1. Bloomingdale

This is simple. This is not an all-prospect list. Not an all-how-you-did in 14U list. It’s our 813Preps preseason HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL rankings. Doing it on the field matters. Yes, there were some key seniors who played into Bloomingdale capturing its program’s first-ever state title in 2021, but this team is stacked with returning veterans hungry to do it again. Colby Shelton … has NOT skipped leg day in the off-season – the Alabama signee is a freak athlete, a solid glove and a big bat; Drake Harman is a run-scoring machine who will fire this offense from the jump; and Jack Owens returns to defend his All-813Preps Pitcher of the Year honors, posting a 9-2 record with 89 K’s and a 1.09 ERA, with ability at the plate to boot. Chase Chappell finished off the state championship game on the mound with four, shutout innings, while the Bulls welcome senior Tephen Montgomery to the rotation. Junior Trey Wilson brings fire out of the pen, and key returners like Dawson Harman and Carlos DeJesus round out a team with serious back-to-back ambitions, and we like their odds.

2. Jesuit

Three of our four previous preseason rankings have had the Tigers locked in as the 813Preps No. 1, and it was a tough decision, and man this prognostication will be tested Day 1, Game 1 for each squad, as the Tigers host the Bulls Monday night at 7pm – how lucky are we? Jake Kulikowski smashed his way onto the seen last year with a five-home run, 26 RBI season as a sophomore and we can’t wait to see what he does this year; Wes Mendes hit .348 with double-digit runs and RBI tallies; AJ Nessler and Jack Martinez will also be key returners on offense. The Tigers are always stacked, and the Signing Day shindigs are amazing, now time to show it on the field. Jamie Arnold, Ryan Denison and Mendes all saw innings on the mound last year, but Jesuit did lose 74% of its innings to graduation. Have we mentioned how excited we are for DAY ONE!!! (that’s three exclamation points, folks)

3. Berkeley Prep

Good news for the Buccaneers’ opponents: shortstop Cade Kurland is graduating a year early; bad news: there is still a whole high school season to go for the two-time All-813Preps first teamer, who looks to build on his 30-plus tallies for hits/runs/RBI from last season. And that’s just the start of a scary offensive lineup, which features seniors Gunnett Carlson (FSU signee, 22 RBI last season), Anthony Castillo (36 R, 13 RBI) and Drew Canody (20 R, 10 RBI), as well as junior James Hankerson, who hit .338 with 15 RBI, five homers and six doubles in 2021. On the mound, senior righty JT Quinn (Ole Miss) returns after an impressive junior campaign, going 3-2 with a 2.29 ERA over nine appearances while helping Berkeley Prep reach the region final. He’ll head a staff that also includes key returners RHP Owen McElfatrick and LHP Andrew Jergins.

4. Wharton

The Wildcats stood atop the 813Preps weekly rankings for a couple of weeks last year, posting a 12-2 record in the second half of the year and winning a district title, before losing to Sickles in the region playoffs. We expect Wharton to stay near the top of this list all year, returning a pair of No. 1-level pitchers in 2021 All-813Prep first teamer Evan Chrest (RHP, Jacksonville signee, 8-2 record, 74 K’s and a 1.93 ERA last spring) and All-813Pres second team selection Ryan Fry (Miami commit, 6-1 record, 1.88 ERA, 86 K’s) to the mound this season. The Wildcats take to the field this season under first-year head coach Michael Burgess (click here for more), and we’re excited to see what the former Hillsborough High slugger has imparted to an already strong returning offense including seniors Elijah Dukes, Billy Eich, David Limbach and Quentin Meadows – who all finished 2021 with double-digit run and RBI totals. New coach. Same tough ‘Cats.

5. Durant

Ugh. We figure Coach Valdes will invest in bubble-wrap for preseasons in the future. For the third-straight preseason Durant takes a sucker punch to the midsection losing an important player to injury as projected No. 1 and cleanup hitter Blaine Rowland suffered a broken, non-throwing arm that will keep him on the shelf for four-to-six weeks minimum. And Durant’s senior night last April took like an hour (it didn’t, but there was a lotta them). Buuuuut, the offense is stacked headed up by junior catcher and 2021 All-813Preps first teamer Dylan LaPointe, who hit .380 with 23 RBI and 13 doubles for the state semifinalist Cougars. Senior Avery Cherry comes to Turkey Creek from an impressive showing at Seffner Christian last year, where he scored 29 runs, stole 23 bases and hit .322. Also blowing in from out of state this summer was 6-foot-6, RHP Torin Byrnes, who will takeover as the Cougars No. 1 this spring. Senior Oscar Fernandez and underclassmen Aiden Welsh and Nick April-Gath should produce runs for this team and provide strong defense.

6. Strawberry Crest

The triage portion of our rankings continues with the Chargers as some key players are battling injuries from the jump. When health returns for Crest – this is a top-of-the-list threat for sure. Arjun Nimmala’s 30 hits, 30 RBI, 15 stolen bases as a sophomore last year was just the tip of what the toolsy, talented shortstop can produce. Senior Ethan Pues hit .315 and drove in 18 last year, and Zach Redner (14 runs, 19 RBI) both add returning depth for the team. Alex Philpott (6-foot-5, Florida commit) transfers in from Newsome, and while he is going to need a few weeks to get mound-ready, he should contribute immediately at the plate for the Chargers. Even banged up, the Chargers are going to notch the win column consistently all season.

7. Sickles

The Gryphons are going to be a one-game nightmare for anyone this season, with Caden McDonald on the mound Sickles will be tough to beat (like he was in his outstanding showing in October’s Steinbrenner Wood Bat Classic final win against Jesuit). The offense keyed by Avery Bishop, Hayden Yost, Thomas Bly and McDonald will be formidable – and they’ll need to be as the Gryphons wait to see who will step up on the mound in those Nos. 2-3 starting pitching roles and long relief. The great news here is that only Bishop is a senior of the previously mentioned players, so Sickles could be set for a long-sustained run this year and beyond.

8. Jefferson

The Dragons went 13-3 after April 1 last season, earning a spot in the FHSAA state semifinals and (keeping it 100 here) we did NOT see it coming. A significant senior class departed after that, but the cupboards are not bare for Jefferson this spring. Senior catcher Alejandro Montada put in a ton of work this off-season, after posting a .371/14 run/15 RBI season last year – producing while injured for the final third of the year (including his game-winning RBI to earn the Dragons a region crown)! Senior lefty Julian Vargas has swing-and-miss stuff, and we expect to see significant contributions from juniors Jayden Vazquez and Joseph Fritz. AND wait ‘til you see freshman leadoff hitter JaMarques Benton. Good test on Tuesday against Lennard to light the fire in the Dragons’ bellies.

9. Plant City

The Raiders have a ridiculous amount of talent to put on the mound this season, returning their top four inning-eaters from 2021 – all of them juniors or below. Adan Longoria had a breakout sophomore season, going 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA and a pair of complete-game shutouts, sophomore Chase Mobley has a rocket of an arm, Tanner Rollyson posted a 2.10 ERA across a team-leading 12 appearances, while Preston Rogers was 4-2 last spring. Senior Colin Shultz hit .367 with 18 runs and 15 RBI last year and will fill a huge roll behind the plate for the City, while senior Anthony Grasso brings leadership and skill to the middle of the Raiders infield defense, and newcomer Jackson VanDerZee will be a key bat in the middle of the lineup as well.

10. Leto

It’s infuriating, actually. Every time we check out a photo we took in the moment, send an in-game tweet, or blink the Falcons baserunners have advanced a base on us … or well, I guess, on you. The Falcons are more than pesky, not just aggressive, relentlessly out there capitalizing on every bobble, overthrow or any half-second deep breath. Seniors Coltin Pizzio (.356 avg, 22 runs, 17 runs and 22 stolen bases last season) and Brayan Cruz (a career .330 hitter for Leto, with some pop) have been producing in this lineup for four seasons, and both look more at ease on the field than ever before. Junior Bryan Rivera looks sharp on the mound and should eclipse a sophomore season where he tossed no-hitters in back-to-back starts and drove in 16 runs at the plate as well.

On the Bubble:

11. Lennard – BIG expectations from the South Shore. No crazy projection from us here, but we’re gonna go watch John John Smith, Alex Brazer and Keith McClain crush baseballs this spring – believe that.

12. Steinbrenner – Ummm, 12-15 is not what we expect from #SKIBOENation. We know a big senior class wants to erase the memory of the Warriors first-ever losing season.

13. Alonso – Hector Montilla leading things on the mound, Christopher Morgan, Keenan Ruttledge, and Ben Drumheller returning, and adding Dylan DeGusipe from Jefferson – m’yeah, that’s a pretty nice foundation.

14. Hillsborough – A great start last spring for Hillsborough preceded a tough April. But Cameron Mallo, Salvy Urso, Adrian Arroyo – them’s some dudes.

15. Newsome – Evan Wainman is going to stack RBIs and XBH’s this year. Ditto: Lucas Phelps.