With the offseason all but in full swing, it's time to refreshen up our class of 2024 New Jersey Player Rankings. The late summer and fall saw some extraordinary performances from various players on the national stage which certainly influenced our recent update. Let's take at the Top 10 below.

CLICK HERE to view the full list of rankings.

The Top 10

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Luke Dickerson	NJ	Morris Knolls	2024	SS	Virginia
2	Bryce Meccage	NJ	The Pennington School	2024	RHP	Virginia
3	Sean Griggs	NJ	Red Bank Catholic	2024	3B	Alabama
4	Jon Young Jr.	NJ	Cherry Hill West	2024	SS	North Carolina
5	Howard Tate DeRias	NJ	Gloucester Catholic	2024	RHP	Miami
6	Ryan Lynch	NJ	Moorestown	2024	RHP	North Carolina
7	Jaxon Appelman	NJ	Edison	2024	RHP	Coastal Carolina
8	Chris Levonas	NJ	Christian Brothers Academy	2024	RHP	Wake Forest
9	William Kirk	NJ	Ramsey	2024	LHP	Virginia
10	James Kleiven	NJ	Randolph	2024	RHP	James Madison

 

The Breakdown

+ Coming into the new No. 1 slot is Virginia commit SS Luke Dickerson (Morris Knolls). Dickerson's advanced strength and toolset separated him from the pack in this update - impressing at the Area Code Underclass event in California in the summer. The 6-foot 185-pounder ran a laser timed 6.72 60 at the 2024 State Games in July and consistently hammered pitching through the event, too. 

 

‘24 Luke Dickerson (NJ) continues to impress with each new look.

Simple approach with direct path that produces firm contact to all fields.

Picks up a second double for @ArtilleryBB @UVABaseball recruit#PBRCup || @PBRNewJersey pic.twitter.com/uu5ex1ZNk8

— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) September 17, 2022

 

+ No. 2 Fellow Virginia commit RHP Bryce Meccage (The Pennington School) has the frame to turn into the next big arm out of the Garden State. Broad shouldered 6-foot-4 190-pounds with wiry, athletic limbs. Fastball was up to 89 in the summer and mixes in a breaker at 72-75 with some downer potential.

 

#GoHoos ‘24 RHP Bryce Meccage(@USElitebase) slow paced build up allows 2 stack up over rubber in stride, making for good direction & easy explosion post landing. Loose drop out of glove creates effortless momentum from deep full circle AA (OH). FB 86-88 T89 ⬇️ plane, CB 72-75 pic.twitter.com/qt2OQPjv9t

— Justin Goetz (@JGoetzPBR) June 25, 2022

 

+ Alabama commit 3B Sean Griggs (Red Bank Catholic) rises a couple slots into the top 3. The strength, size, power hitting ability and fluid left handed stroke put Griggs as one of the top players in the state, regardless of grad class. Physical 6-foot-2 190-pounds. Like Dickerson, Griggs made a name for himself at the Underclass Area Code event, too.

 

‘24 Sean Griggs (NJ) has taken some good cuts this weekend & looks hitterish in the box.

Fluid hands w/ natural rhythm. On time.

Singles here ?@AlabamaBSB recruit @PBRNewJersey pic.twitter.com/Em4ZKG4qBx

— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) August 13, 2022

 

+ Future Games alums in North Carolina commit Jon Young Jr. (Cherry Hill West) and Miami commit Howard Tate DeRias (Gloucester Catholic) round out the top 5.

 

High Risers

+ Pittsburgh commit 1B Ryan Costello (Freehold Township) made quite the impression at the PBR Cup this fall and garnered some credit from PBR Vice President of Scouting, Shooter Hunt: 

It was a quick look at the Pitt recruit, but Costello’s smooth left-handed stroke was easy to like even in a small clip. The sturdily built, 6-foot-3, 200-pounder stood confident in the box with a relaxed approach that allowed his quick hands and loose wrists to work freely as the barrel showcased a flat path through the zone with an innate ability to spray line drives to all fields. Able to change planes and adjust, Costello shows strong signs of continuing to trend up as a confident hitter, and with more power likely on the way, he could see bigger jumps in coming years.

+ Recent New York transplant, RHP/Ut. Reno Spagnoli (Columbia) was a Future Games particpant for Team New York this summer and made an impact with a mid to upper 80s fastball and advanced strike throwing abilitiy. Uncommitted 6-foot 190-pounds, spins a slider at 75-77 with 2382rpm.

Top 50: By the Numbers

+ 32 out of the top 50 are committed.

+ Rutgers leads the way with 5 commits in the top 50 followed by: Virginia (3), Wake Forest (3), James Madison (2), Coastal Carolina (2), North Carolina (2), and Seton Hall (2) - with several other schools with one commit.

+ The B1G and ACC are littered all over this group of players with just one SEC commit so far (Griggs, Alabama).

+ 14 out of the 32 current commits are primary pitchers.

+ The next highest commitment by position is shortstop (6), catcher (4), third base (3), and outfield (3).

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Central New Jersey Preseason ID	NJ	02/20	Iron Peak Sports - Hillsborough, NJ
2023 NJ Preseason All-State: Upperclass (Invite-Only)	NJ	03/04	Top Corner Sports - Bridgewater, NJ
2023 NJ Preseason All State: Underclass (Invite-Only)	NJ	03/11	Sportika - Manalapan, NJ
Northern New Jersey Preseason ID	NJ	03/12	Sports Domain Academy - Clifton, NJ