Santa Claus is back at the North Pole, and we’ll soon 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 THSCA 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’s my latest problem: I got carried away with the pitchers. At Area Code, I was often in charge of capturing video of the pitchers. So, I often left with a better feel for those prospects than the position players, although I have about 20 pages of handwritten notes on those guys, too. I say “problem” because this project ended up being just over 10,000 words, but my hope is that it’s the opposite of a problem for readers. I went back and ranked the best 55 high school pitching prospects I saw during the 2023 calendar year. Was it difficult to slot these guys in order especially since I saw almost all of them only one time in person? In my best Stone Cold Steve Austin voice… hell yeah. But the exercise was fun, and I think a creative way for me to publish a ton of leftover scouting reports that weren’t published. Let’s get to the list and the reports, which will be broken down into five parts to keep one story from being War and Peace. Here are pitchers ranked 45-55.

No. 45
Karsten Sweum – Glacier Peak (WA) – LHP – Gonzaga commit

A sturdy, strong 6-3 and 215 pounds, Sweum had no issue firing heaters up to 93 MPH and holding his stuff across 3.0 impressive outings at Area Code. He used two different breaking balls and his harder slider, up to 82 MPH, was the go-to breaking ball that got whiffs while the slower curveball was more likely to steal strikes. Everything Sweum threw was with full conviction, and his late-fading changeup created an ugly whiff against a right-hander who was completely fooled. While he might not have substantial overall projection like some of the other pitchers on this list, the lefty has all the ingredients to throw a ton of quality innings at Gonzaga as a future weekend starter.

No. 46
Gabe Howard – West Linn (OR) – RHP – Oregon commit

Howard presented a similar profile to Tommy Bridges – good, easy delivery; pitchability and advanced feel for executing his entire arsenal; profile to bet on making an early impact because of the strike-throwing. Up to 91 MPH with his fastball that he often kept low in the zone, Howard frustrated left-handed hitters with a future plus changeup that played well out of the same look as his fastball. The 6-2 righty’s quality slider gave him a pitch to use against right-handed hitters for whiffs and all three of his pitches recorded whiffs in the 3.0 no-hit outing I saw. If the velocity trends positively, as it should naturally with more strength, I’d expect Howard to crack the Oregon rotation sooner than later because freshmen typically don’t have the ease of strike-throwing he possesses.

No. 47
Jake Neely- Clark (TX) – RHP – Arizona State commit

In terms of pure stuff, Neely is right up there with anyone in the state of Texas. He can miss bats with a fastball I saw up to 94 MPH in the spring that plays well through the zone. At around 6-3, 200 pounds, Neely has an ideal starter’s build coupled with a quick arm. His deep arsenal gives him the ingredients to work both North-South and East-West, and he understands what that means, how to use it and why pitch shapes matter. That last part does lend itself to him searching for strikeouts instead of strikes occasionally, which has led to a walk rate in my looks higher than it should be. However, the strike percentage should improve moving forward. With a true overhand curve I’ve seen as a low-spin knuckle-curve in the past and also a true slider, Neely has two legitimate, distinct breakers with quality shape and he also has a changeup that’s a work in progress. 

No. 48
Jack Brown – Fishers (IN) – RHP – Louisville commitment

From a low three-quarters slot that created a hint of natural run to his dominant arm side fastball, Brown threw 2.0 scoreless frames and struck out three with just one hit and one walk at Area Code. Listed at 6-1, 205 pounds, Brown has a well-built frame with present muscle throughout; he clearly knows his way around a weight room with the muscles of a future body builder, but also possesses good shoulder rotation and isn’t stiff. Up to 95 MPH, Brown showed signs of getting the fastball to both sides of the plate and his 80 MPH slider (around 2400-2500 RPM) routinely racked up whiffs against both righties and lefties with promising, true shape. Brown also flashed a changeup around 85 MPH. There is some present effort in the delivery with a notable head whack, but given how strong Brown is and the way he moves, there’s a path towards more efficiency in the delivery leaving the door open to being a starter. If he can better transfer his strength and energy, it could unlock some major upside.

No. 49
TP Wentworth – Central Catholic (CA) – LHP/OF – Clemson commit

A talented quarterback and basketball player who is around 6-5, 225 pounds and probably isn’t done filling out, Wentworth is a really impressive prospect physically and carries his size well on the mound. He was just a two-pitch pitcher when I saw him at Area Code, but there was a lot to like about the present stuff and how he projects overall. Up to 91 MPH with his fastball, Wentworth showed a sharp 81 MPH slider that he was able to execute to his glove side and right-handers to swing over. It wasn’t a surprise to see a big-name program push to add Wentworth immediately after Area Code and that’s what Clemson did. This is the type of prospect to bet on long-term because he hasn’t specialized on just football yet and his athletic profile at his size from the left side is rare.

(If I rated Wentworth purely as a prospect, he’d be much higher on the list because he’s probably a better left-handed hitting outfielder prospect.)

No. 50
Maximo Martinez – Mira Costa (CA) – RHP – USC commitment

Throwing strikes came easily to Martinez, who repeatedly pounded the lower half of the strike zone with his 90-93 MPH fastball and allowed his good slider (83-85 MPH; 2400 RPM) to attack the same tunnel before sharply breaking towards the dirt for whiffs. He doesn’t possess the physical projection, which limits his upside, that some other pitchers at Area Code had, but Martinez has the type of delivery, control and stuff that could immediately make an impact at USC in any role. A talented two-way prospect who is also a really talented middle infielder, it’s possible Martinez might be a hitter first at the next level. 

No. 51
Smith Bailey – Mountain Ridge (AZ) – RHP – Arizona commit

In terms of where he is now and where he could be in the future, Bailey has some of the most exciting potential in the 2024 class because there is a lot of room for growth. He’s a long-levered, high-waisted, 6-5 righty around 200 pounds who should continue filling into his frame. His length is present in his arm action both in the depth out of the takeaway and length before rotation, which also features his palm with the baseball shown towards the hitter just prior to foot plant. That arm action can negatively impact Bailey’s control/strike-throwing. However, it also shows his shoulder flexibility and the exciting potential for notable velocity boost and improvements in control/command. When he isn’t hunting for premium velocity in a short stint, Bailey’s effort in his delivery quiets and his strikes increase. In the future, I think he’ll eventually go to a harder slider to work with his arm/spin feel and his lively changeup is really intriguing. He’ll be a guy scouts get at least one look at this spring, but is an ideal candidate to go to Arizona and flourish with proper development.

No. 52
Gavin Lyons - Hamden Hall Country Day (CT) - RHP – Texas commit

Lyons created one of the toughest looks for right-handed hitters I saw all year with a true sidearm look with the horizontal and vertical release points that hitters aren’t used to seeing. He touched 91 MPH and there was definitely more in the tank. As most sidearm pitchers do, Lyons featured a sweeping slider that he could put on both sides of the plate with a similar vertical location as his sinking fastball. He pounded the zone with a lot of strikes and his delivery suggested that wasn’t a fluke. Considering he should be able to rack up ground balls and fill up the zone, Lyons is a starting pitcher candidate; typically, teams will immediately throw this type of pitcher in the bullpen at the next level to utilize the unique look, and that’s probably what happens initially at Texas. But he has the ingredients to eat innings as a starter in the future. At around 6-1, 190 pounds, it didn’t look like Lyons was done growing and had a good physical foundation.

No. 53
Liam Golden – Christian Brothers (CA) – RHP – Stanford commit

Golden arrived at Area Code uncommitted, but it he put himself on the map with an outstanding 3.0-inning performance before eventually committing to Stanford this fall. At around 6-4 and 200 pounds, Golden carries himself with impressive confidence on the mound and has a presence when he toes the rubber. He threw his naturally sinking fastball in the 90-92 range, but it was able to repeatably beat hitters in part because he was unafraid to challenge them. Golden showed a promising slider he was able to execute to his glove slide and while he was essentially a two-pitch guy during this outing, it was obvious there is intriguing long-term upside to maybe profile as a starter. 

No. 54
Marc Barnhard - Grand Oaks (TX) - RHP - Texas A&M commit

Armed with what I think is the best slider in Texas because of its shape, velocity and consistently ability to be thrown for a strike while racking up in-zone whiffs, Barnhard exploded early this summer when he touched 94 MPH during Area Code tryouts and proceeded to hold his velocity until the very end of the summer. A very impressive athlete who boasts some of the best testing data I've seen from a pitcher in the 2024 class, Barnhard tapped into his impressive athleticism in part due to his makeup leading to remote training with Driveline. I like his delivery, not surprising given his athleticism, and I don't think he's done adding velocity. His slider is so good that he carries a starter's outlook at the next level with his delivery and arm/hand speed even if he's a two-pitch pitcher. But the development of a more consistent third pitch would really boost him even more. He showed a changeup around 77-82 MPH this summer thrown with fastball conviction and spin around 1600 RPM.

No. 55
Austin Steeves – Casa Grande (CA) – LHP – Stanford commit

In an event filled with a bunch of dudes who could throw 94+ MPH, picking Steeves, who touched 89 MPH and sat comfortably in the 85-88 MPH range, out of the pack might seem misplaced. Yes, pitchers need to reach a certain velocity threshold as they jump in competition, but there isn’t a competition environment better than Area Code. Steeves, in two appearances, threw 3.0 perfect innings with five strikeouts. His fastball played up and I do wonder if his release height and or Trackman-type shape traits play into that performance because he faced some really good hitters who missed heaters. What helped was his 81-82 MPH changeup, which looked like a future plus pitch in large part because Steeves threw it the exact same as a fastball and its slim difference in movement was enough to get some whiffs. His fastball-changeup combination was so good he didn’t really need to show the breaking stuff, which could end up being two breaking balls at the next level. 

Let’s eat…
Portland, Oregon advice - Rather than list a specific restaurant, because the pandemic claimed my favorite from a Portland visit many years ago, I'll give a recommendation - do a food truck tour. I thought my home city of Austin had a tremendous food truck scene that couldn't be outdone. Portland's can at least match it. At least it could when I visited. Plus, the tour is a fantastic way to see the city, which truly values and prioritizes distinct neighborhood areas with their own style, food and brewery. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor