Last week the updated Class of 2022 Rankings for the state of North Carolina were released.  Today we begin to breakdown some of the news and notes coming from the update, starting with “By the Numbers.”

Overall, the rankings jumped from the top 150 players in the state to the top 200 players.  The expanded list was derived from the work that PBR Scouts have put in throughout the spring and summer.  Throughout the early spring, PBR Scouts were attending High School Games.  As the spring season was shut down, PBR began to rely on Scout Days, Open IDs, Top Prospect events, as well as attending workouts, games, tournaments, and more. 

The talent in the 2022 class in the state is deep and has a very high ceiling at the top of the list.  With 32 players repped in the PBR Overall Rankings for the class, it is easy to see how well respected this class is across the country.  While the 2022 class will still feel some of the effects of the COVID decisions, the class in North Carolina will still be well positioned to make a lot of noise in the coming years, at a number of different levels.

As we begin to take a deep dive into the rankings in the coming weeks, we start with By the Numbers.  This is just a quick look at some of the breakdown of the numbers produced by the updated rankings.

 

2022 Rankings By the Numbers

 

200 Players Ranked

Up from 150 players in the previous rankings release, this class will continue to grow.  The player database for the 2022s is over 1500 players that PBR has seen in the past couple of years.  Scouts work to put player grades, when there is enough information, on each player in the database.  The player grade is sorted with a confidence rating on the grade as well.  The confidence rating is simply a measure of how much information is present, how old the information is, and the number of times a player has been evaluated.  From there players are sorted blindly, removing names, schools, and commitments.  The sort is based on the player grade, his confidence rating, and several metrics.  From that sort the player rankings are built.

 

59 Newcomers to the Updated Rankings

59 players make their debut in the NC Rankings for the 2022 class.  With the list expanded from 150 to 200, there were naturally 50 slots available.  Some of the overflow of newcomers comes from players dropping out of the rankings.  There are players that have re-classed, moved out of NC, as well as players that have classed into the 2022 class and moved into NC. 

The highest ranked newcomer to the 2022 rankings is Hunter Sloop (RHP, Combine Academy).  Sloop, a two-sport prospect entering the summer has made the decision to concentrate on baseball and has transferred to the Combine Academy.