Updated Class Of 2018 Rankings

Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Twitter: @PBR_Texas

It has been a busy four-plus months since the last official update to the Texas class of 2018 rankings. Today the list extends to 200 prospects, as the spring and summer season allowed the Prep Baseball Report scouting staff to track down emerging talent at high school games, tournaments and showcases.

There is some shuffling among the top ten, including a new No. 1 in LHP Jonathan Childress (Forney HS). Childress stands 6-feet-4 inches tall with a 215-pound, projectable, long-limbed frame. The Texas A&M recruit recently pitched at Tournament Of Stars in front of our scouting staff in North Carolina. Childress carved with his advanced three-pitch mix, headlined by a big curveball that ranged between 77-81 mph. He consistently threw his breaking ball for strikes and froze hitters en route to racking up a game-high six strikeouts. Childress also beat hitters with his 87-89 mph fastball that topped out at 91. The fastball appeared to sneak up on hitters who have been barreling up big velocity the last few days, as he got a lot of swing and misses on it. For good measure, he showed feel for his 80-83 mph changeup that flashed some cut and sink. All three pitches come out of the same window, and everything out of the hand looks easy. Childress didn’t issue a walk while giving up two hits in his four innings, which only required 44 pitches (66 percent strikes).

Moving up to No. 2 is RHP Matt Rudis (Madisonville HS). The 6-foot-3, 195-pound, TCU recruit has a strong, projectable frame with broad shoulders. Rudis works from a high-¾ slot with a loose, easy arm stroke. His fastball explodes on hitters at 92-93 mph, touching 94 mph once in his inning of work (96 mph on the scoreboard radar gun). His slider is a plus pitch with 11-5 shape, late bite, swing-and-miss life and depth at 81-82 mph. The stuff is already electric, but his strong, projectable frame and easy arm action suggest that his velocity could continue to climb.

RHP/3B Simeon Woods-Richardson (Kempner HS) moves up to No. 3 after putting together a stellar junior season. The Texas recruit stands 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, and has a strong, athletic frame, working from a high-¾ slot with a loose, clean arm action and an easy, athletic delivery. Woods-Richardson's fastball has been up to 93 and he has a good feel for four pitches. A two-way player, Woods-Richardson led Kempner this year both on the mound and in the field, bouncing between third base and shortstop.

Moving up one spot to No. 4 is RHP Adam Kloffenstein (Magnolia HS). The TCU recruit threw four innings at Tournament of Stars, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out three. He has a big frame at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds and is committed to Texas Christian. There is some stiffness to his delivery, but he was up to 93, sitting 89-91, and got down angle on his fastball at times. His slider has short break and ranged from 78-84.

Climbing into the top ten is RHP Braxton Ashcraft (Robinson HS), who moved from No. 12 to No. 5. The Baylor recruit stands 6-foot-5, 195-pounds, with a long-limbed, projectable frame. We recently saw Ashcraft get up to 93 and 95 mph in Dallas, and he was 88-90 mph at Area Code Tryouts and flashes a low-80’s slider and changeup.

Here is a look at the Top 20 in Texas’ 2018 class>>

To see the complete updated 2018 rankings, CLICK HERE.

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