By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

Over the four months since the last overall Class of 2019 rankings update, much has changed. Many new names have emerged as high-level prospects and scores of players have taken significant leaps forward - or back, in some cases - all of which is to be expected at this time of year, when players step out from the high school season and into the national summer circuit.

Starting with the high school season, through regional and national summer showcases and tournaments, and culminating with the Prep Baseball Report Future Games in early August, our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff has seen a dizzying amount of baseball since the last update.

While there have been seismic changes in the updated and expanded overall Top 400 Class of 2019 rankings, the top two prospects, both from Texas, still headline the ever-evolving list: SS/RHP Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville Heritage HS, TX) and RHP Matthew Thompson (Cypress Ranch HS, TX). 

No. 1. Bobby Witt Jr.

Witt Jr. has made the rounds at all the top national events this summer and has done nothing but solidify his status as the top 2019 prospect in the country. Meanwhile, Thompson, a highly athletic 6-foot-3 Texas A&M recruit, has cemented himself as the premier pitching prospect in the Prep Baseball Report coverage area after his performances at USA Baseball’s NTDP and Area Code Games this summer.

No. 2 Matthew Thompson

It is important to note that the PBR overall rankings only include the states that we intimately cover from our scouting staff. The updated Top 400 Class of 2019 rankings is comprised of our current 35-state coverage area, which now includes recently added Mississippi.

Florida’s 2019 class is especially strong, even for the Sunshine State’s lofty standards. In fact, five of the top 10, and nine of the top 25, hail from Florida. 3B Rece Hinds (Niceville HS, FL), a high-ceiling 6-foot-3 Louisiana State recruit, narrowly edges out OF Riley Greene (Hagerty HS, FL), a Florida recruit who’s arguably the top left-handed bat in the class, at No. 3. LHP Hunter Barco (Bolles School, FL), a 6-foot-4 Virginia recruit, is the top-ranked left-hander in the class, and OF Judson Fabian (Trinity Catholic HS, FL) and RHP Brandon Walker (North Florida Christian HS, FL) also are ranked among the top 10.

RHP Brennan Malone (Porter Ridge HS, NC), an ultra-athletic North Carolina recruit, and SS/RHP Cade Doughty (Denham Springs HS, LA), a legitimate two-way prospect committed to Louisiana State, hold firm in the top 10. LHP Chris Villaman (Ledford HS, NC), a North Carolina State recruit, jumps 18 spots to No. 8.

Aside from having the top two prospects, Texas boasts several other high-level prospects, including OF Logan Britt (All Saints Episcopal HS, TX), RHP/1B Jared Southard (Rouse HS, TX), RHP Jacob Meador (Centennial HS, TX), LHP Colton Bowman (Bullard HS, TX), SS/RHP Sanson Faltine III(William B. Travis HS, TX), and RHP JJ Goss (Cypress Ranch HS, TX), all of whom are listed among the top 30 in the class.

There were many big risers over the summer, headlined by RHP/SS Michael Doolin (Andrean HS, IN), RHP Will Frisch (Stillwater HS, MN), RHP Kale Davis (Mustang HS, OK), OF Wes Toups (ED White HS, LA), RHP Zachary Lee (Effingham HS, IL), LHP/OF Drew Gilbert (Stillwater HS, MN), LHP Jonathan Machamer (Massillon Washington HS, OH), RHP Thomas Wilhite (West Ouachita HS, LA), OF Tim McHugh (Commack HS, NY), RHP Jacob Hodorovich (Lakeland HS, PA), LHP Hayden Mullins (Hendersonville HS, TN), RHP Ron Cole (Neptune HS, NJ), and OF/LHP Derek Crum(Gaither HS, FL), to name a few.

Will Frisch

Remarkably, only four players in the top 50 remain uncommitted: OF Jerrion Ealy (Jackson Prep HS, MS), RHP/INF KC Hunt (Ramapo HS, NJ), 3B Zane Denton (Ravenwood HS, TN) and RHP Zachary Lee (Effingham HS, IL).    

While on the topic of commitments, here are the schools with the most Top 400 prospects:
+ Oklahoma - 12 (2 in top 50)
+ TCU - 11 (3 in top 25)
+ Vanderbilt - 11 (4 in top 50)
+ Virginia - 11 (5 in top 100)
+ Florida - 10 (2 in top 10; 6 in top 40)
+ LSU - 10 (2 in top 10; 6 in top 100)
+ Arkansas - 10 (3 in top 100)

Enough reading about it. See for yourself.

A LOOK AT THE TOP 20: 

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Bobby Witt Jr.	TX	Colleyville Heritage	2019	RHP	Oklahoma
2	Matthew Thompson	TX	Cypress Ranch	2019	RHP	Texas A&M
3	Rece Hinds	FL	Niceville	2019	SS	Louisiana State
4	Riley Greene	FL	Hagerty	2019	OF	Florida
5	Brennan Malone	NC	Porter Ridge HS	2019	RHP	North Carolina
6	Hunter Barco	FL	Bolles	2019	LHP	Virginia
7	Cade Doughty	LA	Denham Springs	2019	SS	Louisiana State
8	Chris Villaman	NC	Ledford	2019	LHP	North Carolina State
9	Judson Fabian	FL	Trinity Catholic	2019	OF	Florida
10	Brandon Walker	FL	North Florida Christian	2019	RHP	Florida State
11	Logan Britt	TX	Colleyville Heritage	2019	OF	Texas A&M
12	Jerrion Ealy	MS	Jackson Preparatory	2019	OF
13	Quinn Priester	IL	Cary Grove	2019	RHP	Texas Christian
14	Joseph Charles	FL	First Academy	2019	RHP	North Carolina
15	Michael Doolin	IN	Andrean	2019	RHP	Vanderbilt
16	Jake Holland	FL	Calvary Christian Academy	2019	C	Miami
17	Jason Diaz	NY	Kellenberg	2019	RHP	Miami
18	Will Frisch	MN	Stillwater	2019	RHP	Texas Christian
19	KC Hunt	NJ	Ramapo	2019	RHP
20	Jared Southard	TX	Rouse	2019	RHP	Texas

>> CLICK HERE to view complete Top 400 Overall 2019 Rankings