High School

LSU Commit Luke Esquivel, Star Texas Prospect, Reclassifies Early from 2028 to 2027

Boras-advised star will skip a year to accelerate his path toward his baseball future

Levi Payton

Grapevine (Texas) High School baseball star Luke Esquivel, one of the top 2028 prospects in the country, intends to reclassify to the 2027 class and will be a junior this baseball season.
Grapevine (Texas) High School baseball star Luke Esquivel, one of the top 2028 prospects in the country, intends to reclassify to the 2027 class and will be a junior this baseball season. / Robbie Rakestraw

Grapevine High School’s Luke Esquivel isn’t exactly following Bryce Harper’s path — but he’s taking his own early leap to the next level.

Don't worry, he's not dropping out of high school to pursue his GED. He's still calling Baton Rouge.

He just put his future on speed dial.

Remembering Bryce Harper's Unconventional Jump to College

In case you’ve forgotten Harper’s story, back in 2009 he drew waves when, advised by MLB super-agent Scott Boras, the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, he announced following his sophomore season at Las Vegas High School in Nevada that he would be acquiring his GED and entering college early.

Harper, widely projected as the best high school baseball prospect on the planet at the time, acquired his GED in October 2009 and enrolled in Junior College at the College of Southern Nevada for what would have been his junior year of high school.

Harper went on to lead College of Southern Nevada to an appearance in the 2010 NJCAA Division I JUCO World Series in his only season before getting selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.

Esquivel Sets the Stage for his LSU Debut

Sixteen years later, Luke Esquivel, Texas' top 2028 high school baseball prospect and possibly the best in the country, is following his own unconventional path to the next level. Luke’s father, Lale — a former Miami Hurricanes slugger and Texas Rangers minor leaguer — announced Monday on social media that Luke Esquivel, after seeking advice from family and the Boras Corporation, will be reclassifying from the 2028 to the 2027 graduating class for the 2026 spring season.

Despite the change, Luke, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound two-way star who bats and throws left, remains committed to LSU. He will also remain one of the most coveted prospects in the country.

“First I want to let all know after long talks with family and @borascorp we have decided to RECLASS @luke_esquivel up to the 2027 class,” Lale Esquivel said on X, formerly Twitter. “We have spoken to @LSUbaseball @CoachJordan2 @LSUCoachJ last night and reaffirmed his commitment to @LSUbaseball.”

Freshman Impression: Grapvine's Shohei

Teaming with his older brother, Lale, who will be a senior this spring, the duo helped guide Grapevine to a 36-3 record last season and the Class 5A Division II state championship, the program’s second straight title.

As a freshman, Luke did his best Shohei Ohtani impression — setting the table as a left-handed leadoff man while also proving himself an ace on the mound.

He compiled a .434 batting average in 39 games (56-for-129) with 16 doubles, four triples and 31 RBIs. He got on base at a .523 clip, drawing more walks (25) than strikeouts (11). Esquivel also went 6-for-7 in stolen base attempts and finished with a .967 fielding percentage.

The Southpaw Ace Shut Down Opponents All Season

Zipping a fastball in the upper 80s to low 90s, the southpaw held opponents to a .157 average while going 11-1 on the mound with a 1.46 ERA in 16 starts spanning 86.1 innings. He surrendered 48 hits, allowed 28 runs (18 earned), struck out 122 and issued 23 walks. Five of those 18 earned runs came in the state championship game.

A member of USA Baseball’s 15U National Team in 2024, Esquivel appeared twice out of the bullpen and fired four hitless innings with four strikeouts and one walk.

Time will tell whether Luke Esquivel can put together a career anywhere close to Bryce Harper's, but it seems that, like Harper, his time time will come sooner than expected.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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