In a just over a couple weeks after Santa Claus has delivered his gifts and joy, we’ll wave goodbye to 2023 and welcome in 2024. December is one of the rare months in Texas when the baseball calendar almost comes to a complete halt. I say “almost” because I’m sure somewhere there is a workout, a game being played, something happening on a field. I use a lot of this time to work on our rankings, plan for the upcoming spring season and write, which is why you’re here. 

The 2023 baseball calendar was packed: spring high school season beginning the first week of February with scrimmages and ending in early June with the THSBCA All-Star Game; Five Tool summer schedule kicking off in late May and running through early August; two weeks at Area Code in August; fall Five Tool schedule, scout team games and prospect workouts after the summer. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I saw a ton of baseball during 2023. December is also a time to think back about the best of the best: best players, performances, games, moments and more. I saw a lot of really good players of all ages, teams, games, events and more. Before we move to 2024, I wanted to share some “best of” stories from my in-person looks while also emptying my scouting notebook and publishing a lot of reports that have been hanging out in my hard drive. And for fun, because the Five Tool Podcast almost always includes food discussion, some “best of” eating, too. Here are the five 2024 position players prospects I thought were the best after seeing them live:

(all five ended up being national prospects we saw at the Area Code Games)

No. 1
Bryce Rainer – Harvard-Westlake (CA) - SS/RHP – Texas commit

Among the most famous names in the nation entering Area Code, Rainer showed arguably the best collection of future tools, especially when you consider two things: his 6-3 frame that’s easy to project and one of the most electric pitching outings of the event. Offensively, Rainer did show some swing-and-miss issues against good stuff, but still ended up hitting .375/.615/.625 with five walks, which supported his swing-take decisions and plate skills. The left-handed swing might veer towards power-over-hit and at times can get a little too long with an inconsistent barrel, which isn’t that uncommon for a high school player with Rainer’s size/length. But the future power looked easily plus, especially when Rainer can catch the ball out in front, pull it and stay through the ball and doesn’t get the top half of the ball to hit topspin grounders. Generating the type of fly balls that can carry over the fence comes fairly easy to him in batting practice and his flashes of in-game power are sometimes majestic. Defensively, past history tells us to project Rainer to eventually move off shortstop given his size and the lack of MLB shortstops that big. However, he passed the eye test defensively with fluid, good actions and the type of feet and bend you don’t expect from a 6-3 high school senior. You can find video of him in a Team USA uniform doing a standing backflip after a victory, which is especially impressive for his size. Throw in a future plus-plus arm and you have an extremely intriguing prospect at shortstop and a player you can run out at shortstop to begin his pro career. 

On the mound, Rainer touched 96 MPH at Area Code and told us after the game it was his first outing of the summer, which made his strike-throwing with a four-pitch arsenal even more stunningly impressive. Some scouts prefer Rainer long-term as a pitcher, and we saw why: 95-96 MPH fastball, 78-79 MPH curveball, 82 MPH slider and 82 MPH changeup all in one electric, unforgettable inning. The Texas commitment attacks hitters from a low three-quarters, near sidearm slot but is still able to get to the curveball and throw a true slider and changeup with the type of athletic delivery you want to bet on. Rainer is the type of pitching prospect who typically blows up – infielder athleticism, hasn’t specialized on pitching, natural ability to make the baseball do what he wants and throw strikes. 

You’re probably saying, “Hey! I thought this was about position players?” And you’re right. It is. I think I like Rainer most long-term as a left-handed hitter with future plus power with a real chance to stick at shortstop boosted by a plus-plus arm. But if he goes through the spring and pitches a starter’s workload, it wouldn’t surprise me if some teams have a first-round grade on him and prefer him on the mound first. These prospects are a treat to watch and fun to bet on because of the unique range of outcomes, which means I’m kind of cheating here by including him at the top. Regardless of where he ends up thriving, Rainer confidently carries himself like a player who knows he’s good and is going to figure out how to get the most out of his talent. 

No. 2
Slade Caldwell – Valley View (AR) – OF – Ole Miss commit 

Caldwell left Area Code in the running as the best position player prospect in the event, at least in my opinion. A quick-twitch, explosive, excellent athlete with impact bat speed from the left side, plus-plus speed and good plate skills, Caldwell is a coach’s dream at the top of the order as a tone-setting leadoff hitter. At ease on the field in anything he does with one of the event’s best motors and competitive makeups, Caldwell hit .273/.500/.273 with four walks and just one strikeout.  On defense, Caldwell had excellent reads off the bat in center field and easily glided around the outfield without ever needing to turn on the jets. 

Although he hits left-handed and plays a different position, he reminded me a lot of Jett Williams, another short but explosive, physical, twitchy athlete who was a middle-of-the-diamond player; Williams’ swing is geared more for loft than Caldwell’s, but Caldwell has some sneaky raw juice for a shorter player, too. At Area Code, it would have been tempting to put a future 60 on Caldwell’s defense and hit tool with at least a 70 on his running. Those types of players, especially when you throw in the makeup and bat from the left side, get paid a lot of money early in the draft, although Caldwell’s height (looked around 5-7) might unfairly work against them; the flip side to that is smaller strike zone and he wouldn’t be the first short center fielder. Unfortunately, Caldwell suffered a leg/ankle injury at a Team USA event after Area Code and needed surgery. If not for the injury, I’d comfortably project him as a late first-round pick, and assuming he comes back with the same speed and athleticism, he's a first-round prospect. He recently told Loden Sports’ Matt Pajak he’s 90% back from his injury.

No. 3
Caleb Bonemer – Okemos (MI) – INF – White Sox – Virginia commit

No player improved his stock as a MLB draft prospect more than Bonemer, who hit .545/.667/.818 with four walks and three strikeouts across 15 plate appearances. And none of his hits were cheap ones because of his barrel accuracy and strength. His hitting approach is simple, repeatable and efficient while leveraging his strong lower half and athleticism. And he had no issues timing good velocity with some of the best right-handed bat speed in the event. He’s the type of hitter who calmly stares down velocity like he’s playing a game of ‘Chicken’ before smacking it. At 4.37 seconds on a short turn – because almost all his hits were doubles – Bonemer moves well, especially considering how noticeably physical he is for a prep player. Throw a helmet on him and people might think he’s a 1990’s Nebraska recruit. Defensively, Bonemer played a lot of shortstop and reminded me some of when Alex Bregman played the position in college before moving off of it to third base.

No. 4
Noah Franco – IMG Academy (FL) – OF/LHP – TCU commit 

Franco reclassified from the 2025 class to the 2024 class, and although Franco is really impressive as a left-handed pitcher with a track record of top performances, I think I like Franco more as a hitter. I say “I think” because he’s a really good pitching prospect, too, with the makings of at least 55-grade future slider to go along with a quick arm and fastball velocity. But with the bat he was among the best hitting prospects at Area Code. Some of what he did in the batter’s box: tracked spin, hammered a curveball; won a tough left-on-left matchup and smacked an opposite-field double; multiple very loud outs; unleashed impressive bat speed without sacrificing barrel accuracy in plus counts; was able to keep his hands inside a couple of pitches and pull base hits; competed well deep in counts. Given he should continue filling out (around 6-1, 190 pounds) and adding strength to his thin, loose frame with broad shoulders and some length, Franco looked like a good bet to hit for average, get on base and hit with some power. Additionally, he had one of the best outfield arms in the event and profiles very well in a corner outfield spot. 

On the mound, Franco touched 93 MPH with his fastball and settled in at 89-91 MPH with spin around 2400-2500 RPM. He struggled with his control in his first inning and sometimes yanked his fastball while missing arm side other times. But in the second inning, the lefty settled in and used a future plus slider at 76-80 MPH with true shape and spin around 2600 RPM along with an 82-84 MPH changeup (around 1900 MPH) that’s a quality third pitch capable of getting righties to whiff. As Franco adds strength and continues growing into his frame, he should have a more consistent delivery. Franco carried himself with all-around impressive baseball makeup and has a track record for producing against major competition. If he makes it to campus, it could be one of TCU’s biggest recruiting wins of all-time because there was a long, long line of suitors once he re-opened his recruitment. 

No. 5 
Charlie Bates – Palo Alto (CA) – SS – Stanford commit

Bates’ in-and-out pre-game sessions were must-watch if you have an affinity for the type of smooth glovework and actions and confident feet that dance like a Salsa album. This was an extremely tough pick to make because my list is filled with more standout pitchers than position players and Enid’s (Oklahoma) Garrett Shull, Basic (Nevada) shortstop Ty Southisene or a few others could have been a fine selection. And Bates didn’t set the world on fire during game action at Area Code. However, the tools were obvious, and let’s simplify this for a moment: left-handed hitting shortstop who can be confidently projected to stick there and has a good left-handed swing with a promising hit tool. Bates showed plate skills, competitiveness and ability to time velocity with impact bat speed. Don’t sleep on the power, either. He’ll show some pull-side loft in batting practice and can easily create that type of bat path/rotation in the batter’s box, especially as he matures. So, don’t be fooled by the 6-0, 180-pound frame. And also, his quickness and speed were obvious. He’ll be a threat on the bases consistently while his short-area quickness and first step boost his defense. 

If you think Bates can really hit, and I do, we could be discussing a prospect with average-or-better (speed and athleticism easy plus and probably one of the better athletes in the country) future tools across the board – with his arm being the one question mark currently - who hits left-handed and plays shortstop. In a year where the MLB Draft is begging for a prep shortstop to perform and become a slam-dunk first-round pick, Bates could be that guy... but history tells us a Stanford commit is extremely tough to sign, especially one from Palo Alto, California.

Let’s eat…

Mike’s Taco Club (San Diego) – A tiny, unassuming taco spot that you’d probably miss if you weren’t looking for it, Mike’s Taco Club is always a must-visit spot for me. Just a few hundred steps from the Pacific Beach sand, Mike’s is an ideal spot to order a few tacos and enjoy a fresh michelada while the authentic sights, sounds and smells of San Diego please the senses. Ordering two tacos would leave you satisfied, but I always go for three because settling for two during a once-a-year stop is silly. The battered fish taco is always a must-pick and I typically add a spicy shrimp and then one of octopus or taco especial. Because when you’re a short walk from the Pacific Ocean, you save the steak order for your California burrito during another meal. The biggest compliment I can give Mike’s is it’s a humble spot that truly feels like a place the locals stop to grab a taco and beer before continuing on their way. Mike’s fresh seafood, good tortillas, chill vibe and great flavors do all the talking. And how could I forget the hot sauces… all packed with unique flavor and a fiery kick.

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor