BREAKING DOWN THE UPDATED 2023 RANKINGS

To kick off 2022, we’re excited to drop the updated 2023 Rankings.

It’s pretty obvious the bats dominate this class, and while there was a huge shakeup in the Top 10, Texas Tech commit Myles Naylor is still at No. 1. 

Naylor swung exclusively from the right side this summer, and he had a couple head turning moments in his time with the Ontario Blue Jays and Team Canada.

Future Games outfield duo Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) and Matt Evans (Nebraska) went from out of the Top 10 to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Chee-Aloy and Evans batted at the top of the order in Georgia, and made their first appearances with Team Canada in the Fall. 

Out of the Top 25 only nine of them are arms, but that being said, No. 4 to No. 7 is a lineup of impressive right-handers. Illinois commit Parker Burgess checks in at No. 4 overall, followed up by Missouri State commit Kaleb Thomas at No. 5. 

A pair of Future Gamers and Windsor Selects teammates, Matteo Pare (Uncommitted) and Griffin Howell (Nebraska) round out pitcher’s alley at No. 6 and 7, respectively. After that, there’s only two arms left in the Top 20. 

With more events coming up, we expect to expand on our rankings, which is currently 130+ players deep, to allow us to better identify players for tournaments in Georgia, Las Vegas and Florida.

To see the entire 2023 Rankings, click here.

AT THE TOP

Myles Naylor SS / OF / St. Joan of Arc, ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 229 / POS: 62 Naylor had a lot of reps this summer South of the border with the OBJ’s and Team Canada. At 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, the Texas Tech commit transitioned from switch-hitting to hitting mainly from the right. In Naylor’s second game in Jupiter, he looked comfortable against Texas 12 pitching, barrelling up three baseballs while playing with some hop. The swing is very handsy and effortless, the body is getting stronger and he looks like he moves well around the diamond. With more than a year and half left in high school, Naylor  still looks the part halfway into his junior year.

Cameron Chee-Aloy OF / SS / Neil McNeil, ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 396 / POS: 59 Overall, Chee had an impressive two-year stretch, going from out of the Top 10 to No. 2 in his class. We had Chee-Aloy at the Jr. Future Games in 2019, and two years later he’s become one of the more dynamic players in the country. The twitch in his overall game separates him, he can handle velocity and showed some pop at times too. While the swing can be rigid and the arm lively, there’s violence there and he has time to figure them both out.

Matt Evans OF / Glendale, ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 3 / POS: 2 Another standout who wasn’t in our previous Top 10 is Matt Evans, who now checks in at No. 3. Evans takes the scrappy approach, with in-game speed that plays off his leftyness at the plate. The swing is easy, and while there’s movement there, he gets himself on time well, and gets on base. Fairly new to the scene for us, we’re excited to see how the Nebraska-commit performs in 2022.

 

THE NEW FACES

Parker Burgess RHP / 1B / St. Peters Catholic, ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 4 / POS: 1 Burgess joined us at the Northeast Senior Games in Pennsylvania, and had a roller coaster end to his summer and into the Fall, following that up with two Team Canada trips on top of pitching for the Toronto Mets. We saw the 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander in the high 80s with some 90s, but the size and length is something to dream on as he reclasses to 2023, making him our pick for the top arm in this class.

Kaleb Thomas RHP / SS / Brantford Collegiate Institute, ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 5 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 430 / POS: 132 We saw Thomas pitch early with the Mississauga Tigers, earning him a spot in Georgia for the Future Games. The 6-foot, 190-pound righty might  have the best arm speed in the class. Thomas has a strong upper half, and he lived in the mid-to-upper 80s with a breaking ball that made his fastball look harder. Thomas’ slider sits low-to-mid 70s and hovers around 2400 spin rate. The fastball also shows some arm-side run, making life tough on righty’s.

Matteo Pare RHP / 1B / St. Thomas of Villanova, ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 3 Very few arms were as consistent as Pare this season. The 6-foot-4 righty was a steady mid 80s arm with some feel for the strike zone. His numbers didn’t jump off the page, but the Windsor arm is one of the more intriguing uncommitted players in 2023.

Griffin Howell RHP / OF / St. Annes , ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 7 / POS: 4 Right behind Pare is another Windsor right-hander, Nebraska commit Griffin Howell. Howell showed some spark on the mound in Georgia. In his first inning of work at the Future Games, he worked up to 90, using a short and darty arm action. When his slider is up it plays that way, but down in the zone it worked more as a cutty fastball. There’s some strength there, and with some more innings he’s bound for a big year.

Rees Kozar C / OF / St. Thomas of Villanova , ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 8 / POS: 1 One of the bigger surprises this year was uncommitted 2023 Rees Kozar. The GLC catcher showed some thump at the dish all summer, and by the time he got to Dunedin with Team Canada, he proved to be one of the more interesting players to watch. The build is a sturdy 6-foot, 200-pound frame that plays at the dish. Kozar starts wide, but hits the ball hard to both sides of the field. His style is very blue collar, but it was enough to get him in our Top 10.

Andrew Johnston C / 3B / IMG Academy, ON / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 2 You could argue that Johnston is one of the strongest players in our 2023 class. Our latest newcomer into the Top 10, he spent his year at IMG Academy in Florida. Johnston made one of the biggest leaps in the rankings, adding size and strength to his frame since his appearance at the Future Games. Add in a consistent 100+ exit velo and there’s good reason to like him going forward.

 

THE BEST OF THE REST

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/06	The MAX - McCook, Ill.
Junior Future Game Trials	ON	02/18	The Athlete Matrix
2022 New Year Open	ON	02/21	Vaughan Sportsplex
PBR Canada Spring Training Event	ON	03/12	Panama City Beach Sports Complex
Improve My Profile with Game Video (Ontario)	ON	08/29	Ontario