High school baseball's best pitchers in the nation entering the 2024 season

Expect these 20 hurlers to live up to their high expectations this spring

Author:
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
Updated:
Feb 16, 2024 2:48 PM EST
Original:
Feb 15, 2024

As high school baseball returns to diamonds across the nation in the coming weeks, SBLive Sports is featuring the best players in the game.

We started with the top 20 hitters in high school baseball in 2024, and now it's the top pitchers' turn.

It's a senior-heavy list full of players projected to be first-day picks in the MLB Draft in July.

And despite being lockdown pitchers, some are two-way stars who could end up being position players at the next level.

Casa Grande ace Austin Steeves will be playing college baseball for Stanford next season.

Cam Caminiti, sr., Saguaro (Arizona)

Caminiti can swing it (he hit .446 last year as a sophomore), but scouts see the LSU commit as a left-handed starting pitcher who throws in the high 90s. He would have been a junior this year but reclassified to the Class of 2024 and is now viewed as the top high school pitching prospect in the MLB Draft. Everyone always mentions that Cam is late MLB great Ken Caminiti's cousin, so we probably should too.

Christian Chatterton, sr., Brooks (Alabama)

Chatterton is one of the smaller pitchers on this list (6 feet, 195 pounds), but the Auburn commit gets big-time movement on his pitches and has a penchant for missing bats. The right-hander struck out 83 in 49.2 innings last year and raised eyebrows on the summer circuit with his combination of a 95 mph fastball and high-spin change-up.

Noah Franco, sr., IMG Academy (Florida)

Like Caminiti, Franco reclassified from the Class of 2025 and immediately became one of the top-ranked MLB prospects in the class. Unlike Caminiti, the jury's still out on whether Franco will be a pitcher or hitter at the next level. The 6-foot-3 lefty struck out 47 in the 30 innings last year and is committed to TCU.

Trey Gregory-Alford, sr., Coronado (Colorado)

Gregory-Alford is a prototypical power pitcher, an imposing 6-foot-5, 235-pounder who pairs a high-90s fastball with one of the best sliders in high school baseball. The Virginia commit struck out 91 batters in 43.1 innings last year.

Owen Hall, sr., Edmond North (Oklahoma)

Oklahoma is home to two of the hardest throwers in high school baseball (you'll read about the other later). Hall's outstanding summer sent him rocketing up the prospect rankings, throwing a 98 mph fastball and an excellent slider while also working on a splitter. He's committed to Vanderbilt.

Talan Holiday, jr., Plantation American Heritage (Florida)

Holiday helped lead American Heritage to the 5A state championship as a sophomore, pitching six strong innings in an upset win over Archbishop McCarthy to get them there. The 6-foot-3 North Carolina commit went 9-1, finishing with a 1.28 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. He followed that up with 63 strikeouts in 38 innings and a 0.55 ERA on the Perfect Game circuit.

Tegan Kuhns, sr., Gettysburg (Pennsylvania)

Kuhns is a lean 6-foot-3 right-hander with a smooth delivery and extraordinary command. He finished his junior year boasting a 1.21 ERA with 61 strikeouts and just eight walks in 29 innings. Kuhns throws a 95 mph fastball and has a "major league-ready slider," according to a Toronto Blue Jays scout.

Chase Mobley, sr., Durant (Florida)

Mobley was one of the biggest offseason transfers in the country — literally. The Florida State commit stands 6-foot-6, 215 pounds and throws 97 mph, and scouts see that number growing down the road as his command improves. His strongest high school season came in his sophomore year, when he struck out 62 in 41.1 innings. Look for a huge senior season from Mobley after the change of scenery.

Joey Oakie, sr., Ankeny Centennial (Iowa)

We'll have to wait a while to see Oakie in action, as Iowa doesn't start its high school baseball season until May. But it'll be worth the wait. He struck out 91 in 43.2 innings as a junior, holding a 1.13 ERA. Baseball America ranked the 6-foot-3 Iowa commit's 97 mph fastball as having the best movement in the country.

Bryce Rainier, sr., Harvard-Westlake (California)

Rainier is another who could have been on our top hitters list as well. Also an excellent shortstop, he's been throwing 90 mph since his freshman year and held a 0.38 ERA in 21 innings as a junior. He throws 96 now, and scouts see triple-digit potential, but he's on a team with two other aces who could have made this list (Tommy Bridges and Duncan Marsten). The two-way 6-foot-3 star who's committed to Texas is Prep Baseball Report's top-ranked high school prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Ethan Schiefelbein, sr., Corona (California)

Schiefelbein is the top arm on a super-team of sorts in Corona, which is loaded from top to bottom. The left-handed UCLA commit throws a 94 mph fastball plus an excellent curve and slider in addition to a change-up that Baseball America rates as the best in the country. He's coming off a junior season in which he struck out 94 in 55 innings, holding a 0.64 ERA.

William Schmidt, sr., Baton Rouge Catholic (Louisiana)

Schmidt pairs a 95 mph fastball with a 12-6 curve that's tops in the nation, according to Baseball America. The 6-foot-4 LSU commit is coming off a junior season in which he held a 0.94 ERA, striking out 62 batters in 52 innings.

Anson Seibert, sr., Blue Valley Southwest (Kansas)

Pitchers don't come much more imposing than Seibert. He's 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, throws his fastball in the mid-90s and has a devastating slider. He's committed to play college baseball for Tennessee, but he could be a high pick in the MLB Draft, especially with an improved change-up his senior season.

David Shields, sr., Mt. Lebanon (Pennsylvania)

Shields set the school record last season with 106 strikeouts, while walking just 16 in 67 innings and holding a 0.94 ERA as a sophomore. The 6-foot-3 lefty reclassified to be eligible for the 2024 MLB Draft, so he's expected to go the pro route despite committing to Miami.

Ryan Sloan, sr., York (Illinois)

Ryan Sloan already looks like a major league pitcher, standing 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and having command of four pitches (fastball, slider, curve, change). He's committed to Wake Forest, but going straight to MLB looks more likely.

Austin Steeves, sr., Casa Grande (California)

Steeves earned SBLive California Pitcher of the Year honors as a junior after striking out 158 batters while issuing just 18 walks in 89.1 innings, finishing with a 0.39 ERA. The 6-foot-1 lefty — who holds a 4.6 GPA — signed with Stanford in November.

Levi Sterling, sr., Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (California)

A 6-foot-4 right-hander who's committed to Texas, Sterling mixes a 93 mph fastball with a devastating change-up, especially against lefties, and he has excellent control. He also throws a curve and cutter and is coming off a junior season where he held a 0.55 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 38 innings.

Landon Victorian, sr., Barbe (Louisiana)

Victorian was a workhorse as a sophomore, pitching 74 innings and striking out 94 while logging an ERA of 1.04. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder got even better as a junior, going 8-0 with 80 strikeouts in 50.1 innings, walking only four and boasting a 0.97 ERA. He's committed to LSU if he chooses college over MLB.

Carson Wiggins, sr., Roland (Oklahoma)

The younger brother of second-round 2023 MLB Draft pick Jaxon Wiggins (Cubs), Carson Wiggins boasts the best fastball in the nation, according to Baseball America. The 6-foot-5 physical specimen also is an excellent athlete who stars on the basketball court as well. Improved command this spring could determine whether he goes to Arkansas (like his brother did) or straight to MLB.

Cooper Williams, sr., Alvin (Texas)

Williams has earned all-district honors in all three of his years playing high school baseball, and he looks lined up for a huge senior season. The lean 6-foot-4 southpaw's velocity went way up last year, pairing with a devastating slider. He's committed to Texas A&M.