen, and the number of different ways that player is evaluated. Once ready, the database is sorted blindly, with all player information hidden outside the player grade, confidence rating, and tool grades. When the data base is sorted by player grade, the tool grades are used to flush out players with similar overall grades. As the sorting process is finished, the rankings are basically set. Our scouting staff will go through the list to see if there are any outliers, where the grade may have been off for one reason or another. As this process is finished, the rankings are ready to post.

The updated 2025 class rankings is the biggest adjustment this class has seen since coming on the scene as Freshman. As they are elevated to Seniors, all eyes turn to them and our scouting staff, along with coaches and scouts across the country. More time is spent on the Sr. class with more eyes and more conversations happening at varioius levels. On top of all the eyes, these players are afforded more high level events, working to sort out some of the talent that is bunched at the top.

Below we begin the process of breaking down the top talent in the 2025 class. This is a very deep class that is very heavy at the top. There will be a number of players with heavy follows from MLB Scouts as we enter the spring season. The entire class of 2025 Rankings update, expanding it to the top 325 players in North Carolina, can be seen HERE.

2025 Class Rankings Update

Top 10 is Loaded

We have a new No. 1 as Josh Hammond (3B/RHP, Wesleyan Christian) moves up the board after another strong summer. Hammond garners high grades both on the bump and in the box. Scouts are still working to figure out how they will classify him when the draft comes around, but the true evaluation of where he lands may not begin until next summer and fall. Hammond was not able to attend the East Coast Pro Showcase as he was starring for Team USA's 18U club. While most of our area scouts have a good feel for Hammond by this point, they may have missed that opportunity to evaluate him against some of the top talent in the country. Team USA was followed heavily by scouting departments and that may bode well for Hammond as we know our area scouts will do their work and their organizations have already seen him against high level talent for an extended period.

Two arms made significant jumps with CJ Gray (RHP, A.L. Brown HS) and Briggs McKenzie (LHP, Corinth Holders HS) are coming off big showings this summer. Gray, an NC State commit, lit it up for the South Charlotte Panthers at the Prep Baseball NPI Tournament at LakePoint in June. The lean, athletic right-hander bumped 96 and paired it with a hard, downer breaking ball, both grading out well into high draft territory.

McKenzie, who committed to LSU shortly after a dynamic performance at the 2023 Prep Baseball Future Games, rebounded in a big way from a year of battling timing and "injury". We put "injury" in quotes as McKenzie did not have anything significant sideline him, but he worked through some issues that had affects on his mechanics and delivery. As he arrived at the East Coast Pro Showcase in August, he was an arm that made a big statement. In total he worked three innings, pounding the down zone with a unique fastball / slider profile. The fastball peaked at 94 per reports from Prep Baseball staff at the event..

Over 20 players in the 2025 class have a grade in our database that equates to a draft follow, or better. This is as deep a class as we have seen in North Carolina since Prep Baseball came on the scene in 2017, in the state. With the depth, Hammond, Coy James, Gray, Kelvyn Paulino, McKenzie, and others will garner heavy attention through the fall and into the spring season.

Newbies in the Rankings

With close to 1000 athletes evaluated this summer, there are bound to be some new players getting into the rankings database. While some of these players, especially in the 2025 class, are completely new to our scouting staff, others enter the database as our staff was able to complete an evaluation and add a grade to the player.

Below are some of the top newcomers to the rankings, that remain uncommitted. With the ever changing recruiting landscape it will be interesting to follow their journey. There is no doubt these players could impact a roster when they set foot on campus.

Top Uncommitted

The 2025 grad class is dealing with ever-changing recruiting rules as they are in the middle of their process. It is our belief that there will be a slower commitment process for the 2025 but ultimately we will see a similar number of players awarded the chance to play at another level after their high school season. Below are 3 of the top uncommitted players in North Carolina, based on the updated rankings.