Limiting a list of players to just 55 is a pain in the you-know-what. It’s a painstaking task that becomes frustrating, if I’m being honest, at the bottom because there are so many good players who could fit from about 45-55. Like we say with all our lists, the reality is the overall prospect talent/grade is separated by very little, if at all, by the time you get to the bottom of the numbered list. Like the MLB Draft, there are big gaps between talent/value at the top and those gaps slowly disappear as you move through picks. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE “JUST MISSED” LIST OF THE NEXT 55 

We’re continuing our recent development of the “Just Missed” list with the next 55 players, arranged alphabetically, and among those players who would have been in the mix at No. 56 are listed below:

Hudson Ellis – SS – Round Rock (Dallas Baptist commit)
Ellis’ outlook as a prospect/player didn’t change. There were just some other players who emerged and pushed their way onto the list. The right-handed hitter remains one of the best defensive shortstops in the state and repeatedly came through in huge moments for Round Rock last season with his bat-to-ball ability. 

J.D. Crisp – OF – Second Baptist
A major football prospect who is a do-it-all threat on offense, Crisp more than held his own at Area Code. A switch-hitting outfielder, Crisp missed a good portion of the spring with an early hand/finger injury and was seemingly finding his stride in the summer as it ended. 

Connor Mohan – RHP – Burleson Centennial (Texas Tech commit)
We saw Mohan in a short relief appearance and then we actually saw him really pitch over the course of a long start with two distinct breaking balls and a fastball up to 92 MPH. A good case can be made he could have replaced one of the final right-handed pitchers on the list because he’s just as good as a prospect, and probably has more upside than some because he’s far from a finished product physically. Some of the pitchers ahead had more of a track record, but in about eight months he could pass a lot of them. 

Cam Harris – OF/INF/RHP – Brock (Houston commit)
Harris turned a notable combination of physicality and athleticism – he had 100 tackles, 31 TFL and 19 sacks last season as one of 3A’s best defensive linemen in the state – into production at the AABC Don Mattingly World Series. He proved he isn’t just a strong athlete. He has a good left-handed swing, some plate skills and natural hitting feel to go along with developing power and an arm that has been up to 92 MPH on the mound. His defensive profile is inconclusive, but I think he’ll eventually fit in as a corner outfielder. Regardless, he turned a corner this summer and became a real dude instead of just an interesting player. If that continues, he’ll be hard to keep off the final update. 

Parker Blackman – OF – Grand Oaks (Sam Houston State)
Blackman used to be known as a skinny guy who could fly and put the ball in play. Now, he’s added some strength – he could still add plenty more – and his bat speed/rotation in the batter’s box improved noticeably, which has led to some extra-base impact off the bat. Being at Grand Oaks means he’ll face good pitching this spring and should hit in front of pro scouts thanks to his pitching staff. And who knows? If he shows up after the offseason noticeably stronger, he might shoot up some lists, including ours. 

Hayden Crites – C/INF – Paradise (Seminole State commit)
Crites was one of the stars of the TSA All-Star Game. The switch-hitting catcher received well, hit a no-doubt bomb from the right side off a good fastball and moved with athletic bounce at third base, too. If that performance continues into the spring, he’s going to make an even bigger name for himself. Regardless, Crites showed he’s one of the top catching prospects in the state. 

James Rheaume – RHP/OF/1B – Strake Jesuit
Rheaume is big, can hit the ball really hard and can throw the ball really hard (has been up to 93 MPH). Everything he does on the diamond is loud but it’s also a bit raw, too. More reps should deliver more refined skill and it’s possible his velocity could be something like 95 or 96 MPH this spring. There are some real future tools here. 

Hagen Shedd – OF/RHP – Canyon Randall (Texas Tech commit)
Shedd burst onto the scene last summer and ended up committing to Texas and also participating in the Area Code Underclass games. At the time, he was a shortstop/right-handed pitcher who also played outfield at Area Code and it seems like that could be his long-term position. 

Braden Regala – OF – Wylie (ACU commit)
Regala has 80-grade speed, which helps boost his offensive profile as an undersized outfielder with a contact-over-impact approach. Some added strength could do wonders for his offensive profile, and he remains a very good get for ACU. 

Colton Roquemore – INF – Argyle (Dallas Baptist commit)
With some of the best barrel feel we saw in the summer, Roquemore can really hit. His defensive outlook isn’t as clear as many of the infielders on the Five Tool 55, but he can hit as well as many prospects on the list. 

Elbert “Trey” Craig – 1B – Mansfield Lake Ridge – (Texas A&M commit)
Craig, a bat-first prospect who profiles as a right-handed hitting first baseman, has some of the most raw power in the class, and when he gets into a pitch, he can hammer loud bombs out of the yard. A move to Mansfield Lake Ridge should provide Craig an opportunity to prove he can get to that power in games more frequently against better pitching. As he matures and gains reps, a more consistent, refined swing and more exposure to seeing quality spin could do wonders for his offensive performance. 

Trenton Buckley – INF/RHP – Magnolia West 
Recently, Buckley touched 94 MPH on the mound, but his pitching experience is very limited. If he can throw strikes this spring, he could become one of the best risers in the state. At Magnolia West, he should again be a fixture in the lineup and his hitting ability has him on D1 radars. 

Blaine Brown – LHP/OF – Summer Creek (Rice commit)
At the Trosky Texas Scout Day late in the spring, Brown showed a very interesting blend of tools, physical upside and two-way ability. Not long after he was committed to Rice. He’s a classic example of a player with physical traits and the talent to really emerge as a major dude during his final spring.

Timothy Haynes – RHP/1B – Lubbock Cooper
Haynes had one of my favorite right-handed swings of the summer and also an easy operation on the mound, especially for a bigger RHP. I think his post-high school baseball path could go towards the mound or as a position player. If he didn’t miss most of last spring recovering from an ACL injury, the result of a fluke accident, it’s likely he would have been even better during the summer. 

Will Yeary - INF/RHP - Covenant Christian (Dallas Baptist commit)
Sometimes, it takes a different setting to really appreciate the player. A longtime standout, Yeary has always performed at a high level. But when he was on the dirt at Minute Maid Park as part of the TSA All-Star Game, his baseball clock, instincts and defensive actions really stood out. As Yeary continues to add strength, more impact from the bat will follow. Recent Baylor commitment and infielder Brytton Clements is another who really stood out on the TSA stage and looked like a player who could flourish with a lot of room to develop at Baylor.

Landon Hutcheson – OF – Frenship 
His defense was excellent in the Five Tool Festival, and he was an on-base machine the entire summer no matter where he played; being leadoff hitter for his summer team is a loud statement because it was a really talented lineup. Coaches love his makeup on the football field and on the diamond. 

Ryley Leininger - 1B/3B - Georgetown (Oklahoma commit)
For a long while, Leinenger has possessed one of the best combinations of left-handed bat speed and power in the 2024 class, and he showed that in a huge way when he blasted two homers in one game during the AABC Don Mattingly World Series. A recent Oklahoma commitment, Leininger is poised for a big senior season and still has another level he can reach both offensively and defensively. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE NEXT 55 AND JUST MISSED LIST

More thoughts on this list...
- Right-handed pitchers Mason Cook (Keller; McLennan commit) and Tyler Walton (Claudia Taylor Johnson; Texas commit) emerged this summer as pitchers on the rise and colleges took notice. Each time on the mound, it seems like these two throw a tick harder. They could reach another level of stuff and performance this spring. Deer Park's Anthony Ramirez showed a promising three-pitch mix with a fastball up to 90 MPH and could be the next righty to really take off along with the likes of Wesley Peck (The Colony).

- San Marcos standout quarterback and shortstop Kutter Gage Webb has one of my favorite left-handed swings in the class and I remain a big believer in his long-term upside because there's a noticeable amount of all-around development that could still occur. Among the reasons why colleges/scouts love multi-sport athletes is they've never specialized all year in one sport so there's a new level of development that typically comes when they do. Blaine Lucas, who recently moved to Tomball, is similar to Webb - good left-handed swing, some juice in the bat, skill on the dirt, and standout in football. In the lineup with Lucas will be left-handed hitter Braeden Scherzer. The uncommitted prospect has proven in the past he can play the infield, but was in center field hitting cleanup for Tomball in the playoffs. I've seen Scherzer for three summers and he's hit every single time. Putting the bat on the ball has never been an issue. 

- A couple recent commitments are both coming off excellent springs when they elevated their respective programs to excellent heights: Cinco Ranch's Brock DeYoung (Texas State) and Davenport's Brayden Mulkey (Baylor). Both are winning players with good makeup, athleticism and bat-to-ball skill. DeYoung has the skill/instincts to play on the dirt or in center field and Mulkey should be a future top-of-the-order bat.

- Rouse right-handed hitter Rayner Heinrich remains one of the top uncommitted players in the state. Compact but physical, and athletic, Heinrich has plus-plus run times, performed well at the AABC Don Mattingly World Series and pulls extra-base hits with authority. He's a good candidate to stick in the middle of the infield but has the athleticism and speed to play center field, too. You could describe West High School's Easton Paxton, another uncommitted player who is a two-time an all-state selection as a defensive back. Paxton is an undersized, quick-twitch athlete with plus run times and an excellent motor. He hit all high school season, was excellent in the summer, and leverages his athleticism and ability to rotate well in the batter's box. Another infielder on the smaller side, Cade Dodson has a football background of his own and is another left-handed hitter who has always hit every time we've seen him and has plus run times.

- Keller's Fisher Polydoroff has proven he can hit for a long time and is a strong player with extra-base pop. McClane Helton, a recent McLennan commitment, was one of the stars - perhaps the best offensive player - in the playoffs for Cypress Woods and is an ideal candidate to add strength and mass to his lean, tall frame. Helton took one of the best swings I saw in the playoffs when he drilled an opposite-field homer and each playoff game we saw he put the bat on the ball. Speaking of hitting, all Allen's Tate Greene did in the spring and summer is rake. He had multiple clutch, walk-off hits for Allen last spring and mashed three homers in the AABC Don Mattingly World Series. His bat profiles well, especially if he can profile as a future second baseman. 

- Two-way player Zachary Applegate (Burleson Centennial) impressed me with his left-handed hitting during the summer and is a good candidate to regain his velocity on the mound. Jack Hickerson is poised for a big summer at Guyer. Another two-way player who hits left-handed, Texas A&M commitment and Whitehouse product Michael Dudolski showed some intriguing power potential as a hitter; he swings a heavy barrel that can create some loud impact. It's a bat-first position player profile, but the bat has the chance to have an impact at the next level. On the mound, Dudolski has shown signs of both spin and velocity and is a candidate to make a jump with more consistency. 

- A longtime Baylor commitment, Hickerson was very effective this summer despite working at a lower velocity than we've seen in the past. At Area Code, Rockwall-Heath's Jack Sharp showed me a lot about himself during his second outing. After getting knocked around, Sharp ended up striking out five of the final six batters he faced. If he can regain his fluidity on the mound with his delivery and arm action, he's poised to return to the easy, 89-92 MPH righty with a promising breaking ball that we saw coming out of the 2022 summer.

- The list of good 2024 catchers in Texas is a long one. Southlake Carroll's Cody Cashon (Houston), Clark's Jacob Silva (TCU) and Timber Creek's Zeke Seoane (ULM) were grabbed early by colleges because of their all-around skill. Lovejoy's Matthew Mainord should be one of the next ones. A very physical presence, Mainord uses his short, strong arms to create a good right-handed swing and showed this summer he has the ingredients to stick behind the dish and defend. A sneaky good catching prospect because he shares a lineup with No. 1 on our list, Cade Arrambide, is Tomball's Keegan Demmer. In addition to hitting notable power this spring and summer, Demmer showed a very strong arm behind the dish this summer. 

- Call it a bit of a "gut" feel, but after watching Chance Crawford (Bryan) this summer, I think he's a hidden gem. He ran a 6.34 60-yard dash, is maybe the best athlete in the Texas Twelve program, timed velocity, has left-handed bat speed, and can fly around center field defensively. His center field arm needs to improve, but by the end of the summer, it was looking much better than the beginning. Drew Saucedo is nearly as fast - 4.0 down the line from the right side - and showed this summer he can fly around center field in addition to playing middle infield for Brandeis. Now noticeably stronger since his sophomore year, Saucedo can impact the baseball thanks to his bat speed despite his shorter frame. 

READ: Unveiling the Updated 2024 Texas Five Tool 55 with the Top 10
READ: Updated 2024 Texas Five Tool 55 players No. 11-55

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor