State's Best Under Classes players
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Currently free info on Perfect Game's website, class of 2018 (juniors) Iowa state rankings:
Class of 2017 (seniors) Iowa state rankings:
- Ian Bedell (Davenport Central) - committed to Missouri
- Clayton Nettleton (Davenport West) - committed to Iowa
- Luke Patzner (Urbandale) - committed to Iowa
- Connor Van Scoyoc (CR Jefferson) - committed to Arizona State
- Brayden Frazier (CR Jefferson) - committed to Iowa
- Will Christopherson (Pleasant Valley)
- Tony Comellas (Iowa City West)
- Jayden Kies (IC Regina)
- Mason Hook (CR Prairie)
- Brady Bunten (CR Washington) - committed to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville
- Levi Usher (CR Prairie)
- Connor Bedell (Davenport Central)
- Luke Yacinich (Dowling)
- Nic McCay (Carlisle)
- Jacob Bockenstedt (CR Washington)
- Connor Crabill (Dubuque Hempstad)
- Kade Vander Molen (Pella Christian)
- Jarrett Blunt (Ottumwa)
- Jackson Bennett (Dyersville Beckman)
Class of 2017 (seniors) Iowa state rankings:
- Trey Leonard (CR Washington) - Louisville
- Jack Dreyer (Johnston) - Iowa
- John Swanda (DM Roosevelt) - Nebraska
- Cam Baumann (Fairfield) - Iowa
- Joel Thompson (CB Lewis) - Iowa
- Ben Probst (Dowling) - Nebraska
- Jordan Wendel (Alta) - Butler
- Connor McCaffery (IC West) - Iowa
- Izaya Ono-Fullard (IC West) - juco?
- Tyler Hillman (Pella) - NDSU
- Gregory Bennett (Western Dubuque) - Iowa Western
- Connor Schultz (Cedar Falls) - Butler
- Anthony Alepra (CR Kennedy) - Northwestern
- Evan Reifert (Wilton) - NIACC
- Ben Beutel (Davenport Assumption) - Bowling Green
- Oliver Martin (IC West)
- Jarred Wood (CR Jefferson) - Northwest Missouri State
- Matt Berst (CR Kennedy) - Illinois State
- Brett Daley (Treynor) - Central Arkansas
- Bryce Simon (Cascade) - SCC
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I'm learning that if you want your son recruited in baseball that it definitely helps to sign up and attend these showcases that Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report offers. As far as I know that's the only way you can get in their rankings.
It's great exposure, but it comes at a price.
It's great exposure, but it comes at a price.
Yes. Without verified measurables, it is nearly impossible to get noticed by a Division I or II coaching staff unless they are in your back yard. And it definitely comes at a price.
Unless you are the absolute cream of the crop, you still have to do a lot of leg work even with these showcases. The inability to travel in the summer because of school-sanctioned baseball really hurts the state's top players. The summer is when the college coaching staffs are available to evaluate and go to the events that have lots of traveling teams and talent present.
You don't need these showcase events for Division III/NAIA.
Unless you are the absolute cream of the crop, you still have to do a lot of leg work even with these showcases. The inability to travel in the summer because of school-sanctioned baseball really hurts the state's top players. The summer is when the college coaching staffs are available to evaluate and go to the events that have lots of traveling teams and talent present.
You don't need these showcase events for Division III/NAIA.
Any ideas on where the 2017 guys that have a chance to be drafted in the MLB draft?
I heard that DM Roosevelt's Swanda recently had a scout in town watching him pitch.
I heard that DM Roosevelt's Swanda recently had a scout in town watching him pitch.
I saw some video and results from the PBR Super 60 Showcase that multiple Iowa players attended - Joel Thompson (CBLC) and Jack Dreyer (Johnston), Iowa commits; Trey Leonard (CRWash), a Louisville commit; and John Swanda (DMRoosevelt), a Nebraska commit.
Leonard is definitely quick/fast, and it helps that he's a left-handed hitter. However, he is very slight of build and he "only" hit 84 in OF velocity and 92 in exit velocity. In my opinion, he definitely will need the college years to bulk up, and I don't expect him to get drafted this spring.
Swanda, on the other hand, continues to impress scouts. I would not at all be surprised if he's drafted. It seems as if he's a good student, and he is definitely a two-way prospect, so it may be that college is his desire. If so and he communicates that to scouts, it could prevent him from getting drafted. I understand that's what happened last spring with Grant Judkins of Pella who ended up not being drafted and is now at Iowa competing for a spot in the weekend pitching rotation there.
Leonard is definitely quick/fast, and it helps that he's a left-handed hitter. However, he is very slight of build and he "only" hit 84 in OF velocity and 92 in exit velocity. In my opinion, he definitely will need the college years to bulk up, and I don't expect him to get drafted this spring.
Swanda, on the other hand, continues to impress scouts. I would not at all be surprised if he's drafted. It seems as if he's a good student, and he is definitely a two-way prospect, so it may be that college is his desire. If so and he communicates that to scouts, it could prevent him from getting drafted. I understand that's what happened last spring with Grant Judkins of Pella who ended up not being drafted and is now at Iowa competing for a spot in the weekend pitching rotation there.
U of Iowa just got a verbal commitment from Andrew Nord (OF Johnston 2019) joining his teammate Peyton Williams (1B Johnston 2019) who verbally committed last Fall. They played large roles as Freshman for Johnston last year. Definitely helps getting the exposure early on. They are both solid players.
Here's the PBR showcase line from 3/5/17 for Ian Moller, a 2021 (8th grade!) catcher in the Dubuque Senior school district (but may go to Dubuque Wahlert):
1.90-1.98 pop time
78 mph catcher velo
88 mph exit velo (metal bat off tee)
7.58 sixty (hand-timed)
Not far away in Western Dubuque is a catcher/OF/SS Calvin Harris (2020) who has a 9.0 ranking (0-10 scale) from Perfect Game:
2.06 pop time
76 mph catcher velo
82 mph exit velo (metal bat off tee)
7.25 sixty
I believe Harris was named MVP after getting the game-winning hit and RBI in the 2016 14U PG Select Baseball Festival in Fort Meyers last September.
1.90-1.98 pop time
78 mph catcher velo
88 mph exit velo (metal bat off tee)
7.58 sixty (hand-timed)
Not far away in Western Dubuque is a catcher/OF/SS Calvin Harris (2020) who has a 9.0 ranking (0-10 scale) from Perfect Game:
2.06 pop time
76 mph catcher velo
82 mph exit velo (metal bat off tee)
7.25 sixty
I believe Harris was named MVP after getting the game-winning hit and RBI in the 2016 14U PG Select Baseball Festival in Fort Meyers last September.
If you care to read about the Perfect Game Spring Top Prospect Showcase that was held in Cedar Rapids on April 29-30 from my perspective, follow this link: https://iowapreps.forums.rivals.com/threads/spring-league-action-2017.19816/.
PBR just updated their class of 2018 rankings. The top 10 is public:
Big movers up the rankings include Jaden Rolffs (Pella) Austin Krob (Lisbon), and Garret Reisz (CB St Albert, formerly Woodbine).
Jevon Mason (Valley) moved down quite a bit from his previous spot in the top 10, but he's more widely recognized as a football athlete at this point.
The 2018 Iowa class is a pretty deep baseball group with players I really like at 40 and lower including Tony Comellas (IC West), Luke Llewellyn (Urbandale), Jack Wilson (IC West), & Nate Mortimer (Carlisle). The latter two are around #70.
It's a difficult thing to rank baseball players, in my opinion, as it's preference to some degree. For example, how do you compare a lefty pitcher specialist with a very versatile athlete that can do a lot of things well? Regardless, it's clear that this is a deep class.
PBR just updated their class of 2018 rankings. The top 10 is public:
- Gus Radel (Sioux Falls, not even an Iowa guy)
- Connor Van Scoyoc (CR Jeff; Arizona State commit)
- Ian Bedell (Dav Central but only playing travel ball now; Missouri commit)
- Brayden Frazier (CR Jeff; Iowa)
- Luke Patzner (Urbandale; Iowa)
- Clayton Nettleton (Dav West; Iowa)
- Daniel Powers (Dav Assumption; Kansas State)
- Nic McCay (Carlisle)
- Luke Yacinich (Dowling)
- Brady Bunten (CR Wash; SIUe)
Big movers up the rankings include Jaden Rolffs (Pella) Austin Krob (Lisbon), and Garret Reisz (CB St Albert, formerly Woodbine).
Jevon Mason (Valley) moved down quite a bit from his previous spot in the top 10, but he's more widely recognized as a football athlete at this point.
The 2018 Iowa class is a pretty deep baseball group with players I really like at 40 and lower including Tony Comellas (IC West), Luke Llewellyn (Urbandale), Jack Wilson (IC West), & Nate Mortimer (Carlisle). The latter two are around #70.
It's a difficult thing to rank baseball players, in my opinion, as it's preference to some degree. For example, how do you compare a lefty pitcher specialist with a very versatile athlete that can do a lot of things well? Regardless, it's clear that this is a deep class.
I'm sure Perfect Game will re-rank the Iowa 2018 class after this event, but it's interesting to see the difference in opinion between the Perfect Game and PBR player rankings. The biggest discrepancies that I can easily see are in their published rankings of Jacob Bocketstedt (differ by 20 spots), Tony Comellas (33 spots), & Connor Crabill (53 points). I'm not saying one is right and the other is wrong. It simply proves my point that ranking players is difficult and somewhat subjective.
These are extremely subjective and political. I am sure playing in their events and showcases as well as knowing the scouts and "coaches" (many are dads of players and we know how that always works) plays a huge part. Funny thing is, position players aren't near as likely to be offered as pitchers, although many are ranked high anyway. Also, they aren't looking at grades, character, citizenship or how effective they are for their hs teams. And once a 20 or 30-rated prospect commits, watch their rating escalate. Lol
I believe that there are some politics involved, but the rankings are generally fairly close. Some could argue a few ranking points one way or the other, but to imply that these rankings are not based upon objective measurements wouldn't be accurate either.
The rankings aren't intended to be a moratorium on character either. That explains why you'll sometimes see a kid with great ability and high ranking without an offer. It's on the baseball program to figure that out. And, though it may not impact the ranking, the scouts usually have some influence on the school's perception of the player when the coaches do their due diligence. I would say that there is an inverse relationship between the importance of character and the ability of the player.
Ultimately, though there is an element of subjectivity and politics can influence the process, it is a pretty objective process altogether. That's evidenced by the number of things they measure at these showcases.
The rankings aren't intended to be a moratorium on character either. That explains why you'll sometimes see a kid with great ability and high ranking without an offer. It's on the baseball program to figure that out. And, though it may not impact the ranking, the scouts usually have some influence on the school's perception of the player when the coaches do their due diligence. I would say that there is an inverse relationship between the importance of character and the ability of the player.
Ultimately, though there is an element of subjectivity and politics can influence the process, it is a pretty objective process altogether. That's evidenced by the number of things they measure at these showcases.
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Here's what's up for the final day of the Perfect Game Iowa Spring Wood Bat Scout League: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=13855.
The 66 best players from the spring league were placed on three teams and will play a round robin in Solon on Sunday in the Top Prospect Games. Games begin at 9:00 am, noon, and 3:00 pm. If you're in the area, there will be some great talent on display.
The 66 best players from the spring league were placed on three teams and will play a round robin in Solon on Sunday in the Top Prospect Games. Games begin at 9:00 am, noon, and 3:00 pm. If you're in the area, there will be some great talent on display.
In reviewing the updated rankings, there are several mysteries with the 18 rankings. If this influences college coaches, it is a real shame
I think we put too much stock in the rankings, present company included. In my opinion and experience, the raw numbers (exit velo, throwing velo, 60 time, etc) capture attention, but no good coach will offer a scholarship based upon those numbers alone. They want to see those players compete in game situations. There's too few scholarships and too much to lose to make a decision based upon another person's informed but subjective opinion about a player's ranking.
Good question. We already know the following that are committed to D1 schools:
- Connor Van Scoyoc (PBR #2 --> Arizona State)
- Ian Bedell (PBR #3 --> Missouri)
- Brayden Frazier (PBR #3 --> Iowa)
- Luke Patzner (PBR #4 --> Iowa)
- Clayton Nettleton (PBR #5 --> Iowa)
- Daniel Powers (PBR #6 --> Kansas State)
- Brady Bunten (PBR #10 --> Southern Illinois - Edwardsville)
- Drew Beazley (PBR #16 --> South Dakota State)
- Colby Seuntjens (PBR #18 --> South Dakota State)
Here would be my best guess:
- Most definitely: Nic McCay (PBR #8), Keaton Duckett (PBR #12), Jacob Bockenstedt (PBR #35)
- Highly likely: Luke Yacinich (PBR #9), Kade Vander Molen (PBR #11), Jaden Rolffs (PBR #15), William Christopherson (PBR #17), Jared Beck (#23), Garret Reisz (PBR #24)
- Borderline: Tony Barreca (PBR #14), Ryne Schooley (PBR #19), Austin Krob (PBR #21), Luke Ira (PBR #27), Jackson Bennett (PBR #28), Jarrett Blunt (PBR #29), & Landon Vander Leest (PBR #30), Will Nigut (PBR #34), Tony Comellas (PBR #40)
- Other sports: Levi Usher (PBR #13 - football), Jevon Mason (PBR #22 - football)
Some of these will obviously go the JUCO route, but that's really difficult to project at this point. I would guess that up to ten of those listed above will go the JUCO route, which means that about 20 or so in the Iowa 2018 class will go to D1 directly out of high school (unless some get drafted).
I really don't know anything about Jared Simpson (PBR #20) & Graham Woods (PBR #26).
Here is Perfect Game's Top Uncommitted Prospects in Iowa's 2018 class (in the order listed on their website):
- Levi User (PG Grade 10.0) - CR Prairie
- Jacob Bockenstedt (PG Grade 9.0) - CR Washington
- Kade Vander Molen (9.0) - Pella Christian
- Jaden Rolffs (9.0) - Pella
- Nic McCay (9.0) - Carlisle
- Will Christopherson (9.0) - Pleasant Valley
- Keaton Duckett (9.0) - Johnston
- Austin Krob (PG Grade 8.5) - Lisbon
- Landon Vander Leest (8.5) - Pella
- Connor Crabill (8.5) - Dubuque Hempstead
- Jarrett Blunt (8.5) - Ottumwa
- Jevon Mason (8.5) - WDM Valley
- Luke Llewellyn (8.5) - Urbandale
- Tony Comellas (8.5) - IC West
- Will Nigut (8.5) - DM Roosevelt
- Jack Wilson (8.5) - IC West
- Mason Hook (8.5) - CR Prairie
- Ryne Schooley (8.5) - IC Regina
- Trever Brown (8.5) - Don Bosco
- Jayden Kies (8.5) - IC Regina
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So, this class is likely to have almost double going D1 than normal? That is what it appears to me. You also have to look at redundancy. I think there are too many rhp for scholarships that would likely be available. Also, many position players are a dime a dozen. I would look for the catchers, lhp and multi position hitters will be the ones to go D1 now. That puts the list in a different perspective
Kade Vander Molen (2018 Pella Christian) is one of 22 juniors - and the only Iowa player - that was just listed in Prep Baseball Report's Hotlist of "uncommitted 2018 prospects that should be followed closely as they become rising seniors."
http://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/PBR/The-Hotlist-Uncommitted-2018s-7430516829
http://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/PBR/The-Hotlist-Uncommitted-2018s-7430516829
I took some time to review the PG rankings for the '18 class & see how kids are faring. It didn't take very long to verify my assumptions that their rankings are a joke. They quite obviously pay no attention to h.s. game performances & put it all on showcase numbers. Several of the kids listed in their top 30 don't even play on the varsity level. One hasn't pitched in at least two years at all & several others have very unimpressive h.s. stats. The good news is that several outside of their top 10 have committed or have offers while some of the top10 are still sitting there. This tells me the college coaches are seeing through their rankings
Having had a kid go through this a few years back I will give some insight into what happened with us. Baseball is about potential. Yes a kid may look good and have showcase numbers that are great. Same kid may not play varsity yet. Other kids may not show at showcases but look good on quikstats. College coaches don't have the time to evaluate every kid in a game and PBR and PG are good places to go and find out who has the number to project to the next level. Video at these showcases is important because a coach can actually see how a kid looks and it give them the opportunity to see mechanics and they can project. Both have their place but I will tell you getting to the actual schools camps were much more valuable to us than what we paid for PBR or PG. The other thing to remember is just because a kid commits to play baseball doesn't mean he is getting money. Baseball evaluations are also based on need, grades, ability and position. Our kid only got 0% as an incoming freshman and he was an outfielder / 3B kind of guy. He is now on 25%
If I had it all to do over again I would determine where my kid wants to go to school and get him there for their camps. Get in front of those coaches. They get to know the kid and can see what they are like in addition to baseball. Remember @ D1 only 35 can be on the roster and 27 can be on scholarship. So you figure out the numbers on how to split up 11.7 scholarships across the 27 - not to mention how many are on scholarship when a kid comes in.
Agree completely with what you stated, oonfoofoo, particularly the above statements. There are many kids that make great high school players, but because of their objective measureables - arm speed, leg speed, or bat speed - they will never be considered for a D1 scholarship. That doesn't make them a bad player; they're just not a D1 player.
For the same reason, many Heisman trophy winners don't get a sniff in the NFL. They're still exceptional players at the college level, and they obviously have unbelievable statistics. They simply don't have the next level athleticism to make it at the next level.
You have to be very careful depending upon game statistics to determine a kid's eventual destination and future level of play. Some kids have extremely live arms and just haven't found command yet. Like a 7-foot center, it can take some time to figure it out. Just ask Randy Johnson.
There are a couple kids - probably ones you've already looked up on Quikstats - that have had rough years on the high school diamond due to health issues. One has been battling some arm issues. Another has been dealing with a lingering illness the entire season, missed several games and tried to return... was just informed by his doctors that he cannot play until July 4.
There are lots of factors that influence a kid's statistics and when/to whom they commit, and to say that it is good news that "... some of the top 10 are still sitting there" (read: not committed) is pretty shortsighted.
Forgot to post that Carlisle's 2018 Nic McCay committed to South Dakota State a couple of weeks ago. That's the third Iowa player to commit there in the 2018 class including Beazley (Johnston) and Seuntjens (MVAO), and they have two Johnston players in the 2017 class - Hackman & Zimmerman - committed as well.
We will simply have to agree to disagree on their rankings. I feel I am very qualified to draw my own opinions being around the game as long as I have. You appear set in your beliefs too. We'll see in 6 or 7 yrs or so. I have seen them miss on plenty and have seen their biases so that gives me confidence they miss on plenty.
It totally depends on what you are ranking. Perfect Game and PBR rank on current ability and projectibility. I'd say they have a pretty good handle on that. They can't rank kids they haven't seen at a showcase.
Do they miss? Sometimes. It's not a perfect system. However, not too many kids at 8.0 or 8.5 on PG's ranking play D1 ball.
If you're arguing that some kids are better high school players than their rankings indicate, I agree with you. But these services aren't really ranking them as high school players.
Do they miss? Sometimes. It's not a perfect system. However, not too many kids at 8.0 or 8.5 on PG's ranking play D1 ball.
If you're arguing that some kids are better high school players than their rankings indicate, I agree with you. But these services aren't really ranking them as high school players.
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