Top 20 high school pitchers in the country entering the 2023 baseball season
Dylan Lonergan photo by Jamie Spaar
Yes, winter is still here, but spring is coming.
With the weather warming up and the high school basketball playoffs approaching, it feels like reading the lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ballgame might be a good idea.
As high school baseball returns to diamonds nationwide in the coming weeks, we profile 20 pitchers predicted to be among the nation’s best in 2023. The top hitters will follow later this week on scorebooklive.com.
It’s a senior-heavy list, with some likely to be selected on day one of the MLB draft in July.
Zane Adams, Sr., LHP, porter (Texas)
Despite missing the second half of his junior season with an ankle injury, Adams was among 60 players invited to the Perfect Game All-American Classic that summer. The 6-foot-4 throws his mid-90s fastball and has a fantastic breaking ball. He’s committed to Alabama, but a big senior year could propel him onto the MLB draft boards.
Garrett Baumann, Sr., RHP, Hagerty (Florida)
Baumann doesn’t look like a high school student. The UCF commit stands 6-foot-9, 240 pounds and throws his fastball in his upper 90s, making him one of the most imposing pitchers in the nation. And if that’s not scary enough, his alternation is his best shot. Last season he hit 100 batters in 73 1/3 innings.
Alex Clemmey, Sr., LHP, Bishop Hendricken (Rhode Island)
After guiding Bishop Hendricken to the state championship game last season, Clemmey helped Team USA win the U18 World Championship over the summer. The 6-foot-6 Vanderbilt commit throws high 90s off the track and is a nightmare against lefties.
Steven Echavarria, Sr., RHP, Milburn (NJ)
Echavarria hit a run off his ERA from his sophomore through junior year and finished last season with a 1.79 ERA. He has one of the best breaking balls in high school baseball. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder signed to play college baseball for Florida.
Bryce Eldridge, Sr., RHP, Madison (Virginia)
The 6-foot-7 Eldridge is one of the most physically imposing players in high school baseball, both on the hill and on the plate. A prodigious power hitter from the left, it’s his pitching from the right that’s projected as his major league position if he picks the University of Alabama draft ahead. Or could he be the next Ohtani?
Ryan Geraghty, Sr., RHP, Mundelein (Illinois)
Geraghty has a near-sidearm delivery and features a slider that’s very difficult for right-handers to hit. The 6-foot-2 Wichita State Commit went 8-0 last season and hit 118 batters in 64 2/3 innings to help Mundelein reach the state championship game.
Dylan Goff, Sr., RHP, Etiwanda (California)
Goff capped off a great junior season with Etiwanda’s 6-1 Division 2 championship win over Torrance when he threw a full game and hit nine. During the season, Goff went 12-0 with a .73 ERA. He had 93 strikeouts.’
Adam Hachman, Sr., LHP, Timberland, Missouri
Heat is Hachman’s specialty as he sometimes hits triple digits with his fastball. The 6-foot-5 flamethrower promoted Team USA alongside Clemmey over the summer and is enduring a junior year with a light workload, leaving the Arkansas engagement primed for a big senior year.
Aidan Keenan, Sr., RHP, Live Oak (California)
Keenan routinely throws his fastball with a loose, easy delivery in the mid-’90s, and he has a knack for missing bats — even against national competition in the summer. He didn’t play for Live Oak during his junior year, but will play for the Acorns as a senior if they seek a Division I championship.
Josh Knoth, Sr., RHP, Patchogue-Medford (New York)
Knoth was at his most dominant in his junior year, hitting 107 batters in 45 innings while giving up just five walks, including 20 in a seven-inning game. The Ole Miss Commit features a mid-’90s fastball with an ankle-busting curveball.
Dylan Lonergan, Sr., RHP, Brookwood (Georgia)
Lonergan is a star quarterback, adding to his skills on the hill, and will play both football and baseball for Alabama next year. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder mixes a low-90s fastball with a low-80s slider to throw batters off balance.
Ethan McElvain, Sr., LHP, Nolensville (Tennessee)
Nolensville took it easy with McElvain last season due to a minor injury, but he was a workhorse sophomore, going 9-2 with a .77 earned run average and 130 strikeouts 63 2/3 innings and going only 18. The 6-foot-4 Ace will follow his brother Chris to Vanderbilt next season if he doesn’t go straight to MLB.
Noble Meyer, Sr., RHP, Jesuit (Oregon)
Jesuit has been a factory for high profile pitchers in recent years, from Mick Abel to Nelson Keljo to Meyer. Keljo is now a freshman at Oregon State, but the 6-foot-5 Meyer is expected to emulate Abel’s path by going straight to MLB as a first-round draft pick.
Liam Peterson, Sr., RHP, Calvary Christian (Florida)
Peterson hit .370 last season, but pitching is his forte. His fastball, slider and changeup are all plus points for a team that boasts three aces and should prove to be the best pitching team in the country this season. Peterson went 5-0 last season, hitting 68 in 37 1/3 innings.
Anson Seibert Jr., RHP, Blue Valley Southwest (Kansas)
One of only two juniors on this list, there is nothing junior about Seibert’s height. He’s 6ft 8, 235 pounds, throws his fastball in the low 90s and has a devastating slider. He signed on to play college baseball for Tennessee that summer.
Charlee Soto, Sr., RHP, Reborn Christian Academy (Florida)
Despite his commitment to UCF, most expect Soto to go straight to MLB as one of the youngest eligible players in the draft. Barely 17, Soto throws his fastball in his upper 90s while mixing in sliders and changeups.
Travis Sykora, Sr., RHP, Round Rock (Texas)
As his fastball speed has increased, Sykora’s rank in the MLB draft projections has also increased. He gunned 100 mph at the Perfect Game All-American Classic that summer, and the 6-foot-4 Texas commit only gets stronger with age.
Landon Victorian, Jr., RHP, barbel (Louisiana)
A workhorse sophomore, Victorian pitched 74 innings and hit out 94 while recording a 1.04 ERA. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder signed to LSU in November, but by this time next year he might look like a shoo-in to go straight to the majors.
Thomas White, Sr., LHP, Phillips Academy (Massachusetts)
Scouts have been optimistic about White’s arm talent since he was 13, and now he’s considered one of the best left-handed pitching prospects after high school in decades. The 6-foot-5 ace followed a .84 ERA season in his sophomore year by posting a .26 ERA as a junior.
Paul Wilson, Sr., LHP, Lakeridge (Oregon)
The son of former major league pitcher Trevor Wilson was a strikeout machine in high school, consistently hitting 95 mph from the left since his sophomore year. Wilson finished his junior season with a 9-2 record and a .74 ERA, hitting 155 in 65 2/3 innings.
