2021 State Rankings Update
March 28, 2021
As we prepare for HS baseball action in Washington for the first time in over a year, we wanted to revisit our 2021 state rankings and expand our list heading into the season.
Although 2020 was anything but normal, players made the most of the opportunities they were handed when they could get out on the diamond.
Whether it was a local tournament, travel ball game or showcase opportunities, there were prospects to follow and watch develop.
This updated list expands to 225 prospects for the senior class. It will be reworked and expanded again at the completion of the spring season.
Since its inception in 2005, the Prep Baseball Report has evolved into one of the country’s biggest and most respected independent scouting services, with a singular focus of providing comprehensive year-round coverage in every state we are in. The mission of the Prep Baseball Report is to scout and promote amateur baseball - high school, junior college and college - and, ultimately, help athletes achieve their dreams of playing baseball at the next level.
Rankings are based off evaluations by scouting director Dan Jurik as well as additional PBR scouts across the country who have seen prospects from the state at various events.
With a majority of the prospects on the list uncommitted, the goal is for this information to help assist college coaches as they look to finalize their recruiting classes and add additional pieces to their roster.
Full list - HERE
2021 state rankings
top 10 preview
RANK | NAME | STATE | SCHOOL | CLASS | POS | COMMITMENT |
1 | Malakhi Knight | WA | Marysville-Getchell | 2021 | OF | UCLA |
2 | Max Debiec | WA | O'Dea | 2021 | RHP | Washington |
3 | Antonio Guerrero | WA | Fife | 2021 | 3B | Washington |
4 | Nathan DeSchryver | WA | Bainbridge | 2021 | RHP | Gonzaga |
5 | Tommy Brandenburg | WA | Kalama | 2021 | RHP | Oregon |
6 | Jasiah George | WA | Bainbridge | 2021 | RHP | Washington |
7 | Zach Toglia | WA | Gig Harbor | 2021 | 3B | Utah |
8 | Jessada Brown | WA | Chief Sealth | 2021 | C | UC Santa Barbara |
9 | Kai Francis | WA | Bainbridge | 2021 | RHP | Gonzaga |
10 | Drake Anderson | WA | Puyallup | 2021 | SS | Washington State |
Top 3 Remain unchanged
Not much change towards the top of the rankings as the “Big 3” for Washington remain the same. UCLA commit Malakhi Knight (Marysville Getchell) has been a staple at the #1 spot for years now and shows no signs of slowing down. The dynamic outfielder will head into the spring season with the chance to be a Day 1 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft
2019 Underclass Area Codes
Right behind Knight is the ultra-projectable arm of RHP Max Debiec (O’Dea). The Washington commit exploded onto the scene in the summer of his sophomore year and has consistently landed in the Top 50 of our national rankings since then. His combination of size, stuff and future projection is tough to find at the prep level.
AJ Guerrero (Fife) was a big riser in our 2021 national rankings and has the potential to be a huge helium prospect leading up to the MLB draft. Simply put, Guerrero can flat out hit and he always seems to have competitive at-bats against high level competition. It truly is an exceptional hit tool that will consistently allow Guerrero to force his way into a line-up. Washington commit.
‘21 OF/3B AJ Guerrero (WA) is my sleeper pick-to-click in the Pacific Northwest this year.
— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) August 7, 2020
Aggressive hacks with high exit velos. Physical frame to do damage. Gets lots of hits.
Firm single here ?⬇️@UW_Baseball recruit#MLBDraft @NathanRode @PBR_Washington pic.twitter.com/SOV8eaGmgM
Right Handed Pitching at 4-5-6
Right-handed pitching dominates the middle of the Top 10 with some new names on the rise. Gonzaga commit Nathan DeSchryver (Bainbridge) is our next top prospect outside of the top 3. He has exceptional athleticism on the mound and there’s some electricity in the arm. The secondary offerings and overall polish are continuing to improve as he gets more seasoning. Oregon commit Tommy Brandenburg (Kalama) is on the rise for his consistent performance as well as an uptick in velocity. Big time competitor in-game who trusts his secondary stuff in big spots and should continue to fill up the strike zone. Newcomer to the top 10, RHP Jasiah George (Bainbridge) has a unique backstory as he reclassified from the 2020 class and has recently transitioned to pitching. Despite his lack of experience on the bump, the pure talent and upside is exceptional. George has a clean, free and easy arm action and produces velocity with minimal effort. He’s been 89-91 on our looks this off-season with a high spin slider that has the chance to be above average. Washington commit.
#7 Zach Toglia (Gig Harbor) has impressed both in a workout setting and in-game. With an ideal frame/size for a corner spot, his tools fit well at the hot corner. A sound defender with an above average arm and the chance to hit for both power and average. The Utah commit does a lot of things very well & still has some ceiling left to tap into.
#8 Jessada Brown (Chief Sealth) is an exceptional athlete who gets high marks from us for his bat speed and raw power potential. The speed and power combination give him exciting upside and he’s shown the ability to handle both catching and OF duties. UCSB commit.
#9 RHP Kai Francis (Bainbridge) continues to show a ‘starter profile’ with his size, arm action and 3-pitch arsenal. Tall and wiry on the mound with a smooth, continuous arm path. Francis creates easy velocity and his secondary offerings come out of hand easy. Gonzaga commit.
#10 INF Drake Anderson (Puyallup) has been on our radar since we started scouting the territory in 2019. The high energy infielder brings a hard-nosed approach to the game on both sides of the ball. His offensive potential has steadily increased as he continues to get stronger and more physical.
Just outside of the Top 10…
The list of players from 11-25 is stacked with prospects who could easily claim a Top 10 spot once we get to our next update after the spring season. The next 4 position players on our board, OF Kyle Fossum (Eastside Catholic/Washington commit), INF Jake Larson (Kentlake/Minnesota commit), INF Aiden Van Rensum (Archbishop Murphy/Oregon commit) and C Drew Reynolds (WF West/Texas Tech commit) all have diverse skill sets positionally but each of them carry offensive upside and the chance to do damage at the plate.
#16 RHP Peysen Sweeney (Liberty) has made a big surge up the rankings and heads into the 2021 season with a ton of positive momentum behind him. The Washington commit has a heavy FB at 87-89 with hard, late sinking action to his arm side. The CH presently works best off of his FB but his SL has shown considerable development in the last few months.
?Commitment Alert?
— PBR Washington (@PBR_Washington) November 2, 2020
‘21 RHP Peysen Sweeney (@libertypatsbb/@BaseballSweets) has committed to @UW_Baseball
Sweeney was 87-89 last night with a heavy, sinking FB. Also showed CH at 81-83 and sweeping breaker at 69-71
? https://t.co/Rm8v0xJcsp pic.twitter.com/SSMOJNyvl2
More content on rankings coming shortly…