2017 Rankings Update: Risers
November 24, 2016
By Greg Williams
Director of Scouting Pennsylvania / West Virginia
Today's article on prospects who made big jumps in our soon-to-be updated 2017 rankings is the second installment of a preview for the entire list being released at the end of the week. The rest of the series will be devoted to a look at the top ten . Where these risers fall among the 225 prospects in the updated Class of 2017 rankings will be released on Sunday.
Five pitchers -- Penn Manor LHP Jeff Taylor (Penn State), Pine-Richland LHP Ryan Okuda (Virginia Tech), Spring-Ford RHP Ryne Moore (Old Domininon), Cumberland Valley RHP Beck Way (Belmont Abbey) and State College RHP Mason Mellott (Penn State) -- all made sizable jumps in this update.
Taylor heads the list continuing his climb towards the top 10 prospects in the class. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound lefty now consistently sits in the 86-87 mph range with his fastball while possessing arguably the best curveball/changeup combination among pitchers in this class. Mellott, a local product, will join Taylor at Penn State next fall. While his secondary offerings need refinement, Mellott's heavy fastball sits 84-86 and he has shown the ability to run it to the plate at 88 mph with some sink.
Okuda (right) has added twenty pounds of good weight and has seen his fastball climb into the mid-80s. The lefty works from a 3/4 arm slot with easy effort and solid command of a three-pitch mix.
Moore and Way (video below) are athletic right-handers that both stand 6-foot-3 with room to add to their long, lean frames. The pair have shown mid-80s velocity with solid complimentary offerings while projecting for continued velocity gains over the coming years.
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