The state of Georgia produces outstanding high school baseball players every year.

Byron Buxton, Austin Meadows, Clint Frazier, Daz Cameron, Seth Beer, Will Benson, Carter Kieboom and Taylor Trammell are just a few Georgians who have starred in the Under Armour All-America Game over the last several years. With those talented players and other recent high draft picks, it may seem crazy to say – but 2018 may prove to be the state’s best class in recent memory.

Luke Bartnicki

Many of the top players in that class took part in the Baseball Factory Under Armour Futures event in Peachtree City on Saturday, October 15^th that featured a position player workout and game.

The game began with two outstanding pitchers taking the mound. Georgia Tech commit Luke Bartnicki (6’3”/200) started things off with his easy, low effort delivery and clean arm action producing a fastball that topped out at 91 mph and got on hitters in a hurry. The LHP mixed in a curve and change while striking out 3-of-8 hitters that he faced.

Opposing Bartnicki was big 6’5” RHP Carter Raffield. The University of Georgia commit has serious life to his low 90s fastball and excellent overall presence on the mound. His breaking ball has 11-5 shape and his change has some deception. There is a ton of upside for both of these young arms.

Another University of Georgia commit, Cole Wilcox, was next on the mound. Cole threw a dominant inning, striking out two hitters and getting a fly out and broken-bat ground ball from the four hitters he faced. Cole’s arm is electric producing a fastball that touched 94 and came out very easily. He complemented his big fastball with a very good breaking ball and change- all of which he commanded well.

LHP Will Shirah (Georgia Tech commit) also showed well with an upper 80s fastball with some deception. He also flashed one of the better breaking balls of the day with a hard downer that has out-pitch potential. Davis Sharpe (Clemson commit) was also intriguing on the mound, combining a good pitcher’s frame with athleticism and a compact, repeatable delivery. He also showed confidence in his slider that had late break and proved to be an effective pitch.

Kendall Simmons

In addition to those Georgia arms, several of the position players from the state also showed well and have bright futures.

Infielder Kendall Simmons, another Georgia Tech commit, was outstanding in the workout showing good hands and tons of arm strength across the diamond (94 mph raw velocity). During batting practice, his quick hands generated big bat speed and resulted in hard contact and flashes of power. That power showed itself in the game when he drove a ball over the head of the centerfielder for a triple. Another infield prospect who showed an impressive set of tools and big power in BP was Devin Warner, an Auburn commit. The switch-hitter Warner made loud contact from both sides of the plate in BP, driving several balls well over the RF fence during his left-handed rounds.

Another standout was OF Cabera Weaver. Weaver is another University of Georgia commit and he has an exciting set of tools. He evoked some Usain Bolt comparisons from scouts as his thin 6’3”/175 pound frame ran an effortless 6.44 in the 60. He added a solid defensive workout and an excellent round of BP where he showed a loose, athletic swing with some pull-side power. Cabera also doubled in the game.

With these players and others, Georgia’s 2018 class is loaded!