The minor league baseball season has finally returned which means live looks are back! Prospects Live was on hand in Syracuse this past week.
Live Looks at the 2022 Yankees Minor League Camp
Live Looks Reports: Week 1, Part 3
Live Looks Reports: Week 1, Part 2
Live Looks Reports: Week 1, Part 1
Live Looks: 2022 PG MLK East
Happy New Year! One of my favorite things about living in Florida is that the baseball offseason is essentially two months long. When the World Series ends in late October, there are just a few weeks to wait until prep tournaments are up and running in the new year. This is truly the first look at how players spent their downtime and is the start of the most important spring of their baseball lives for high school seniors.
Before we get started, keep in mind that this tournament took place in the middle of January and is the first live action some players have seen in several months. Most everyone is out here to shake off the rust as they start preparing for their school season start. So, it’s expected that velocities and timing might be a touch off when compared to midseason form. Without further ado, here’s what I saw at the fields.
2022
Jayson Jones - Savannah, TX
Arkansas commit
Jones was without a doubt the most high profile player at the event. He’s a bat-first shortstop (likely destined for third base down the road given his strong, muscular build) who brings big time bat speed and power to the plate. The offensive profile is power over hit and Jones looks to do damage on just about every swing – and when he connects, the contact is loud. It was a tough weekend for him at the plate in his first action of the new year as he struggled to make consistent quality contact, but he did manage to square up a few pitches and collect extra bases. How much Jones hits will be the biggest question for him heading into this spring. The more he hits, the higher he’ll rise up draft boards.
Elijah Dukes - Tampa, FL
San Jacinto commit
Dukes is a masher, through and through. He’s a big, strong kid who whips the bat through the zone and is able to lift and drive the ball with authority. The bat is quick, but stays through the hitting zone for while due to its relatively flat path. He sees the ball well and is able to drive it to all fields with loud contact. Dukes moves well for his size, too; I clocked a 4.47 home to first this weekend.
Matt Graveline - Centerville, OH
Ohio State commit
Graveline’s long, projectable frame is the first thing that stands out when you see him. He has that look of a ballplayer with broad shoulders and a high waist. Athletic and versatile with a strong arm that plays well from behind the plate and in the outfield. At the plate, he uses a quiet hand load and a quick, compact swing that is direct to the ball and will produce a lot of line drive contact.
Sean Fitzpatrick - Spring, TX
Arkansas commit
There are several factors here that immediately bring Josh Hader to mind, from the near-sidearm left-handed slot to the flowing, blond locks. Fitzpatrick’s delivery is abrupt and aggressive, which gives hitters a tough look and makes it tough to pick up the ball out of his hand. Strike-throwing will be a point of concern because of the difficulty repeating mechanics like that, but he’s kept the walks in check over the last year. The fastball touched 91 this weekend, lived in the upper 80s and missed a ton of bats, showing good run and solid carry from a low slot. Showed a breaking ball while warming up, but did not feature it in-game.
Jordan Huskey - Quitman, AR
Arkansas commit
Huskey, a lefty with a strong build, dominated this weekend to the tune of 8 strikeouts over 5 innings with just 1 hit allowed and no walks. The delivery is athletic, gets down the mound well, and shows a fast arm, though there is some effort in the release. His fastball was 82-85, touching 88 and missed plenty of bats while the breaking ball was 72-75 and flashed solid bite.
Reese Robinett - Kennett, MO
Arkansas commit
Robinett was a busy man this weekend making an impact both on the mound and at the plate. He was untouchable Friday night out of the bullpen with 3.2 perfect innings and 9 strikeouts. The big righty sat low-80s with little effort and ran it up to 87, showing ride and run, as well as a pair of breaking balls in the mid-70s. At the plate, he shows a quick bat and ability to lift the ball - one of his four hits this weekend left the yard. Robinett has a big 6’3” frame that should continue to add strength.
2023
Nolan Souza - Honolulu, HI
Arkansas commit
Despite being a 2023, Souza was clearly one of the best in the field at PG’s MLK East. He’s quick, athletic, and strong, having added noticeable strength since last summer. He shows an advanced swing with good bat speed that produces loud contact when he squares it up. He manned third this weekend, but shows plenty of quickness and athleticism to stick up the middle.
MJ Seo - Plano, TX
Seo is a two-way prospect who shows potential on both sides of the ball. At the plate, he features a quick, compact swing that produces line drive contact and he has the wheels to pick up extra bases in the gap and stick up the middle on defense. On the mound, he’s catching even more buzz after popping a 97 during an offseason bullpen. This weekend, he sat upper-80s and touched 91 with an upper-70s breaking ball that flashed solid depth.
2024
Hunter Carns - Jacksonville, FL
After an excellent WWBA Underclass showing in the fall, Hunter had himself another terrific weekend driving the ball hard all over the field and racking up several extra-base hits. Carns has added strength, but remains very projectable with long levers and broad shoulders. He’s an excellent athlete who covered the bases in under 16 seconds on an inside-the-park homerun and could play just about anywhere on the field defensively with his strong arm and athleticism. Carns is quickly shaping up to be one of the premier players in the 2024 class.
AFL Reports: STL's Juan Yepez is Ready to Mash in the Majors
Fall League Reports: JJ Bleday is the Real Deal
2021 WWBA World Championship Live Looks
2021 WWBA Underclass Live Looks
The World Wood Bat is a chance to see which hitters can really find the barrel and who’s got real present power. On the pitching side, it’s an opportunity for guys who induce more weak contact than whiffs to strut their stuff. Joe Drake got a chance to see the underclassmen for the classes of 2023 and 2024.
Live Look: Texas Christian vs Rangers Instructional
Live Looks: Dallas Baptist vs Rangers Instructional
Live Looks: Cape Cod Part Three
Live Looks: Cape Cod Part Two
Live Looks: Triple-A East, Elite Prospect Edition
Live Looks: New York Yankees Low-A (Tampa Tarpons)
Live Looks: Palm Beach Cardinals
Live Look: Frisco Roughriders and San Antonio Missions
Live Looks: Team USA 18U
You’re not going to believe this, but I hit some more baseball games over the weekend. Yes, I know, you’re shocked. Someone please let my fianceé know that I’ll be home before the wedding… probably.
Anyway, after hitting Pirate City (yes, it’s really called that) Saturday morning in Bradenton, I ventured to Sarasota on Saturday afternoon and made the trek again on Sunday to catch some of Team USA 18u and Team Canada 18u’s 7-game Friendship series. Hey, they named it, not me. Obviously, the 18u national team is loaded with top prospects from the 2022 class, so I can only really highlight the top performers here without writing a novel. So, here are the four best bats and arms from the two games I caught.
Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy (FL)
The man, the myth, the legend, am I right? Elijah Green did Elijah Green things on Sunday evening as he hit a couple of home runs into the stratosphere. The first went just to the right of dead center (which is 400 feet, by the way) and the second, a true moonshot, was blistered high into the night sky, over everything in left field and out of the stadium. It was one of the furthest hit balls that I’ve ever seen in person -- and keep in mind this is with a wood bat, not metal. So, yeah, the power is pretty real. He patrolled center field but didn’t have many opportunities to flash his great speed since Team USA’s pitching was so dominant (and because he kept hitting the ball out of the ballpark). There was a little swing and miss and chase below the zone, but it’s not anything I’d truly be concerned about yet, especially when you consider how deafeningly loud the other tools are.
Termarr Johnson, 2B, Mays HS (GA)
If Elijah was doing Elijah things, then Termarr was definitely doing Termarr things this weekend, too. After casually flicking a grand slam to the opposite field on Saturday afternoon, Termarr proceeded to draw 5 — yes 5 —- walks on Sunday as Team Canada’s pitchers simply refused to give him anything to hit. He showed great patience and knowledge of the strike zone, forcing pitchers to either give in and give him something to hit or give him his free base. They all chose the latter. Defensively, he lined up at 3rd base both days where his great hands and quick actions certainly play. The only real question here would be whether the arm is strong enough; 2nd base is still his most likely long-term fit.
Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan School (GA)
Of all the batting practice I saw, Druw Jones’ rounds stood out as the most impressive for me. The ball just seems to jump off his bat and carries further than you think it will. He cleared the bleachers pretty easily in left field and was challenging the wall in the pull-side power alley more than once. In-game, he smoked a high curveball deep to center that hopped over the wall for a ground-rule double. Not only is there feel to hit, but his quick, line-drive stroke is producing good bat speed and real power that should only improve as his frame fills out. Jones is a terrific athlete with excellent speed and should be a no-doubt center fielder his whole career -- and he’s got the Gold Glove-winning bloodlines to back it up (son of former Braves CF Andruw Jones).
Paxton Kling, OF, Central HS (PA)
Kling, who we didn’t get to see at PG National, may have had the best overall performance by a hitter while I was in the stadium this weekend. The BP was very solid, but the power was really on display during game action when he launched a big, no-doubt home run to the pull-side both Saturday and Sunday. He was able to get to big power in-game without having to sell out for it and that’s something that not a ton of prep kids can do. Overall he managed 3 hits and 2 walks during the 2 games while striking out just once. Kling also showed some solid defensive chops in right field with a solid arm and speed to round out the profile.
Jackson Ferriss, LHP, IMG Academy (FL)
Ferriss was a little rusty in the 1st and gave up some hard contact as he found the feel for his stuff, but dominated once he settled in, striking out 6 over 3 innings while allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs. He sat 89-92 with the change at 83-84 and curveball at 70-71. The whole arsenal was much sharper in innings 2 and 3 with his big curveball really giving hitters fits with its good depth and sharp movement.
Louis Rodriguez, RHP, St. John Bosco HS (CA)
Rodriguez absolutely mystified the Team Canada hitters as he struck out 10 over 5 innings without allowing a baserunner. It was incredibly impressive and the best performance I saw from any player over the 2 days. Rodriguez features a cutter and two-seam that work in the 82-85 range with a truly nasty breaking ball at 74-77 that tunnels beautifully off the cutter. He sequenced very well and kept hitters completely off-balance. Like I said, very, very impressive performance.
Joe Allen, RHP, Winnacunnet HS (NH)
Cold-weather arm alert! (Sorry, I’m from Maine and spent 30 years of my life in New England, I get excited about anyone from that region). The New Hampshire native kicked Sunday’s action off with 3 scoreless innings while striking out 5 and giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk. He featured what appeared to be two fastballs: a four-seamer that he ran up to 92 and used when elevating and a two-seamer/sinker that was 86-89 with good run that he used to dot the glove-side edge and induce weak contact. His breaking ball flashed tight vertical movement with sharp break at 74-77 that played pretty well off the two-seam. He lost the release a little toward the end of his outing, but battled well and escaped without allowing a run.
Jack O’Connor, RHP, Bishop O’Connell HS (VA)
O’Connor was a bulldog out of the pen who came right after guys and struck out 4 over 2 scoreless frames. He has a very short, compact arm action that hides the ball well and makes it really jump on hitters. The fastball sat 90-93 with good carry; he challenged hitters with it and got swings and misses in and above the zone. His breaker was tight throughout the outing with sharp vertical break and 11-5 shape. He landed it for strikes and used it for chases, as well. Very good showing.
