Will Hoefer spent this weekend taking in high school baseball in the state of Georgia and venturing out to watch Georgia Tech and their talented stable of draft-eligible players. Here are his thoughts.
Jared "Bear" Jones, C, Walton
At the LakePoint complex in Emerson, Jared Jones had a solid first game for Walton in a blowout win vs. Islands. Per the norm for a big slugging draft prospect in the high school ranks, Jones did not get a whole lot to hit over the course of his four plate appearances. However, in his last step up to the plate, Jones got a pitch he could barrel up and roped an RBI single to left center field. There’s no question that Jones can bang at the plate; he’s as physical as you’d expect a 6’5” 230 lb. high schooler to be and possesses strong vision, bat speed and great upper body rotation. However, in this look Jones was at first base, and the question of how his athleticism and arm plays behind the plate is the real million dollar question in this profile. Further evaluation at this inflection point in Jones’ draft value as a prep will be needed.
Chandler Simpson, 2B/SS, Georgia Tech
At Georgia Tech, Chandler Simpson was the table setter for a potent Yellow Jackets offense that battered Gardner-Webb early and often. Simpson showcased a little bit of everything; his plus plus speed almost allowed him to beat out a routine grounder to start the game. He came back in a later plate appearance and stayed on a fastball over the plate, taking it straight back up the middle for a hard hit single. In the sixth, he capped off Zach Maxwell’s day by gliding to his left to field a soft chopper and fired a throw from a tough angle right on the money for a 6-3 putout. The UAB transfer’s performance and loud overall tools at a premium defensive position are moving him up our board fairly quickly; don’t be surprised to see him start to creep into Top 200 territory soon.
Drew Compton, 1B/3B, Georgia Tech
Drew Compton handled third in the opening game of Yellow Jackets’ doubleheader, and had a very strong day from sides of the plate--particularly in regards to his hit tool. From the left side against GW’s right handed starter, Compton ID’ed a changeup that caught too much of the plate and pulled it hard to right field for a single. As a righty facing a southpaw reliever, he got a fastball and roped it through the middle for an RBI single. Overall this was a continuation of a very strong offensive week for Tech’s man at the hot corner, and continued improvement in his contact rates will be key towards solidifying a move into top 5 round consideration league wide.
Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech
Complete dominance. Those might not be the best two words to describe Parada’s performance so far in 2022, but they’ve got to be real dang close if they aren’t. Continuing a trend of barrelling everything thrown in the vicinity of the strike zone, the Tech backstop went pullside bomb on hanging curve→single back where it came from that almost took out the pitcher’s legs from underneath him→yankshot double that one hopped the RF wall→oppo taco on a outer third fastball. 4 for 4, 2 HRs, 1 2B, all barrels. The whippy bat speed, strong swing decisions, and ridiculously innate feel for the barrel have manifested in the top bat in the 2022 college catcher class. However, there’s also athleticism, improved lateral pitch framing and even a nice 1-1 day when it came to blocking pitches in the dirt from Zach Maxwell. Parada’s putting it all together early on, and while he can’t keep the pace up forever, maintaining his progression as a defender and continuing to lift with authority will lock him in to Top 10 draft pick money.
Zach Maxwell, RHP, Georgia Tech
A late inning reliever prior to 2022, Zach Maxwell played his way into the weekend rotation this fall and put together one of the best outings of his collegiate career this past Saturday. He relied on his usual fastball/slider mix; sitting 92-96 with the heater and touching 97 a few times throughout the game. He maintained his velocity from his first pitch in the first inning to his last in the sixth, and lived down in the zone early in counts and got ahead very often. Maxwell gets more carry on his fastball than about anyone else in college ball, and Gardner Webb hitters were often fooled into taking a pitch that looked like it was heading into the dirt but landed at their knees. He would go up with the fastball to finish hitters off, or lean on his mid 80s high spin slider to buckle knees and get flailing swinging strike threes. There were occasional wide arm side misses with the fastball, or sliders that he let go early and didn’t slide. On the whole though, Maxwell’s command was as strong as it’s ever been; he only walked two batters in six innings. Coming from a guy who’s career BB/9 was in the double digits entering 2022, that’s a big accomplishment. Maxwell has all the physical tools and spin traits to be a workhorse starter, but command has dogged him into a relief profile for quite some time. Building off this start will be huge for him, and if he keeps the walks under control then he could fly up boards in a weak college starting pitching market.
RJ Austin, SS, Pace Academy
Like everyone else on this slate, RJ Austin played two for his team on Saturday, and saved the fireworks for the twilight-cap. He belted two home runs in his first two plate appearances for Pace against Westlake, and put the Knights up big early. Austin has gotten noticeably stronger in his arms since this past summer, and has better weight distribution in his lower half. These changes have allowed him to make a noticeable swing change; his hand load is much longer and very deliberate. Austin makes his swing decisions later, and trusts his explosive hands and barrel speed to catch up to anything coming his way. How this plays against higher velocity remains to be seen, but the power has certainly increased and the changes play to his strengths. The overall athleticism, twitch and up the middle defense have never been in question, but if Austin can create believers in his realized game power this spring, he might actually get bought out of a Vandy commitment--and those ain’t cheap.