2024 Overall Rankings Updated & Expanded
October 1, 2021
A full summer slate of action with PBR’s boots-on-the-ground staff combing the country for talent at events/workouts/games/tournaments gives way to an update to the 2024 Overall Rankings. More than 200 new players enter the list as it expands to 500 players across the country. Still very much developing and being discovered, there is sure to be change in store, but a firm truth prevails regardless: this group holds immense upside.
Bryce Rainer
While the Top 10 saw just one change, the growth of the class is more apparent in the top 25 where nine new players enter. And while there was fluidity throughout (and will continue to be), RHP/OF Bryce Rainer (Harvard Westlake HS, CA) continues his grasp on the top overall spot. The long, lean, and athletic UCLA recruit was an intrical part in Harvard-Westlake’s Division 1 championship in the spring, and continues to equally exciting upside as a position player and pitcher.
Stepping into the 2-hole as the top player in the state of Texas, SS Theo Gillen (Westlake HS, TX) combines elite upside with present barrel awareness in producing one of the sweetest strokes in the class. The Austin native looks the part on the dirt and his projectable 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame should continue seeing strength advancements in assisting in even greater power production in the future.
George Wolkow
Up to number three, 3B/RHP George Wolkow (Downers Grove North HS, IL), a South Carolina recruit, is already opening the eyes of professional scouts thanks to a physical frame and imposing left-handed bat. An innate ability to keep the barrel in the zone while working uphill, Wolkow looks the part of a future middle-of-the-order bat with some of the biggest power potential in the class.
Jack Frankel
Rounding out the top five, CF Derek Curiel (Orange Lutheran HS, CA) and RHP Jack Frankel (John Paul II, TX) are already must-watch talents. Curiel, a dynamic outfielder whose ability to slow the game down is nearly unmatched in the class, found barrel after barrel at the PBR Future Games, and while his 6-foot-2, 168-pound frame is still very much filling out, he already flashes surprising strength to all fields with more on the way. Frankel, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound Mississippi State recruit, is the most polished arm in the class. He possesses innate understanding for spin including a low 90s fastball with hop and advanced feel for a full arsenal of pitches. The big right-hander looks the part of a frontline starter and continues to climb to new heights with each look.
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Blake Larson LHP / OF / Dowling Catholic, IA / 2024Rankings OverallRank: 6 / POS: 1
Larson, a TCU recruit and sole newcomer to the top 10, possesses special athleticism along with an electric left arm. Swinging a heavy barrel with easy rhythm from the left side, there is certainly two-way potential, but the upside on the mound could ultimately be too much to ignore. A low 90s fastball jumps out of the hand, but it is his ability to spin a tight breaking ball and kill spin on the changeup that make Larson so intriguing in the class. A quality mover down the mound, the arm is whippy with present understanding of movement patterns in repeating an athletic delivery. The young southpaw might have the highest upside in the class. |
A LOOK AT THE TOP 10:
| RANK | NAME | STATE | SCHOOL | CLASS | POS | COMMITMENT |
| 1 | Bryce Rainer | CA | Harvard Westlake | 2024 | SS | UCLA |
| 2 | Theo Gillen | TX | Westlake | 2024 | SS | |
| 3 | George Wolkow | IL | Downers Grove North | 2024 | 3B | South Carolina |
| 4 | Derek Curiel | CA | Orange Lutheran | 2024 | OF | |
| 5 | Jack Frankel | TX | John Paul II | 2024 | RHP | Mississippi State |
| 6 | Blake Larson | IA | Dowling Catholic | 2024 | LHP | Texas Christian |
| 7 | Jackson Sanders | AL | Valley | 2024 | LHP | Auburn |
| 8 | PJ Morlando | SC | Summerville | 2024 | C | Mississippi State |
| 9 | Chris Newstrom | AZ | Chaparral | 2024 | SS | |
| 10 | Talan Bell | FL | Hagerty | 2024 | LHP |
Names to Know: Risers
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Drew Graham LHP / 1B / Avon Lake, OH / 2024Rankings OverallRank: 15 / POS: 4
Graham’s electric stuff lit up Lakepoint at the PBR Future Games where his 91 mph fastball might have been overshadowed by the potential for a plus curveball and changeup. The wiry-athletic 6-foot, 175-pounder has an elastic delivery and is an elite mover down the mound with one of the quickest arms in the class. The breaking ball is already a swing-and-miss offering with tight spin and multi-tier break, and he demonstrates intent to miss bats with each pitch. Nearly a year young for the class, Graham still shows signs of making bigger jumps in the near future, and moves up to #15 overall.
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Henry Allen 3B / 1B / Auburn , AL / 2024Allen’s bat hasn’t slowed down since emerging on the scene last spring, and the more looks, the more results that he delivers. A consummate performer with a heavy barrel, the right-handed hitting infielder looks the part of a run-producing, middle-of-the-order bat thanks to advanced barrel awareness and accuracy. The Mississippi State recruit moves up to #16 overall. |
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Blaine Rowland RHP / OF / Durant, FL / 2024Athletic with a strong base, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander has been up to 90 mph with a short, quick arm that produces some ride and run through the bottom of the zone. Easy with the delivery, Rowland works the fastball effortlessly to both sides of the plate with aptitude for spin that includes manipulating the shape of the breaking ball which flashes as a future out-pitch. The Florida recruit jumps into the overall rankings at #29.
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Cole Crafton SS / 3B / Lincoln-Way West, IL / 2024Rankings OverallRank: 44 / POS: 11
Crafton, a Louisville recruit and high school quarterback, continues to get more physical as his athletic 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame fills out, and it is showing up even more in the power production. The left-handed hitter is part of what is shaping up to be a stellar crop of premium prospects in Illinois’s 2024 class which includes five players in the top 75. Crafton is ranked #44 overall.
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Rustan Rigdon SS / RHP / Metter, GA / 2024Rigdon exploded on the national stage with a standout performance at the PBR Future Games. The wiry switch-hitting shortstop is long and lean with plenty of growth left to go, but already produces consistent loud contact from both sides of the plate with more power likely on the way. Silky on the infield with soft hands and a strong arm that serves him well on the mound as well, Rigdon still shows even more upside and is likely not done rising in the 2024 class. RIgdon checks in at #47 overall. |
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Wyatt Sanford SS / 2B / Independence , TX / 2024Sanford, now a Texas A&M recruit, showcased a high motor at the PBR Future Games which paired well with the elite tools and potential that he possesses. A left-handed hitter with a flat path, he exhibits an innate ability to cover the plate thanks to quick hands, and plays with bounce on the infield including advanced glove-to-hand ability. Sandford moves to #48 overall. |
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JD Dix SS / 3B / Whitefish Bay, WI / 2024Rankings OverallRank: 52 / POS: 14
Dix is hardly a newcomer to the national limelight of the class which makes his label as a “riser” that much more impressive. Long and lean at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds, the switch-hitting shortstop continues to trend up thanks to advanced athleticism, but even more so the crisp fluidity that he plays with on the diamond. Slowing the game down while still playing fast, Dix lays a heavy barrel on the ball from both sides, and looks the part at shortstop where he sure-handed with an accurate arm across the diamond. Dix is ranked #52 overall.
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