Following our National High School Player Draft, Drew and I decided to put together a third lineup of elite high school prospects. Unsurprisingly, each of our lineups turned out just as talented as the ones we drafted during a recent Five Tool podcast. Obviously, when you’re able to select almost any player in the country, it helps.

RECAP: National High School Player Draft

We stuck to the same format: eight players each from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 classes. And we eliminated any player previously selected from the draft pool. Beforehand, we didn’t share answers. So, we’ll see how many of the same players ended up on our new, third team. 

#TeamBish

C - Zion Rose - 2023 - IMG Academy (FL) - Louisville signee
C - Dominic Stephenson - 2025 - Harrison (GA) - Georgia Tech commit

1B - Zach Wadas - 2023 - Hamilton (AZ) - TCU signee
2B - Ty Southisene - 2024 - Basic (NV) - Tennessee commit
SS - Roman Martin - 2023 - Servite (CA) - UCLA signee
3B - Andre Modugno - 2024 - IMG Academy (FL) - Duke commit

OF - Matthew Priest - 2024 - Maranatha Christian School (CA) - Stanford commit
OF - Drew Burress - 2023 - Houston County (GA) - Georgia Tech signee
OF - Cannon Goldin - 2025 - Buford (GA)
OF  - Maddox Monsour - 2025 - Carrollton (GA) -Texas commit
DH - Donavan Jeffrey - 2025 - Manchester (VA) - Miami commit

UTL - Carter Smith - 2025 - Bishop Verot (FL)
UTL - Roch Cholowsky - 2023 - Hamilton (AZ) - UCLA signee
UTL - Arjun Nimmala - 2023-Strawberry Crest (FL) - Florida State signee
UTL - Talan Bell - 2024 - Hagerty (FL) - Florida State commit
UTL - Jayden Stroman - 2025 - The Stony Brook School (NY) - Duke commit

P - Zander Mueth - 2023 - Belleville East (IL) - Ole Miss signee
P - Cole Schoenwetter - 2023 - San Marcos (CA) - UCSB signee
P - Landon Victorian - 2024 - Barbe (LA) - LSU commit
P - Jackson Sanders - 2024 - Valley (AL) - Auburn commit
P - Chase Mobley - 2024 - Plant City (FL) - Florida State commit
P - Ethan Schiefelbein - 2024 - Corona (CA) - UCLA commit
P - Seth Hernandez - 2025 - Elite Charter Academy - Vanderbilt commit
P - James Whitaker - 2025 - Bishop Gorman (NV) - LSU commit

2023

For the battery, I have the ultra-athletic Zion Rose to handle some arms with big-time stuff. Mueth and Schoenwetter lead the way on the mound. Both have a power arsenal featuring a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider from Mueth and a power curveball from Schoenwetter. Rose has moved to IMG Academy this year to hone his craft as he gets ready for the draft or to compete for early playing time at Louisville. At the plate, his bat speed produces pop to go along with his natural speed.

At first base, Wadas, a guy that produced at Area Code, showed he can handle the best pitching in the country. He has shown in-game power in some of the best events in the country and plays very good defense.

This time around, I did not bypass three of the big-time shortstops in Martin, Cholowsky, and Nimmala. It will be interesting to see if one of the two UCLA signees, Martin and Cholowsky, push each other to the draft or if one of them signing increases the chances that one ends up on campus. Nimmala is a smooth athlete that has pop with room to grow. He will be able to stay on the left side of the infield regardless of where his body takes him.

Drew Burress is a fun watch and he does not lack bat speed. As a junior, he led the state of Georgia with 73 RBIs and hit 17 home runs. He runs under a 6.5 and has been clocked as high as 97 MPH from the outfield.

2024

In the 2024 group, I have two big-time players on the infield. Southisene is a gamer that has a knack for coming up big in big situations. He plays with a confidence that I want in my lineup. Modugno looks like a prototype that was built in a lab. At 6’5, 195 pounds, he moves like a shortstop, throws in the triple digits and has power for days with more in the tank. He, too, plays for IMG Academy and is one of the most talented players on a loaded roster.

In the outfield I have what may be the fastest player in the country in Priest and a legitimate two-way player in Talan Bell. Priest, a Stanford commit, is an ultra-athletic, toolsy player that has unlimited potential. Bell plays the game with ease and competitiveness that makes him a real candidate to play both ways in college. With a loose arm on the mound and a twitchy swing in the box, he produces power far greater than his current frame.

The quartet of Victorian, Sanders, Mobley and Schiefelbein gives you a lot of different looks. Victorian is an ultra-projectable arm out of Louisiana who can spin multiple breaking balls and has a fastball that jumps on hitters; his frame leaves you dreaming about what his ceiling could be. Lefties Sanders and Schiefelbein have already been in the mid 90s and flash plus breaking balls. The two are capable of racking up big strikeout totals with their athletic deliveries while still exhibiting major pitchability. “Explode” is the easiest way to describe what Mobley’s fastball does as he uses the pitch up in the zone to rack up strikeouts. Not to be outdone, his slider generates swing and miss at a high rate as well.

2025

In the 2025 class, I went with some major upside players with athleticism to round out my roster. And it starts behind the plate with Stephenson. While he displays advanced arm strength and fluidity behind the plate, Stephenson also shows his athleticism with a whippy swing that produces loud contact.

If they were to end up on campus in Durham, Stroman, along with the aforementioned 2024 Modugno, would comprise one of the most talented left sides of the infield in college baseball. Stroman plays an advanced brand of baseball and has shined on some big stages from both sides of the plate.

The power potential of Goldin, Jeffrey, and Monsour is beyond impressive for their age. The strength these three generate as sophomores wouldn’t be out of place in a college program. There are plenty of clips on the internet of these guys putting balls out of the yard with ease. Speaking of clips on the internet, do yourself a favor and check out the highlights of Carter Smith throwing the football. The talented signal-caller already has numerous offers from some of the nation’s blue-blood programs.

On the mound Hernandez and Whitaker possess projectable frames while already showing easy velocity. Whitaker displays a devastating changeup that he is not afraid to throw to righties while Hernandez generates swings and misses with a devastating curveball. Both already know how to pitch and will only continue to add stuff as they fill out.

I really enjoyed putting together this team and after looking closely at both lineups, there isn’t a ton of separation. The talent between this roster and the two Dustin and I already assembled is just mind-boggling to watch. When you watch clips of all of these kids, you find it hard to believe they are the age that is listed. With the development going on in the early stages of these players’ careers, there will be no shortage of talent and excitement in our game.

#TeamDustin 

This proved just as hard as the first time. But at least it afforded an opportunity not to make terrible radio (podcasting) as I worked through options and tried to make the classes fit. And this lineup might actually be better than my first. Let’s take a look:

C - Zion Rose - 2023 - IMG Academy (FL) - Louisville signee
C - Matt Conte - 2024 - Dexter Southfield (MA) - Wake Forest

If a player stands out at Area Code, especially with the bat, it’s going to stick with evaluators a long time. Both Rose and Conte’s performances stuck with me. Rose looks the part of a top catching prospect physically; heck, he looks like a top anything physically. He showed impressive all-around skill, confidently competed against top stuff in the batter’s box and produced. 

As for Conte, he played in the upperclass portion of Area Code and emerged as one of the top performers with the bat. He’s a physical right-handed hitter with big raw power who moved well enough defensively to project a chance to stick at catcher.

1B - Donavan Jeffrey - 2025 - Manchester (VA) - Miami commit
2B - Bryce Clavon - 2024 - Kell (GA) 
SS - Roch Cholowsky - 2023 - Hamilton (AZ) - UCLA signee
3B - Colt Emerson - 2023 - Glenn (OH) - Auburn signee

Jeffrey is a massive, imposing hitter who has some of the best raw power in the 2025 class. Remember the name because he’s going to terrorize high school pitching and hit bombs for years. Clavon is an outstanding two-way talent who stars as a dual-threat quarterback in the fall and a shortstop with elite bat speed, athleticism and speed in the spring and summer. I’m cheating a little by putting him at second base, but he’s undoubtedly a middle-of-the-diamond player who is on the D1 radar in football in addition to being a top baseball prospect. 

With a reputation as one of the premier defenders in the 2023 class, Cholowsky was an easy pick to place at shortstop. Like Clavon, the UCLA signee is an elite athlete who is a multi-sport standout and star quarterback. When he fields ground balls, Sade’s “Smooth Operator” has been known to magically pump through stadium speakers. Emerson played third base for Team USA and emerged as one of the top pure hitters in his class. 

OF - Micah Matthews - 2025 - Turner Ashby (VA) - South Carolina commit
OF - Dante Nori - 2024 - Northville (MI) - Mississippi State commit
OF - Jonny Farmelo - 2023 - Westfield (VA) - Virginia signee
OF - Dillon Head - 2023 - Homewood-Flossmoor (IL) - Clemson signee
DH - Brendan Lawson - 2024 - Lawrence Park (Ontario, Canada) - Florida commit

Matthews is a great bet to hit and hit with power. Already listed at 6-2, 200 pounds, the South Carolina commit is an impressive blend of athleticism and strength. In the fall, he catches touchdown passes and had 1,163 all-purpose yards this past season. Nori hit at the top of the White Sox order at Area Code and is an exciting blend of hitting, explosiveness despite being on the shorter side and athleticism. He has a compact build with strong, thick legs that he leverages in his swing, a swing that features bat speed and hand strength.

Farmelo can absolutely fly and ran a 6.36-second 60-yard dash at East Coast Pro this summer and can get down the line in 3.7 seconds. He looks like the type of player you hand a million bucks to no questions asked because the ball flies off a quick bat and he can smack extra-base hits in the gaps and patrol center field like it’s a “no fly zone.” 

Head was one of the toughest players to leave off during the draft and I didn’t hesitate to find a spot for him this time. I think his best baseball is still ahead of him because there appears to be some noticeable room for skill growth. Lawson is one of the best bets to become the top left-handed hitter in the 2024 class. I think he fills out, adds more power to impressive natural hitting feel/zone awareness and becomes the type of third base prospect scouts are enamored with. Putting him at DH was an easy call. 

UTIL - Matthew Champion - 2024 - JSerra Catholic (CA) - LSU commit
ÚTIL - Boston Bateman - 2024 - Adolfo Camarillo (CA) - Arizona State commit
UTIL - Parker Lakey - 2025 - Hickory Ridge (CA) - North Carolina commit
UTIL - Mark Brissey - 2025 - Batesville (AR) - Arkansas commit
UTIL - Drew Burress - 2023 - Houston County (GA) - Georgia Tech signee

Like our draft teams, I again tried to pick true two-way talents or multi-position players to place at the utility positions. Champion’s performances on the mound this summer turned a lot of heads, but I think I might like his swing better, which is saying something because his stuff is loud and misses bats. 

Bateman is 6-7, throws very hard from an over-the-top look because of his slot/shoulders and I can visualize him terrorizing overmatched, 5-8 high school hitters. Imagine being a left-handed hitting sophomore, riding the bus over to your game and seeing Bateman, an unmistakable presence no matter where you are in the park, warming up in the bullpen with loud gunshot sounds accompanying each pitch. He hits for a lot of power from the right side, too. 

Lakey has been a top performer with the bat and has impressive pitchability from the right side on the mound with a fastball already in the low 90s regularly and a big hook that baffles righties. Brissey has more power to his two-way game than Lakey, but they’re similar, high-level prospects. As for Burress, he could end up in the infield or outfield because he’s at least a plus runner with at least a plus arm and has more power than you’d expect a 5-9 player to have. Pound-for-pound, he’s one of the tooliest prep players in the country. 

P - Truitt Manuel - 2024 - West Henderson (NC) - NC State commit
P - Carson Messina - 2024 - Summerville (SC) - South Carolina commit
P - Josh Hammond - 2025 - High Point (NC) - Wake Forest commit 
P - Zach Strickland - 2025 - Maranatha (CA) - UCLA commit
P - Seth Hernandez - 2025 - Elite Charter Academy (CA) - Vanderbilt commit
P - Miguel Sime Jr. - 2025 - Poly Prep Country Day (NY) - LSU commit
P - Aidan Keenan - 2023 - Live Oak (CA) - Stanford signee
P - Josh Knoth - 2023 - Patchogue-Medford (NY) - Ole Miss signee

Manuel is a strong bet to throw strikes and already possesses one of the best fastballs in the class. While Messina doesn’t have the physical projection of some other elite 2024 arms, he’s one of the best bets to throw extremely hard in the future. He’s already touched 96 MPH and his power curve is a nasty weapon. If he ended up in the bullpen, he’d be an electric option for South Carolina from day one. 

Speaking of electric, Josh Hammond’s stuff is extremely exciting and he’s one of the hardest throwers in the 2025 class. As he matures, his fastball-slider combination should emerge as one of the best in the country. Strickland is different from most pitchers on this list because he has a very easy operation with obvious physical projection and has advanced pitchability. He doesn’t yet boast the eye-popping velocity others on this list do, but he’s a 2025 prospect. So, it’s going to come and when he works at like 92-94 MPH in the future, he’ll be one of the best arms in the nation. 

After Hernandez’s recent outing at Dodger Stadium during the Area Code showcase, a good case can be made that he's the best pitching prospect in his class. That looks like a big leaguer on the mound and he’s just a sophomore. 

LSU truly does go all over to find elite talent and Sime, Jr. is a hard-thrower with massive upside. He’s one of the youngest prospects in his class and profiles as a physical, strong starting pitcher with lively stuff. Don’t let Keenan’s sidearm slot fool you. In addition to throwing very hard, he can also spin the baseball with advanced feel. He’ll likely continue moving up MLB Draft boards as teams get more looks, acquire more data and study a delivery that includes a lot of layback and promising rotation with some physical projection remaining. 

Let’s stick with 2023 arms moving up MLB Draft boards with feel for spin because Knoth can snap off a breaking ball with elite RPM. He won’t turn 18 until after the MLB Draft, is running his fastball into the mid 90s and at times has shown two distinct, devastating breaking balls.

Who had the best lineup? Let us know on Twitter. 

Dustin McComas and Drew Bishop