Texas Rankings Update - 2023 Class

Blake Mitchell came onto the scene back in the fall of 2019 as a young freshman catcher that held his own playing with an older  team for the weekend. He also shined behind the plate early in the 2020 high school season before the Covid shutdown. Fast forward about two years, and Blake Mitchell is in the discussion as one of the best baseball players in the entire country.  The LSU commit played shortstop mainly in the high school season for 4A power Sinton. He was elite behind the plate as a catcher, as well as in the box all summer for The Twelve.  Last but not least, he will also run the fastball up to 94 with a clean loose arm and dominate on the mound. 

Behind the plate, he shows elite receiving ability with strong yet soft hands, natural athleticism to block balls moving in both directions, and a plus arm to control the running game. In the box, Mitchell has a simple load, direct path to the ball, and gets great extension through the baseball allowing him to drive the ball deep to all parts of the field. Overall, the recent USA 18U national team member, Blake Mitchell has a shot to be special when it's all said and done. 

Standing an imposing 6-foot-6, 215-pounds Sykora has continued to develop into the power arm and bat that he has always shown signs of becoming. Late in the spring in a short outing, Sykora slammed the door on Lake Travis for a playoff victory where he sat 94-97mph, and carried that success over through the summer. The raw power in the bat is nothing to slouch about either. He shows plenty to like about him at the dish as he continues to develop into the hitter he can become. The uncommitted two way prospect is adamant about reaching his potential on both sides of the ball at the next level, and there's no reason to believe he won't. Last but not least, don't be surprised if you happen to see or hear about triple digits on a radar gun from Sykora in the future. 

Pompey comes in as the top shortstop in the class, standing 6-foot-4, 175-pounds with a high waist and still plenty more room for physical development. Pompey has always been able to pick it on defense and plays the game with an ease on the dirt. The question was if he was going to be able to match his natural athleticism and defensive ability at the plate. Pompey was impressive all spring in the box for DFW power, Coppell, and he also carried that right over into the summer. His summer was capped off by a quality showing at the Underclass Area Code Games against some of the best underclassmen from around the country. Pompey can also hop on the mound and show a clean, loose, whippy arm up to 91 with more in the tank. All in all Pompey is starting to blossom and the future is bright for the young shortstop. 

Rounding out our top 5, Sharp is another talented two-way prospect that has steadily improved over the last couple of years since our staff was first able to see him. On the mound, the athletic left hander has made jumps up to 87-89 mph with the fastball. Sharp has always shown feel for spin in the zone for strikes, and in the dirt for a chase, as well as throwing a quality changeup as his third pitch. Sharp has a loose, natural arm path, and is plenty athletic to think there is still more in the tank from a velocity standpoint. At the dish, the left handed swinging center fielder is more than capable of driving the ball for extra bases to all parts of the park as well as utilizing his speed and athleticism on the base paths to create issues for the defense. All in all, Sharp has steadily improved each and every time we have seen him and only shows signs of continuing his natural progression into the player he can become.