Inside the Rankings: Breaking Down the 2023 Rankings (2024)

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Scouts for PBR released the updated and expanded Class of 2023 Rankings. This is the final rankings release of a three week run from our North Carolina offices. The ‘23 list features the top 285 players in the state. After an extensive spring and summer, with PBR Scouts seeing a ton of high school games, club team tournaments, PBR workouts, Team Carolina Events, Organizational Scout Days, and more, the revamped rankings shed some light on players to know for the MLB Draft, as well as an extensive list of uncommitted follows.

+ 2023 Rankings
+ 2023 Rankings Release Story

Today we continue to dive into the 2023 rankings by looking at some of the numbers and trends in the class. As we review these numbers, keep in mind that PBR typically tracks between 400-475 college bound players in each graduating class in North Carolina. In the senior classes of the past, PBR has seen a trend in North Carolina where approximately 50% of the college bound players commit prior to the early signing date in November. This means that half of the class will commit after the early period. In an effort to continue to upgrade the rankings list in each class, the 2023 class is cutoff at 285 players and will probably grow to 350 by the time time they are heading to college. Look for the 2023 Director’s List for additional names to know in the senior class.

Inside the Rankings: Class of 2023

285
The Class of 2023 Rankings held steady at 285 players as Scouts from North Carolina continued to cover the state. With the full spring season and the summer tours, this made the list much more competitive. PBR’s team of scouts work to put player grades on players that they gather enough information on while evaluating. As players receive a player grade from a PBR Scout, they are entered into the Rankings Database. From there, players are sorted by their player grade and through scout review. These rankings will continue to be very competitive with a loaded 2023 class of players

45
With PBR Scouts adding names to the Rankings Database, there were 45 players that saw their name in the 2023 rankings for the 1st time with this release. Expect this number to continue to grow as the list expands through the fall and winter seasons.

119
Again, we are expecting between 400-475 players in NC’s 2023 class to eventually commit to play college baseball. At the time of the rankings release, 119 have committed to their desired school to continue their playing career.

106 / 11 / 2
At just about every level of college baseball in North Carolina, there is a chance to compete and win a national championship. Good players have committed and good players are still on the board. At this time, 106 players in the ‘23 NC Rankings have committed to Division 1 Programs. 11 Players have committed to Division II Programs. Two Players have committed to continue at a North Carolina Junior College.

35
Of the committed players on the list, 35 are committed to programs that reside in “Power 5” conferences. As we know, the Power 5 “line” is not as strong in baseball as it may be in basketball or football. There are teams, several in our area, that are not in Power 5 conferences that are able to compete at a national level year in and year out, but the “Power 5” moniker does give us a reference point when looking at how the rankings shake out.

Of the 35 players committed to Power 5 schools, 31 are committed to play in the ACC and 4 are committed to play in the SEC. North Carolina leads all schools with commitments from 12 players in the rankings.

93 / 26
With the strong baseball inside the state of North Carolina, it is not a surprise to see 96 players committed to continue their careers at an in-state school. 26 Players are pledged to leave the state

Positional Breakdown

Working off the player’s primary position, the top 285 in North Carolina consists of:

+ 40 Catchers
+ 59 Outfielders
+ 53 Middle Infielders
+ 33 Corner Infielders
+ 28 Left-Handed Pitchers

+ 72 Right-Handed Pitchers

CLICK HERE for the full list of North Carolina’s 2023 Rankings