Much has changed since the start of college baseball season, including how many of the nation’s top Major League Draft prospects stack up.
Back in early February, there was little doubt who the top prospect in the college ranks was. It was unanimous, and it was North Carolina State lefthanded pitcher Carlos Rodon. Rodon still leads the charge in the latest prospect rankings, but the gap between he and some other talented pitchers and position players isn’t as substantial, if not becoming very thin with some increasingly erratic results and fluctuating velocities.
Hot on Rodon’s heels for the top spot in the latest PG College Top 50 prospect rankings are East Carolina righthanded pitcher Jeff Hoffman, Vanderbilt righty Tyler Beede and LSU righthander Aaron Nola, whose stock has risen since before the season, where he was No. 11 in our preseason rankings.
As with Rodon, even those prospects have some flaws. Hoffman and Beede, as of late, have struggled with consistency, while Nola, though he has plus command of the strike zone, doesn’t quite have the potential explosiveness of Rodon, Hoffman and Beede.
Some position players also are creating some buzz through the first half of the season. North Carolina State shortstop Trea Turner has displayed more power over the past two weeks, stabilized things defensively and is a tremendous athlete, while San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer has exceeded expectations through the first half.
Though there aren’t significant changes atop the rankings at the halfway point, there are plenty of shakeups elsewhere with several prospects making their debuts.
The college prospect lists are compiled by Kendall Rogers with input from Frankie Piliere, Allan Simpson, Todd Gold and David Rawnsley.
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