2022 Overall Rankings Update
March 30, 2021
With winter workouts finally in the rearview mirror, and the progress seen at them, along with some early spring game action, an update to the 2022 Overall Rankings is here. The class has quickly graduated from wide-eyed underclassmen with the Covid-19 fast-forward button essentially taking it from freshman to junior year. Merely four months from its own “MLB Draft Year”, the group continues to show strength in depth, but especially in the premium talent seen at the top. Below, a breakdown of some of those prospects along with some intriguing storylines:
Must-Know RHP's
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Dylan Lesko RHP / Buford, GA / 2022Lesko, a Vanderbilt recruit, shows no signs of slowing down, and as the top pitcher in the class, continues to elevate his repertoire and level of play. Clean and efficient throughout a polished and athletic delivery, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander has already been up to 97 mph, working 92-95, in the early spring with an explosive fastball that plays up even higher thanks to a plus changeup that is thrown firmer than when seen in the past at 85-86 with equally impressive results. Intensifying his hold as the top arm in the class, Lesko has made a big jump with his breaking ball, a sharp slider that tunnels the fastball when thrown at its best with 10/4 shape. Built with some lean strength throughout, Lesko still holds considerable projection on the frame, and while the stuff is already premium, it is scary to think that he could get even better.
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Brock Porter RHP / Orchard Lake St Marys, MI / 2022Porter, a Clemson recruit, explodes into the top 5 in this rendition of the rankings as his dynamic athleticism and strong arm are impossible to ignore heading into the summer. Up to 99 mph in his first start of the spring season, the broad-shouldered, 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander immediately passes the eye-test with the frame and quick continuous arm stroke that oozes potential. He gets a strong drive off the back side with quality extension out front, and similarly to Lesko, counters his velocity with a vicious changeup (79-84) that takes hard sinking action in the form of a split-finger, and is already a confident weapon that he uses at will. High school teammates with 2021 MLB Draft prospect, SS Alex Mooney (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep), and fellow top 20 ‘22 prospect, 1B/OF Nolan Schubart, so there will be plenty of track record for MLB scouts when looking towards July of 2022.
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JR Ritchie RHP / Bainbridge Island, WA / 2022Moxie and polish: that is exactly what Ritchie, a UCLA recruit, brings to the mound with a full arsenal of pitches that he is confident throwing at any time. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-hander has a wiry-athletic frame that should hold much more strength in the future although he already gets solid use of the lower-half in working down the mound to allow his quick arm to work freely. Beyond the pure stuff, which includes a 96 mph fastball, tunneled 80-84 slider, and darting changeup (82-84), Ritchie’s intangibles continue to raise his stock amongst an impressive crop of arms in the class. A quiet confidence and aura pervades him, and he attacks the zone with the fastball to all quadrants fearlessly. While consistently performing in big games with poise, the most impressive thing about Ritchie might just be that he continues to get better with each look.
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Nazier Mule RHP / PCTI, NJ / 2022Mule, a recent Miami recruit, brings electrifying athleticism and power production to everything that he does. Also a talented hitter with a fluid stroke and light-tower power, his present ability on the mound will bring plenty of important eyes to outings as early as this spring. Built with some present physicality across a 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame, Mule is dynamic throughout the delivery getting quality movement patterns to work in sync while remaining compact in a shorter arm stroke before allowing a low-to-mid 90s fastball to jump out of the hand. He counters the heat with a sharp slider that he rips off with intent in the low 80s and demonstrates his aptitude for spin by also showcasing a curveball. The changeup takes fading action and is thrown with fastball arm speed. Mule expects success while on the mound, and that confidence helps elevate the elite stuff that he presently possesses. |
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Andrew Dutkanych IV RHP / Brebeuf, IN / 2022With obvious “hop” to a fastball that runs up above 96 mph (96.23 mph via Trackman in a February bullpen), the imposing Dutkanych produces eye-opening power while on the mound. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Vanderbilt recruit is built with a workhorse frame that will be impossible for MLB scouts to ignore this summer. He attacks hitters in the zone with the fastball which jumps out of the hand thanks to a shorter arm stroke, and is elevated by the ability to tunnel a tightly-spun slider (84-86, 2653 RPM avg.) that takes true-form with short, late break, and flashes potential as a real swing-and-miss offering. He also exhibits quality feel for a faded changeup at 81-83. Dutkanych has the power stuff to match his powerful frame, and his intent to grow his arsenal with a strong understanding of pitch design should only help elevate his stuff in the future.
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Jacob Miller RHP / Liberty Union, OH / 2022Rankings OverallRank: 19 / POS: 6
Miller, a Louisville recruit, brings an innate ability to spin the baseball to the mound where he is polished with a high probability of moving forward as a starter. The wiry-athletic right-hander has already been up to 94 mph this spring with some of the better breaking stuff in the class including both a curveball and slider, along with a faded changeup. It is a full arsenal of offerings for Miller, who seems intent on delivering swings and misses, and with a well-connected, repeatable delivery, it is easy to envision his continued progress and success. Wiry-thin at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds, the frame should hold much more weight/strength in the future, which should only help elevate the stuff.
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Caden Marcum RHP / Paola, KS / 2022Go ahead and label Marcum the “sleeper” of this group, and there is definitely a chance that he might rise much higher over the next 12-18 months. Long-limbed and athletic at 6-foot-5, 160-pounds, Marcum has the athleticism and twitch to continue as a two-way player at Tennessee with some exciting abilities at the plate, but his dynamic arsenal on the mound lends to idea that he could blossom into a frontline starter. His whippy right arm produced fastballs in the low 90s late last fall with some hop through the zone, and each of his three secondary offerings flash plus-potential when thrown at their best. Having spent much of his time split as a position player, Marcum’s upside on the mound remains some of the highest in the class.
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Making Moves:
+ INF Jackson Holliday, an Oklahoma State recruit, has steadily risen up the rankings since first announcing his presence with authority at the PBR Future Games as a rising sophomore. Now, almost two years later, the left-handed hitter has not slowed down, and instead has climbed to greater heights. The bat is an obvious carrying tool as he demonstrates an innate ability to track pitches and get off quality, aggressive hacks in all counts against premium arms. His approach is advanced as he slows the game and sees spin quickly out of the hand. His 6-foot frame has quickly added strength and should continue doing so which will only increase the present pull side power and more specifically gap-to-gap ability for a prospect who is coming out of high school right as versatile defenders are being valued at the professional level.
Jackson Holliday (August 2020)
+ LHP Cade Fisher (Northwest Whitfield HS, GA), a Florida recruit, oozes potential with a quick arm and 6-foot-4, 187-pound wide-shouldered frame. Effortlessly pumping fastballs up to 92 mph early on in the spring, Fisher’s ability to miss bats with the pitch, along with a sharp 76-78 curveball, has led to high strikeout numbers, and there is good reason to believe he will continue trending up this summer.
Cade Fisher (March 2021)
+ LHP Jackson Ferris (IMG Academy, FL), an Ole Miss recruit, sports a similar profile to Fisher including a somewhat durable 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. His fastball has consistently been up to 94 mph all spring, garnering plenty of swings-and-misses along with solid feel for breaking stuff. Ferris’ ability to get whiffs in the zone on the fastball against elite high school talent is of high note with IMG’s strong schedule, and the physical profile including the impressive arm strength should send Ferris into the summer towards the top of most follow lists.
Jackson Ferris (February 2021)
+ RHP Owen Murphy (Riverside Brookfield HS, IL), a Notre Dame recruit, continues to dazzle with exciting athleticism on the mound that includes a fastball that is up to 92 mph with upwards of 2515 RPM and riding life. The movement patterns are smooth and fluid with a compact delivery that allows the arm to work short and quick before the ball explodes out of the hand and at the plate. He counters the fastball with a sharp curveball at 72-75 that could ultimately morph into a power-slider at some point in the future.
Owen Murphy (June 2020)
+ RHP Ryan Fry (Wharton HS, FL), a Miami recruit, has seen steady velocity gains over the past year, and his clean arm path and athleticism promise even more looking towards the summer. Touching 94 mph on a consistent basis while racking up swings and misses, Fry utilizes a shorter arm stroke while remaining linear down the mound and commanding the fastball to the glove side. The fluid delivery allows him to find a consistent arm slot in driving the fastball to the bottom of the zone, and he also shows feel for a 77-79 curveball with 11/5 shape that could ultimately serve as a weapon moving forward. Coming out of talent-rich Florida, look for Fry to continue to get opportunities to perform in front of important eyes over the next 12-18 months.
Ryan Fry (February 2021)
+ CF Payton Brennan (Rocklin HS, CA), a UCLA recruit, easily passes the eye-test at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds with lean strength across an athletic frame. Adding to his upside as a prospect, the left-handed hitter possesses a plus-tool with his speed, and has a knack for finding firm gap-to-gap contact. After a difficult year to assess talent in the Golden State, Brennan might only be just starting his ascension up the 2022 list.
Payton Brennan (March 2021)
Sleeper Class: Arizona
With depth that extends well beyond the top 500 of the overall list, Arizona’s 2022 class has emerged as even more talented than previously suspected. At the top, OF Gavin Turley (Hamilton HS, AZ), an Oregon State recruit, takes over thanks to quick hands that whip the barrel through the zone with some exciting power potential from the right side. Behind him, long-limbed LHP Austin Humphries (Shadow Ridge HS, AZ), and Arizona State recruit, continues to trend up towards the high ceiling that has been set for so long, and is now running his fastball up into the low 90s with more likely on the way. Still more, players like LHP/OF Brandon Compton (Buckeye Union HS, AZ), a San Diego recruit, and RHP Hayden Lewis (Chaparral HS, AZ), an Arizona recruit have seen recent jumps and bring exciting upside and quick arms to the diamond. Speedy outfielders, OF Ethan Hott (Chaparral HS, AZ), a Stanford recruit, and OF TJ Adams (Red Mountain HS, AZ), an Arizona recruit give the state even more to get excited about looking towards next year.
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