The travel baseball summer circuit was one for the books and with its conclusion, it's time to revamp our rankings across the board, starting with the Rising Seniors, the Class of 2026. 

Our scouts were scouring not only our own showcases and tournaments, but various marquee national events that play a key role in evaluating talent. The talent in the Class of 2026 has been noted to be some of the best we've had in New Jersey in several years, so adjustments to the rankings have certainly provided some double and triple checking. Read below for some updates regarding the class of 2026, as we head into their final year as a high school player.

What's New At the Top

No. 2 INF Jason Amalbert, who remains uncommitted after a decommitment from Indiana late last year, emerged as one of the top talents coming out of the summer circuit, especially with his performance at the Area Code Games earlier this month. Amalbert has the rangey-athleticism you'd expect from a potential two-way/middle infield prospect, yet this summer his bat shined more than his arm talent and certainly made a statement that said "bat over arm" to scouts and college recruiters alike. He was consistently on the barrel at ACG and was one of the top statisical performers from the entire event. 

No. 4 RHP/INF Alex Weingartner (St. Augustine Prep), a Penn State recruit, wowed scouts this summer with his advanced athleticism and strength to his frame. Weingartner was one of the top athletes from those marquee national events, showing off his speed at a 6.4 and noticeable strength.  

No. 6 INF/OF Noah Danza (Gloucester Catholic), a Mississippi State recruit, was another guy who showed off his speed and strength this summer. Although he didn't get the results during gameplay when our scouts saw him, the tools jumped off the table.

A big winner from the summer as a whole was Penn State commit, No. 7 RHP Hunter Brown (North Hunterdon). Brown wowed at the Garden State Games earlier in June with a lanky, athletic 6-foot-5 200-pound frame and long, effortless arm action with a fastball into the low 90s. Brown maintained that momentum through a commitment to the Nittany Lions in July and then a big showing at the Area Code Games, where to revved up the heater into the mid-to-upper 90s. Expect Brown to be a guy that scouts follow through the end of next spring and into the draft.

Just Outside the Top 10

Boston College commit and Future Games alum RHP JJ Drennan (Seton Hall Prep) made a big push toward the top 10 rankings this summer, with a heater that got up to 94 and high spin slider/cutter combo into the 2500+ range. Drennan dominated the circuit this summmer after a solid spring campaign for the Pirates.

The Top 10