It was a typical Five Tool summer week, which means we have stuff going on everywhere. I spent Thursday through Saturday in the Houston area bouncing between Twelve Baseball Scout League and the Houston College Championships. While the first days presented some notable performances from 2026 and 2027 players, the 2024 pitchers stole the show. Notes, thoughts and more:

1) A long, long list of college coaches and a few MLB scouts were ready for a show Saturday morning at Cotton Sports Ranch and that’s what 2024 Texas Red Sox and right-handed pitcher Marc Barnhard delivered from the jump. Recently selected to the Texas Rangers Area Code team, Barnhard didn’t waste time showing why he’s among the best pitching prospects in the state and one of the top uncommitted pitchers in the nation. 

In the first inning, the strong, very athletic 6-1 right-hander touched 93 MPH before settling in comfortably in the 89-92 range for the first few innings. At times, his fastball featured up to 18 inches of inverted vertical break with just over 10 inches of horizontal break, too, although it typically showed carry and run about three to four inches less. Most importantly, Barnhard threw a lot of strikes, which has been an issue in the past. It has nothing to do with strength and athleticism because Barnhard is one of the best athletes on the team. And now he could be blossoming on the mound as his confidence and reps grow. 

The standout pitch for Barnhard was his slider, which was up to 84 MPH and sat 79-82 MPH with barely any vertical break and around 4-6 inches of horizontal break. Thrown with good hand speed and spin up to 2600 RPM, Barnhard’s breaker racked up whiffs routinely and led to six strikeouts in 6.0 innings with just two hits. The Grand Oaks prospect showed a changeup at 77-82 MPH with spin around 1600 RPM; it’s a work in progress, but he already throws it with fastball conviction and is a good bet to be an average-or-better third offering. 

Barnhard’s operation on the mound is an easy, simple one that includes notable hip-to-shoulder separation, a short leg kick and a clean arm path. He’s already put himself on the map as a major prospect in the 2024 class and Saturday was an opportunity for some of the state’s top college programs and area scouts to see it in person. 

2) It must be nice to be Grand Oaks pitching coach Zed Anigwe, who was a high school teammate of mine, because Grand Oaks doesn’t have just Barnhard. Houston Tomlinson, another right-hander who is somehow uncommitted, followed Barnhard’s impressive outing with one of his own – 3.2 innings pitched with eight strikeouts. When comparing the two, Barnhard is more physical and a little more athletic with better breaking ball shape whereas Tomlinson showed a better heater (92-93 MPH), control and command. Regardless, they’re both among the best uncommitted pitchers in the nation and Tomlinson also showed a clean, easy operation on the mound with a steady head and athleticism as well and his changeup is a little further along. 

Oh, get this… there’s another Grand Oaks right-handed pitcher who stood out. Collin Toedter is a 6-8 right-handed pitcher who attacked pitchers with a unique look – a release point up to 7-2 and a lively, sinking fastball up to 89 MPH with a slider and changeup. He struck out five in 4.0 innings and allowed just two hits. 

And get this… another uncommitted 2024 right-hander showed up and threw 93 MPH – Strake Jesuit’s James Rheaume. If you’ve been following our coverage, this isn’t a new name. Here’s what we reported from the opening weekend:

“James Rheaume (Strake Jesuit) was the star of testing and then stepped onto the mound and looked like one of the most intriguing, uncommitted pitchers in Texas. Listed at 6-3, 190 pounds (looked a little more like 6-4, 200 pounds), Rheaume ran a 6.71-second 60-yard dash, recorded a 103 MPH exit velocity and utilized a short swing to pull a hard double during game action. 

On the mound, he touched 93 MPH with a fastball that featured both vertical and horizontal movement out of a somewhat funky look and a release height that was around 5’0-5’4. Rheaume spun a sweeping slider at 74 MPH with 2500 RPM and consistently spun the pitch well. It was a very small sample. So, I don’t know what the strike-throwing looks like during an extended appearance, but the stuff and athletic profile were very interesting.”

3) Mason Jacob (London) and Devin Nunez (Navasota) both drilled impressive homers during weekend action and both routinely put together impressive at-bats. A Nebraska commit, Nunez’s strong hands really show in the way he can impact the baseball and he rotates well from the left side. Jacob reminds me some of former Twelve Baseball 2023 standout Blake Brown, who had a similar bounce to his step and hit with quick hands that created some surprising pop despite a small frame. 

4) Texas commitment and 2024 infielder Carson Luna has gotten considerably stronger since I last saw him, and it showed in the batter’s box. He pulled a couple of screaming line drives and is doing a much better job of getting more direct to the baseball. I’m already running out of things to say about Caden Miller. He simply hits. All the time. 

5) Our Scouting Intern Colten Sanchez has some very detailed notes on standouts from the younger classes and the entire weekend. But I wanted to mention a few who really stood out. Memorial left-handed hitting center fielder and 2026 prospect Jake Earnest is a machine. He strikes me as the kind of guy you could wake up in a hotel room 30 minutes before first pitch and he’d still show up and get a hit to lead off a game. Additionally, he makes good reads and takes impressive, instinctual routes to balls in center field, moves well and hit .312 as a varsity player this past spring with only three strikeouts. 

Teammate and shortstop Caden Hoff is a ballplayer with slick, confident defensive actions at shortstop and a pesky approach in the batter’s box with the speed to bug pitchers and catchers on the bases. 

6) For 2027 Texas Twelve Red Sox, the pitchability shown by left-hander Jack Vasquez (San Marcos) and right-hander Tristan Esquivel (Clemens) was very, very advanced. Both pitchers were polished beyond their years and able to execute quality secondary stuff routinely. Brent Frosch threw hard on the mound, but he really stood out with the bat, which included mashing a pull side homer to right field; the way the ball came off his bat was different than his 2027 peers. 

7) Buy all the Harper Gates (Tomball) stock you can. He made one of the better plays I’ve seen all season when he ranged deep into foul territory from shortstop, was able to make a tough catch, beating the third baseman and left fielder to the ball; then he very athletically showed his arm strength my making an off balanced throw all the way to home, which would have nailed the tagging runner if the catcher completed the scoop. Gates, a 2026 prospect, is a phenomenal two-way talent who could be a star shortstop and hitter or a star right-handed pitcher with already outstanding command and poise.

8) Each time I see TCU commitment and 2026 do-it-all two-way player Kason Kolle, I’m reminded he can literally do everything on the diamond impressively – hit, play center field, catch and pitch. He made an excellent throw from center field to nail a runner at home plate. I’m also reminded each time I watch Texas City catcher Tyler Ramos how bright of a future he has all-around and how strong his arm is behind the dish. 

9) As 2026 right-hander Owen Horrell continues to refine his delivery and get reps on the mound, he could really take off as a major pitching prospect. Up to 87 MPH with a good frame and lower slot, Horrell had some release points in the 4-4 range, creating a tough look for hitters. His changeup looks like it’ll get whiffs often against left-handed hitters.

10) A Thursday pitching matchup between 2026 Texas Twelve Red Sox’s Braddock Raven and 2026 Texas Twelve South Texas Navy’s Davian Garcia was fun to watch. Raven can really spin his two-plane, 68-70 MPH curveball (up to around 2600 RPM) and his fastball (up to 85 MPH) and changeup come at hitters with nearly identical tilt and shape with the changeup having a little less vertical and horizontal movement. 

Garcia carried himself with outstanding makeup on the mound and batters routinely swung over the top of his slider (67-68 MPH) in part because he had no issues establishing his heater. Garcia, who struck out seven in 5.2 impressive frames, also stood out as a right-handed hitter and drove the ball for extra bases into the right-center gap and down the left field line. Callallen prospect Drayton Mitchell also continued to stand out as a very interesting, talented two-way player. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor