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Draft  | Rankings | 5/13/2016

2016 MLB Draft: Top Tools

Photo: Perfect Game




2016 Perfect Game MLB Draft Preview Content Index | Mock Draft Version 1

An annual exercise as part of Perfect Game's MLB Draft content, PG's staff of draft experts combined to assemble a list of the top individual tools available for this year's draft. The players that ranked among the top five in six different categories for position prospects and five different categories among pitchers is as follows:

High School College
• Joshua Lowe (3 - power, arm, athlete) • J.B. Woodman (3 - speed, arm, athlete)
• Brandon Marsh (3 - speed, arm, athlete) • Will Craig (2 - hitter, power)
• Jason Groome (3 - fastball, curveball, command) • Bryson Brigman (2 - hitter, defender)
• Braxton Garrett (3 - curveball, changeup, command) • Buddy Reed (2 - speed, defender)
• Kevin Gowdy (3 - slider, changeup, command) • Corey Ray (2 - speed, athlete)
• Alex Kirilloff (2 - hitter, power) • Stephen Alemais (2 - speed, defender)
• Mickey Moniak (2 - hitter, defender) • Sean Murphy (2 - arm, defender)
• Taylor Trammell (2 - speed, athlete) • Jake Rogers (2 - arm, defender)
• Thomas Jones (2 - speed, athlete) • Zack Burdi (2 - fastball, slider)
• Dominic Fletcher (2 - arm, defender) • Robert Tyler (2 - fastball, changeup)
• Cooper Johnson (2 - arm, defender) • A.J. Puk (2 - fastball, slider)
• Riley Pint (2 - fastball, changeup) • Jordan Sheffield (2 - fastball, changeup)
• Forrest Whitley (2 - fastball, slider) • Logan Shore (2 - changeup, command)


2016 Top Tools: Hitter

High School College
Rk. Name Pos. School Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Mickey Moniak OF La Costa Canyon HS (Calif.) 1 Nick Senzel 3B Tennessee
2 Joe Rizzo 3B Oakton HS (Va.) 2 Will Craig 1B/3B Wake Forest
3 Alex Kirilloff OF/1B Plum HS (Pa.) 3 Matt Thaiss C/1B Virginia
4 Carlos Cortes C/2B/OF Lake Howell HS (Fla.) 4 Jameson Fisher 1B Southeastern Louisiana
5 Nolan Jones 3B Holy Ghost Prep (Pa.) 5 Bryson Brigman 2B San Diego


2016 Top Tools: Power

High School College
Rk. Name Pos. School Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Blake Rutherford OF Chaminade Prep (Calif.) 1 Zack Collins C/1B Miami
2 Joshua Lowe 3B Pope HS (Ga.) 2 Kyle Lewis OF Mercer
3 Alex Kirilloff OF/1B Plum HS (Pa.) 3 Heath Quinn OF Samford
4 Drew Mendoza SS/3B Lake Minneola HS (Fla.) 4 Lucas Erceg 3B Menlo (NAIA)
5 Bo Bichette 2B/3B Lakewood HS (Fla.) 5 Will Craig 1B Wake Forest


2016 Top Tools: Speed

High School College
Rk. Name Pos. School Rk. Name Pos. School
1 David Hamilton SS San Marcos HS (Texas) 1 Buddy Reed OF Florida
2 Brandon Marsh OF Buford HS (Ga.) 2 Jake Fraley OF Louisiana State
3 Delvin Perez SS Internat'l Baseball Academy (PR) 3 Corey Ray OF Louisville
4 Taylor Trammell OF Powder Springs, Ga. 4 Stephen Alemais SS Tulane
5 Thomas Jones OF Laurens District 55 (S.C.) 5 J.B. Woodman OF Ole Miss


2016 Top Tools: Arm

High School College
Rk. Name Pos. School Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Joshua Lowe 3B Pope HS (Ga.) 1 Bobby Dalbec 3B/RHP Arizona
2 Dominic Fletcher OF Cypress HS (Calif.) 2 Sheldon Neuse SS/RHP Oklahoma
3 Cooper Johnson C Carmel Catholic HS (Ill.) 3 J.B. Woodman OF Ole Miss
4 Brandon Marsh OF Buford HS (Ga.) 4 Sean Murphy C Wright State
5 Nicholas Quintana SS Arbor View HS (Nev.) 5 Jake Rogers C Tulane


2016 Top Tools: Defender

High School College
Rk. Name Pos. School Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Cooper Johnson C Carmel Catholic HS (Ill.) 1 Jake Rogers C Tulane
2 Alexis Torres SS Colegio Angel David (PR) 2 Sean Murphy C Wright State
3 Mickey Moniak OF La Costa Canyon HS (Calif.) 3 Buddy Reed OF Florida
4 Dominic Fletcher OF Cypress HS (Calif.) 4 Stephen Alemais SS Tulane
5 Gavin Lux SS Indian Trail Academy (Wis.) 5 Bryson Brigman 2B San Diego


2016 Top Tools: Athlete

High School College
Rk. Name Pos. School Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Taylor Trammell OF Mt. Paran Christian HS (Ga.) 1 Corey Ray OF Louisville
2 Thomas Jones OF Laurens District 55 (S.C.) 2 Buddy Reed OF Florida
3 Brandon Marsh OF Buford HS (Ga.) 3 Anfernee Grier OF Auburn
4 Nonie Williams 3B Home-schooled (Kan.) 4 Bryan Reynolds OF Vanderbilt
5 Joshua Lowe 3B Pope HS (Ga.) 5 J.B. Woodman OF Ole Miss


2016 Top Tools: Fastball

High School College
Rk. Name Throws School Rk. Name Throws School
1 Riley Pint RHP St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.) 1 Zack Burdi RHP Louisville
2 Jason Groome LHP Barnegat (N.J.) 2 Robert Tyler RHP Georgia
3 Matt Manning RHP Sheldon HS (Calif.) 3 A.J. Puk LHP Florida
4 Forrest Whitley RHP Alamo Heights (Texas) 4 Alec Hansen RHP Oklahoma
5 Alex Speas RHP McEachern HS (Ga.) 5 Jordan Sheffield RHP Vanderbilt


2016 Top Tools: Curveball

High School College
Rk. Name Throws School Rk. Name Throws School
1 Braxton Garrett LHP Florence HS (Ala.) 1 Zach Jackson RHP Arkansas
2 Tyler Baum RHP West Orange HS (Fla.) 2 Cody Sedlock RHP Illinois
3 Ian Anderson RHP Shenendehowa HS (N.Y.) 3 Matt Krook LHP Oregon
4 Nick Lodolo LHP Damien HS (Calif.) 4 Jon Duplantier RHP Rice
5 Jason Groome LHP Barnegat (N.J.) 5 Brett Adcok LHP Michigan


2016 Top Tools: Slider

High School College
Rk. Name Throws School Rk. Name Throws School
1 Kevin Gowdy RHP Santa Barbara HS (Calif.) 1 Shaun Anderson RHP Florida
2 Forrest Whitley RHP Alamo Heights HS (Texas) 2 Connor Jones RHP Virginia
3 Will Ethridge RHP Parkview HS (Ga.) 3 A.J. Puk LHP Florida
4 Zach Hess RHP Liberty Christian Academy (Va.) 4 Eric Lauer LHP Kent State
5 Drake Fellows RHP Joliet Catholic Academy (Ill.) 5 Zack Burdi RHP Louisville


2016 Top Tools: Changeup

High School College
Rk. Name Throws School Rk. Name Throws School
1 Riley Pint RHP St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.) 1 Logan Shore RHP Florida
2 Austin Bergner RHP Windermere Prep (Fla.) 2 Robert Tyler RHP Georgia
3 Braxton Garrett LHP Florence HS (Ala.) 3 Cal Quantrill RHP Stanford
4 Jesus Luzardo LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) 4 Anthony Kay LHP Connecticut
5 Kevin Gowdy RHP Santa Barbara HS (Calif.) 5 Jordan Sheffield RHP Vanderbilt


2016 Top Tools: Command

High School College
Rk. Name Throws School Rk. Name Throws School
1 Jason Groome LHP Barnegat HS (N.J.) 1 Andrew Lantrip RHP Houston
2 Braxton Garrett LHP Florence HS (Ala.) 2 Logan Shore RHP Florida
3 Kevin Gowdy RHP Santa Barbara HS (Calif.) 3 Shane Bieber RHP UC Santa Barbara
4 Kyle Muller LHP Dallas Jesuit HS (Texas) 4 Cole Irvin LHP Oregon
5 Joey Wentz LHP Shawnee Mission East (Kan.) 5 Matthias Dietz RHP John A. Logan (JUCO)



Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
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While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
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MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
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What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
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Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
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Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
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Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
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Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
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There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
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Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
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