Top 50 Freshmen Prospects

Starting today with the freshmen, Baseball America’s annual ranking of the top 50 players in each class returns for 2018.

Auburn righthander/outfielder Tanner Burns, who was No. 38 on the 2017 BA 500, was the highest-ranked player last year not to sign and tops this list as well. He is followed by Florida shortstop Brady McConnell, the top-ranked position player in last year’s prep class not to sign. Both are expected to play key roles for their new teams this season.

McConnell and Burns headline a strong freshman crop in the Southeastern Conference, which hauled in nearly 40 percent of the unsigned high school players on the 2017 BA 500. That in turn led to a heavy SEC flavor in the 2017 recruiting rankings, when the conference had a record six top-10 classes, and again in the list of top 50 freshmen, which has 24 players from the conference.

Vanderbilt, Florida and Arkansas, the top three ranked 2017 recruiting classes, all have four players on the list, the most of any team. In all, 29 schools are represented.

The rankings are primarily a reflection of draft status, with some consideration given for how players are expected to perform this spring.

1. Tanner Burns, RHP/OF, Auburn

2. Brady McConnell, SS, Florida

3. Garrett Mitchell, OF, UCLA

4. Chris McMahon, RHP, Miami

5. Greg Jones, SS, UNC Wilmington

6. Bryce Bonnin, RHP, Arkansas

7. Daniel Cabrera, OF/LHP, Louisiana State

8. Adam Oviedo, SS, Texas Christian

9. Kyle Hurt, RHP, Southern California

10. Jake Eder, LHP, Vanderbilt

11. Tommy Mace, RHP, Florida

12. Logan Allen, LHP, Florida International

13. C.J. Van Eyk, RHP, Florida State

14. Gavin Williams, RHP, East Carolina

15. Steven Williams, C/OF, Auburn

16. Spencer Strider, RHP, Clemson

17. Austin Martin, SS/3B, Vanderbilt

18. Kyle Jacobsen, OF, South Carolina

19. Noah Campbell, SS, South Carolina

20. Jack Leftwich, RHP, Florida

21. Phillip Clarke, C, Vanderbilt

22. Drew Swift, SS, Arizona State

23. Kier Meredith, OF, Clemson

24. Jack Dashwood, LHP, UC Santa Barbara

25. Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville

26. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Arkansas

27. Shane Drohan, LHP, Florida State

28. Alika Williams, SS, Arizona State

29. Cameron Mlodzinski, RHP, South Carolina

30. Jackson Rutledge, RHP, Arkansas

31. Caleb Sloan, RHP, Texas Christian

32. Griff McGary, RHP, Virginia

33. Emerson Hancock, RHP, Georgia

34. Kevin Abel, RHP, Oregon State

35. Cole Turney, OF, Arkansas

36. Daniel Ritchieson, OF, San Diego State

37. Joe Lancellotti, RHP, North Carolina

38. Jesse Franklin, OF, Michigan

39. Randy Bednar, OF, Maryland

40. Jordan Butler, LHP/OF, Florida

41. Jayson Gonzalez, 3B, Vanderbilt

42. Jack Conlon, RHP, Texas A&M

43. Zach McCambley, RHP, Coastal Carolina

44. Alex Toral, 1B, Miami

45. JoJo Booker, RHP, South Alabama

46. Jordan Fowler, LHP, Mississippi

47. Nick Storz, RHP, Louisiana State

48. Mitchell Stone, LHP, Oklahoma State

49. Asa Lacy, LHP, Texas A&M

50. Jeff Criswell, RHP, Michigan