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LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - With the impactful summer baseball calendar in the state of California completed, our staff was able to get eyes on players through Prep Baseball California events, the tournament circuit, and several other opportunities. One of the busiest periods of the year allowed our staff to observe the continued improvement/development of players in the 2027 class. With all of that visibility provided to our staff for opportunities to evaluate players over the last couple of months, we present our updated Class of 2027 Player Rankings.

With the extensive continued exposure this summer provided for our staff to the 2027 class, we saw quite a bit of change across the rankings.  From movement within the Top 100 players in the class, players moving into the Prep Baseball National Rankings, and others making their Top 100 debuts (movement up the board or newcomers to the rankings) through their summer performances. As well, we have expanded our total ranked players in the 2027 class.

Beyond the Top 100, we have seen several players continue their rise up the rankings, and several players coming into the rankings for the first time after this summer. 

The recruiting process for this class remains a large topic of discussion, with a large chunk of the top players in this class selecting their college destinations and plenty of talent across the state still on the board. As well, the summer circuit brought an extensive amount of scrutiny from MLB scouts on this class as their time under the microscope of decision-makers from those organizations has come front and center.

Below you'll find the Top 10, Top 10 Uncommitted Players, along with notes on Ranking Risers and Ranking Newcomers. 

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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CLASS OF 2027, TOP TEN

***As the 2026 calendar shifts towards the fall circuit of tournaments, showcases, and the start of high school fall baseball for the class of 2027, here are the Top 10 ranked uncommitted players in California outside the Top 10.

Rank	Player	POS	School
16	Jordan Ayala	RHP/INF	Norco
43	Brayden Goldstein	OF	Sierra Canyon
47	Griffin Fien	OF	Chaparral
50	Liam Bantau	RHP	Pleasant Grove
63	Evan Rodriguez	OF/C	Simi Valley
67	Trey Howell-Chase	SS	Rio Americano
68	Mason Park	SS	Fullerton
69	Dawson Labarthe	OF	St. Marys
70	Antonio Cuevas	SS	Elk Grove
74	Nolan Riesenberg	INF/RHP	Culver City

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: RISERS

TOP-10 RISERS:

+ C/RHP Brogan Witcher - Liberty (Bakersfield) HS - South Carolina Commit - Now Ranked: 2 - Previous: 3

Witcher continued to impress this summer on each side of the game. Coming off a spring where he reclassified into the 2027 class and was a dominant force on the CIF High School baseball scene, the two-way power product was excellent on the rigorous summer circuit. Showing the ability to hold his fastball velocity in the upper 90's over outings while flashing a vicious slider behind it from one of the easiest operations in the class Witcher is looking the part of one of the top arms in class. But that discounts his ability as a power RH hitter who can mash with any player in the 2027 class and shows the actions/arm strength behind the dish in flashes to be a top-end defender. Now committed to South Carolina the MLB scouting world will be bearing down on Bakersfield over the next year.

+ LHP/OF Easton Sarmiento - Ayala HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 3 - Previous: 16

Sarmiento has long been known as a potential star in this class, evidenced by his previous commitment to West Coast Mid-Major power UCSB early in his recruiting process, but this summer unlocked another level for the silky smooth, high upside southpaw. He opened the summer with a dominant outing at the 2026 Prep Baseball California SoCal ProCase, which set the tone for an all-around dominant summer capped by another outstanding outing at the 2026 Area Code Games. Across multiple looks for Shooter Hunt, Sarmiento continued to amplify his profile and will be headed to the 2026 Prep Baseball All-American Game in September.

+ RHP Ethan Gustus - Roseville HS - Vanderbilt Commit - Now Ranked: 7 Previous: 12

Gustus has long been a favorite of NorCal Director Hank LoForte, who has been out to see the imposing 6'7 Vanderbilt commit several times over the past few years and has said for an extended period of time that one day he would throw 100 MPH. Well, that day is now for Gustus, who lived in the upper 90's across the summer circuit while finally hitting that triple-digit landmark during an outstanding outing at the Area Code Games. With an easy operation and natural arm speed, it will be unsurprising if Gustus begins to make touching 100 MPH a consistent thing in the future and has made him a hot commodity for MLB scouts in the coming year.

+ RHP Andrew Carlson - Trinity Classical Academy - TCU Commit - Now Ranked: 8 - Previous: 21

Carlson has been a steady presence in the 20s range of our rankings going back about a year now, but this summer brought not only a rise in our boards, but in the stuff the strongly built right-hander from the Santa Clarita region of SoCal works with. Long armed with a FB in the low to mid-90s and a power breaking ball that flashed potential, Carlson ticked his velocity into the mid-90s consistently while peaking in the 97-98 MPH range with an athletic operation and found even more consistency with his power breaking ball. A TCU commit who has an older brother playing at the D1 level, Carlson is now firmly on the radar of MLB scouts and should see plenty of heat on him over the coming year as a draft prospect.

TOP-100 RISERS TO KNOW:

+ RHP/OF Lukas Waite - Patrick Henry - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 14 - Previous: 50

Waite is a top-end athlete who can post some of the most impressive athletic testing metrics as a position player, and that athleticism comfortably translates into a pitching profile which has mid-90s velocity and top-end breaking stuff. After a bit of a down spring for Waite that brought a slide down our board, he vaults back into the Top 15 of the class on the back of a strong summer, which started at the 2026 SoCal ProCase and ended with a strong showing for Shooter Hunt at the Area Code Games. His ceiling is high as a right-hander with a lower-mileage arm and projection in the profile after a lengthy two-way career. 

+ OF Chayce Formosa - Liberty (Brentwood) HS - Arizona Commit - Now Ranked: 18 - Previous: 60

Formosa put together an impressive showing at Area Code Games to wrap up what was a strong summer for the impact LH hitter who is committed to the Arizona Wildcats. After a post-spring debut on our board, with his profile catching the eye of Hank LoForte, Formosa went out and hammered the baseball with consistent EVs over 100 MPH and the ability to get to that impact with a relatively low-effort swing that displays a strong hit tool. He adds the upside to stick in CF potentially as a solid defender or move to a corner where he can be a strong-to-impact defender on the corner. LH bats are always a desirable tool, and Formosa brings the type of LH  bat and power that should attract MLB scouts to follow him over the next year.

+ RHP James Venick - Harvard Westlake HS - USC Commit - Now Ranked: 35 - Previous: 154

Venick has shown flashes of a profile that was deserving of a top-of-the-class ranking, but with some scuffles in control of the baseball keeping him down the board. But this summer the right-hander found more consistent feel for a power low-to-mid-90s sinker that is like a bowling ball to hitters when it gets in the zone to generate soft contact. Now using a strong CHG and a sound breaking ball behind the offering, Venick is showing more starter potential and impressed Shooter Hunt in a few different live looks to push himself 100+ spots up our board and into the Top 40 players in the state.

+ LHP/1B Parker Lipp - Jesuit HS - USC Commit - Now Ranked: 36 - Previous: 83

Lipp jumped into the back end of the Top 100 after a strong showing in the spring season for Hank LoForte in NorCal, but this summer was an unveiling of the upside in the two-way product profile. His close to the summer included an MVP performance at the 2026 Prep Baseball Senior Future Games, where he blasted multiple extra-base hits over the three games, including a no-doubt homer and, for good measure, a strong outing on the bump. From there, he excelled on the Area Codes stage for Shooter Hunt, which rockets him up our board into the Top 40 players.

+ OF Ricardo Hurtado - Orange Lutheran HS - UCLA Commit - Now Ranked: 41 - Previous: 44

Hurtado began his summer as one of our top uncommitted 2027s and was outstanding for our staff at the 2026 SoCal ProCase, where he looked every bit the part of a strong defender in CF with top-of-the-order offensive ability. From there, he stood out during his time at the 2026 Prep Baseball NPI tournament at LakePoint in Georgia, even flashing the power in his bat during his time there. That hot start carried throughout the summer for Hurtado, who picked up a commit to West Coast powerhouse UCLA and moves four more spots up our board ahead of his senior campaign.

+ OF Aiden Jones - Petaluma HS - California Commit - Now Ranked: 42 - Previous: 82

Jones has long been committed to the Cal Golden Bears, announcing his commitment before the rule changes altering the recruiting process. But the RH hitting OF has steadily developed an already strong profile since that commitment, which has had him solidly inside our Top 100 for an extended period of time, and with a strong close to their summer in front of Shooter Hunt, he moves nearly forty spots back up the board inside the Top 50 players in the class.

+ RHP Andrew Weber - Upland HS - Baylor Commit - Now Ranked: 58 Previous: 73

Weber earned himself a spot on the 2025 SoCal Future Games team where he put up a strong outing versus the South Texas squad and garnered a verbal commitment to Baylor. Since that event, his low-90s FB, quality offspeed arsenal, sound pitchability, and strong frame have been excellent time in and time out when he steps on the mound. Once again, he was strong this summer, including a turn at Area Code Games where he was strong versus a talented lineup from the Reds team. Headed into his Sr. season, Weber moved 15 spots up our board and onto the fringes of the Top 50.

+ 3B Kai Carson - Linfield Christian HS - Nevada Commit - Now Ranked: 93 - Previous: 126

Carson forms a talented left side of the INF at Linfield Christian with another LH hitter who has high-level skills, but the older half of that duo has steadily shown a bat that has not only feel to hit, but emerging impact to be a middle-of-the-order option once he makes the move to the next level. Carson has twice impressed both Lukach and Hardesty at the WCPI tournament and was strong during the spring for San Diego-based scout Vinnie Alfino, who was a fan of his LH hitting profile. Carson used another strong summer showing to jump 33 spots up our board and inside the Top 100 for the first time.

5 NAMES TO KNOW OUTSIDE-TOP-100 RISERS:

+ SS/3B Ruben Servin - Arroyo Grande HS - LMU Commit - Now Ranked: 103 - Previous: 191

Servin entered the summer coming off an excellent spring season on the Central Coast where he won MVP honors for his league and helped the Arroyo Grande program make deep runs in both the CIF-Central Section playoffs and South Regionals. From there, the LMU commit with an impact potential LH bat continued to hammer the baseball in front of Steven Hardesty during the summer circuit and put together a strong showing at the Area Code Tryouts. Headed into his senior season the talented Servin makes a large jump up our board to just outside the Top 100.

+ OF Danny De La Torre - Corona HS - Arizona State Commit - Now Ranked: 114 - Previous: 133

De La Torre has been on our radar for an extended period of time thanks to an RH bat that can generate impressive raw power with consistent EVs north of 100 MPH. But during live looks on the summer circuit, especially at the 2026 West Coast Program Invite for the trio of Lukach, Hardesty and Alfino, De La Torre demonstrated an improved feel for pure hitting to go with his raw power that is looking like a real impact middle-of-the-order profile who can man either OF corner. The future Sun Devil jumps nearly 20 spots up our board.

+ RHP/INF Aiden Echavarria - Whittier Christian HS - Pepperdine Commit - Now Ranked: 116 - Previous: 165

Echavarria has been a steady standout on the SoCal baseball scene as a talented two-way player for the Whittier Christian program and on the travel baseball circuit, to go with excellent showings at Prep Baseball California events. This summer he unveiled consistent low-90s velocity on the mound with relative ease to the operation while controlling his arsenal of off-speed offerings to look the part of a potential starter at the collegiate level, while still possessing an interesting RH hitting profile with impact in the bat. He picked up a verbal commitment to Pepperdine near the end of the summer and moves almost fifty spots up our board inside the Top-125 players in the state.

+ OF Chase Johnson - Redwood (Visalia) HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 130 - Previous: 160 

Johnson was a member of the inaugural Team NorCal squad at the 2025 Prep Baseball Future Games and has long been a favorite of Hank LoForte for his blend of emerging physicality, athleticism, and knack for playing the game at a high level. Sitting just outside our Top 150 heading into the summer, he generated consistently good reports to LoForte and then stood out during both the workout portion of the 2026 California State Games and the gameplay portion of the event to earn a strong 30 spot move up our board ahead of his senior season as a name college programs should be paying attention to out of the Central Valley for their 2027 classes.

+ OF Jordan Hall - Summit HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 159 - Previous: 196

Hall was one of the top performers at the 2025 California State Games, which brought him onto our rankings board as an imposing RH hitting OF with emerging power in his bat. Over the past calendar year, Hall has gone to work on the entirety of his game and returned to the 2026 version of the California State Games with a heightened toolset and feel for getting to those tools in-game. His athleticism has skyrocketed, the impact in his bat is more consistent, and he looks the part of a potential three-position OF defender. He makes a strong 37-spot move up the board ahead of his senior season.

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CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: NEWCOMERS

NEWCOMERS TO KNOW:

+ SS Jaxon Climer - Buchanan HS - Cal Poly Commit - Now Ranked: 72

The Cal Poly commit LH hitter out of the Central Valley came off a loud spring season for Buchanan, where he was a first-team all-TRAC player and won the silver slugger award in the competitive TRAC. Coming off that performance, he backed it up with a strong summer showing which culminated in a stellar Area Code Games. He demonstrated his bat-to-ball skills with sneaky good impact against high-level arms over multiple games played while looking the part of a strong defender up the middle at the next level. He debuts on our board as one of the Top-75 players in the state.

+ OF Jackson Alba - Palos Verdes HS - UC Irvine Commit - Now Ranked: 117

Alba put together a strong spring season wth Palos Verdes by showing long-term impact-level defensive skills in the middle of the OF grass while flashing interesting offensive upside. He went into the summer uncommitted, but with consistently solid performances across the summer circuit, he picked up a UC-Irvine verbal commit and heads into his senior campaign now inside the Top-125 players in the state.

+ OF Noah Verkaik - Aquinas HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 180

Verkaik made the trek from the Inland Empire into the High Desert for an early summer ID event held at Antelope Valley College and wowed our staff there, fronted by Steven Hardesty, with his blend of power LH bat, upper-level athleticism, and sound RF defensive profile. Verkaik blasted nearly 10 homers over his two rounds of batting practice with a lofted swing and aggressive turn that looks to do maximum damage with each swing. He posted a sub-6.9 60 run time with above-average arm strength from the OF on his throws. With a loud collection of tools bringing him on our board inside the Top-200, a strong senior campaign in-game can vault him higher up this board.

+ OF Jayden Ross - Citrus Valley HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 187

Ross was another imposingly built OF to make the trip from the Inland Empire out to the High Desert for the High Desert Summer ID and put up a strong showing of impressive raw tools, from a 7.1 60 time to an 87 MPH OF arm and 104 MPH EVs with loft to the pull side the posted multiple no-doubt homers, including leaving to the biggest part of the field. Heading into an important senior season for the uncommitted OF, he makes his debut inside our Top-200 players.

+ OF Michael Ba - Brentwood HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 192

Ba is a toolshed of an athlete who was an important part of the Brentwood program's spring success and then showed off those raw tools with a strong showing at the High Desert Summer ID and then backed it up again at the 2026 California State Games. With a blend of power at the plate that posts regular EVs around or north of the 100 MPH mark and a sub-6.8 60 time with bat speeds regularly north of 80 MPH, the power profile with athleticism oozes from Ba. He makes his debut inside the Top-200 players in the state.

+ RHP Anakin Tolman - Corona HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 201

Tolman is a massive right-hander checking in at 6'7 and 242 lbs. for his bullpen at the Central Coast Summer ID, where his low-slot funky delivery opened eyes for our staff. He utilized an 85-86 MPH FB that ran heavy to the arm side with a pair of breaking balls and the makings of a quality CHG. He was a durable, strong-performing arm for the powerhouse Corona program in the spring and put together a stellar summer circuit heading into the fall as an uncommitted arm to know for college programs and just outside our Top-200 players.

+ RHP Ayden Katuszonek - Rosamond HS - Uncommitted - Now Ranked: 202

Katuszonek understandably has flown somewhat under the radar of most by hailing from a small town in the high desert region of SoCal. Bu he quickly announced his presence to our staff with a strong bullpen session at the High Desert Summer ID that backed up the numbers he posted during the spring season. From there, he made the trip to the 2026 California State Games and posted a First-Team All-State Games performance with a strong mid-to-upper-80s FB that he pairs with an impressive CHG and two solid breaking balls. He joins our rakings just outside the Top-200 with the type of skillset and projection to continue improving to push higher up the board in the future.

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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