2022 and 2023 MLB Draft Live Looks of hitters from game 1 (Wake Forest vs. UCONN), game 4 (Maryland vs. UCONN), and game 5 (Maryland vs. Wake Forest) of the NCAA College Park Regional hosted by the University of Maryland.
Live Looks: Double-A Eastern League, New Hampshire Fisher Cats vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies
College Park NCAA Regional Live Looks: Pitchers Edition
MLB Draft Live Looks: Corvallis Regional
ACC Tournament Live Looks: Pitching Edition
What a way to end the spring season.
It’s always nice to end good things out with a bang, and as we start to transition from 2022’s class to 2023, I figured it’d be best to make my way down to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament to get an opportunity to see guys I wasn’t able to in the regular season. It turned into one of the best events I have been a part of, so in return, you will get a lot of live look notes in this one. This will be part one of a two-part mini-series, with pitchers only in this edition before a hitters edition after this. Let’s dive in.
LHP Nate Savino, Virginia
Nate Savino’s been a frustrating pitcher to gauge throughout his college career. He enrolled early at Virginia before the COVID-shortened 2020 season and seemingly lost the velocity he had in his prep days. But over the past month or so, Savino has seen a return of the velocity and he’s risen up multiple draft boards as a result. Friday continued that trend against a strong Notre Dame lineup.
For starters, Savino’s velocity peaked at 96 MPH, comfortably sitting 93-95 MPH and doing a good job of holding it throughout his outing. It still has its signature sinking action, though he did have some trouble landing the pitch arm-side. The slider has also risen in velocity, now sitting in the mid-80’s with some sweeping action, getting some chases on pitches low and away to lefties. The change-up can be a little firm at times, and much like the fastball, struggled to land arm-side, but it’s now into the mid-80’s with some fading life when it’s not firm. Everything comes from a lower three-quarters arm slot with some deception, as well.
When it comes to figuring out Savino’s mechanics, I did a little deep dive into his history. Back in his prep days, he was more athletic in his motions. Once 2021 hit, Savino closed himself off at foot strike and became more stiff and upright, which helps explain the velocity issues he experienced. From last year to this year, Savino has begun adding more force to the ground, thanks to using his entire foot to land instead of landing on his foot laterally. He’s also able to rotate quicker with his hips, which has helped him gain the velocity back (shoutout goes to Cam Lanzilli for the help with this). With this said, there’s still projection remaining to Savino’s frame and if he keeps these new mechanics going, there’s likely more in the tank from a velocity standpoint. He’s gone from a rather pedestrian arm to having some serious intrigue to him now, and it would not shock me to see Savino get popped on Day 1 in July.
LHP Brandon Schaeffer, UNC
Brandon Schaeffer’s journey this spring has been an up-and-down affair, but if there’s ever a time to be hot, now is the perfect time for it. Much like Cardinals’ farmhand Austin Love a year ago, Schaeffer has come into his own in the month of May, extending himself in-game and giving stability to the UNC pitching staff. But what he did on Friday, against the kind of offensive juggernaut he faced and the ballpark it was hosted, was one of the most dominant performances I have seen in person.
Schaeffer and head coach Scott Forbes mentioned the ups and downs in the post-game presser. With Max Carlson holding down the Friday night title after his return from the bullpen, Schaeffer really embraced his role as the Saturday guy, a solid starting option behind an emerging and budding ace. But Schaeffer took it to another level against Virginia Tech, holding 88-91 the entire outing with a fastball that was seemingly untouchable. No matter where he threw it, no one could touch it. He’d throw in a high-spin, sweepy slider and a change-up with running action, but the main star of the show was that sinker of his. He threw tons of first pitch strikes and only once allowed a runner to second base. With help from his defense, as well, Schaeffer threw 72% strikes and nearly finished a “Maddux”, ultimately settling for 102 pitches. As a draft prospect, he’s more of a Day 2-Day 3 name, but he’s left quite the impression with a strong finish to the ACC slate.
LHP Bryce Hubbart, Florida State
After seeing the pitching woes that hampered Florida State against UNC, I was hoping for a big turnaround coming into Charlotte this week. What we got was a complete 180 from Hubbart against a very good Virginia lineup. Head coach Mike Martin mentioned how “twitchy” of a guy Hubbart is and how settling him down mentally helped in the turnaround and help him find some of his Cape Cod velocity.
Against UNC, Hubbart only sat 88-91 MPH with his heater and struggled to throw strikes. Against Virginia? He found a groove early, throwing strikes and getting whiffs up in the zone thanks to excellent riding action, sitting 90-93 MPH and topping out at 94 MPH, which matches his maximum from the Cape. It was primarily fastball early, with Virginia hitters not being able to catch up to it. The slider wasn’t thrown for strikes early, but got better as the outing went along. It sat in the 77-81 MPH range with serious sweeping action and some bite to it, with high spin rates, as well. He even dropped in a couple of change-ups, which certainly got the attention of Martin in the dugout. It was a nice bounceback outing for Hubbart and he more than likely finds himself somewhere on Day 1, though likely in the second round.
LHP Carson Palmquist, Miami
This was the first time I had seen Palmquist as a starter. Last year as a reliever, it was a fun viewing. Sitting low-to-mid 90’s with his heater, tunneling the change-up, and having a slurvy breaking ball made life difficult in the box, especially with how low of a release he has. Fast forward a year later and in his new role, the velocity has not come to fruition for Palmquist. He's primarily been 89-92 MPH throughout the year, occasionally popping a 93, though he’s had bright spots as a starter.
The heater plays up from its velocity thanks to the characteristics of the pitch. It’ll run away from righties and he’s able to command it east/west nicely. He mainly started off 90-92 MPH, before settling in at 89-91 MPH. However, Tommy White managed to take two fastballs away and unload on them to the opposite field. The change-up is solid with fading action and mimics the fastball, tunneling nicely with the low, sidearm slot that Palmquist has. He introduced a breaking ball with more of a slider shape to it in the low-80’s, but it was mainly used against lefties and was seldom used. Ultimately, I think Palmquist becomes a reliever at the next level. With that said, Palmquist likely fits somewhere in the second to third round range.
RHP Liam Simon, Notre Dame
Liam Simon has had some ups and downs this year. Primarily a reliever coming into this year, Link Jarrett opted to start using Simon in more of a hybrid role, getting in some starts, though prior to Charlotte, the longest he had gone was four innings. Luckily for Notre Dame, Simon had his best outing of the season, keeping Virginia’s potent offense off the board across five stellar innings with eight strikeouts and just two walks.
Simon is a known flame-thrower and even in the starting role, the velocity didn’t waver. Simon was consistently 95-98 MPH and reared back for 99 MPH at times, especially later in the outing, with good tilt and carry to it, while also throwing a good amount of strikes from a funky, high three-quarters slot. The slider has wipeout potential, a tight spinning breaker with nasty late bite that essentially gives away from righties. It’s tough to pick up out of the hand at times and will, more often than not, get ugly swings while being in the opposing batters box. He’ll flash a change-up, but it lags behind the dynamic FB/SL duo. The main knock on Simon is the command, he can be rather streaky with the fastball and the slider usually ends up in the opposing box. That said, there’s plenty to like about Simon in a relief role moving forward with how dynamic he can be.
LHP Chris Villaman, NC State
Before the year started, Elliott Avent made one thing clear about Villaman; he would be utilized like Evan Justice was last year. Throughout the week for NC State, Villaman was used a total of four times, throwing a total of 9.2 innings while walking just two and striking out seventeen batters, including eight in five perfect innings in the title game against UNC on Sunday.
Villaman made a change to his fastball over the off-season and has become a legitimate weapon. Last year, Villaman threw more of a cutter that got into the mid-90’s, which was attributed to his cross-body motion on the mound. This year, Villaman added more riding life to the pitch with above-average spin rates and was untouchable up in the zone and Villaman could paint the corners with it. His change-up is still his best off-speed offering, a low-spin pitch that fades away from righties late and has excellent separation from the fastball. He still lacks an ability to spin a breaking ball, a fringey mid-70’s pitch that has more of a “get-me-over” feel to it, which will need to be addressed at the next level. He’s shown in the past he could start, and an organization may let him in pro ball, but he’s proven to be a potent bullpen arm and likely ends up in that role moving forward.
LHP John Michael Bertrand, Notre Dame
Bertrand is the oldest player in this piece, having turned 24 years old back in February. That said, he brings plenty of veteran presence, poise, and a great understanding of his craft to a Notre Dame squad poised to make their way to Omaha for the first time since 2002.
While he’s primarily been in the high-80’s in most of his starts, Bertrand came out sitting 90-93 MPH with the fastball, touching 94 MPH a couple of times. He’s the pure definition of a pitchability pitcher, showcasing a solid change-up, slider, and flashing the curveball throughout the outing and keeping Florida State in check throughout. In the third and fourth innings, Bertrand ran into trouble, but used a mental reset and began pitching backwards to help get him out of the innings, which proved big for Notre Dame as they secured their spot in the semifinals. Bertrand’s command was locked in after that, allowing him to go eight innings of one-run ball.
RHP Alex McFarlane, Miami
McFarlane has been one of my favorites arms in college thanks to how stupidly good his stuff is. I remember first seeing him against UNC last year and being blown away by how quick his arm is and how potent his arsenal can be. Miami’s bullpen has a good amount of stellar arms in the back-end and he’s become a very fun set-up guy to Andrew Walters (more on him shortly).
McFarlane has an insanely quick arm and a very good three-pitch mix. He reached up to 97 MPH with the heater showcasing tons of running action and sitting 94-96 MPH throughout. The slider is freakish, a dynamic two-plane breaker with tight spin and short bite in the mid-80’s that garners whiffs aplenty. The change-up has some fading action in the same velocity band as the slider, but it’s not used often. His command comes and goes and that’s ultimately what limits him from being in a larger role for Miami. More consistency will be the focal point moving forward with the kind of stuff he possesses. It would not at all shock me if McFarlane happens to move on a faster track than some once selected.
RHP Andrew Walters, Miami
If you are looking for more dominant relievers in college, Walters might be at the top of the list for you. Formerly a JUCO transfer from Eastern Florida State, Walters has been a dynamic force as Miami’s closer. He did not allow a run until late April and has limited the opposition to ten hits in thirty innings, while walking just five and running a strikeout-rate of 53%. Sources do say that this is #good.
With Walters, he could be classified as more of a “one-pitch” guy. Everything really lives and dies by the fastball. He matches plane at the bottom of the zone well and is still able to get good carry up in the zone. He sat 97-98 MPH with good command, pitching inside often and doing a good job of limiting hard contact. While he throws the curveball hard, sitting in the low-80’s, it’s seldom used. That said, Walters is able to limit righties with the breaker, which has some depth and bite to it. He’s got deception in his delivery, hiding the ball well, as well as having excellent extension and spin on the heater to make it difficult to hit. He likely will be selected in the top five rounds come July and would rise up the ranks relatively quickly given the stuff and command he possesses.
Other noteworthy arms: max carlson (UNC), zach maxwell (GT), mack anglin (clemson), wyatt crowell (FSU), alex rao (ND), rhett lowder (WF)
Triple-A Live Looks: Cubs, Guardians, and Royals (Part One)
Harris Yudin's Live Looks: UNC-Florida State, 5/19
Live Looks: Triple-A International League, Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Rochester Red Wings
MLB Draft Live Looks: Rocky Top Fun
Live Looks: Single-A Clearwater Threshers at Dunedin Blue Jays
Live Looks: Triple-A Pacific Coast League, Sugar Land Space Cowboys Vs. Albuquerque Isotopes
Live Looks: Triple-A International League, Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders vs. Rochester Red Wings
Live Looks: Double-A Eastern League, Binghamton Rumble Ponies vs. Hartford Yard Goats
Live Looks: Triple-A Pacific Coast League, Sacramento River Cats vs Albuquerque Isotopes
Live Looks: Triple-A, Iowa Cubs and Indianapolis Indians
MLB Draft Live Looks: April Recap
Live Looks: Triple-A International League, Buffalo Bisons vs. Rochester Red Wings
During the week of Monday April 11th, I sat in on a handful of contests between the Buffalo Bisons and Rochester Red Wings in Rochester. The marquee matchup came on Thursday, April 14th as the Washington Nationals number one rated prospect Cade Cavalli toed the rubber and faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays number one rated prospect Gabriel Moreno.
MLB Draft Live Looks Week 8 - Southern California and New York
In this edition of MLB Draft Live looks, Brandon Smith and Jackson Thomas went out and saw front-line 2022 draft talent including big pop-up prospects at the high school and college level.
RHP RILEY KELLY, TUSTIN HS
Seen: 4/13
Riley Kelly a UCI commit out of Tustin High School has been a sudden pop-up pitcher for the upcoming draft. What fueled the pop-up hype was reports that his fastball was up to 92-94 on a consistent basis. However, during this outing, he was predominantly 88-90 and hit 91 only once. Additionally, his fastball came off rather pedestrian in shape and life, consistently coming in straight with occasional arm side life. Regardless of Kelly’s fastball, there was plenty of intriguing projectability and skillset that hold merit to him being a pop-up guy. Kelly has a large projectable frame with long limbs and a slender build, boding well for future added muscle and strength. He works downhill with his delivery with little bend and flexibility coming from tightly wound hips, forcing him to pitch from an upright stance with little leg drive. Kelly repeats his short arm action well with good arm speed, a snappy finish, and solid extension. The biggest takeaway from Kelly’s outing was that he can spin the breaking ball, which was a large part of his 17 K performance. The curveball projects as a future 55/60 pitch with tight spin and big 11/5 shape that was consistently landed for a strike in any count at 77-80 MPH. All in all, it is easy to see all the projection that Kelly has as a pitching prospect. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him taken on late Day 2 of the draft but I believe that he could see his development skyrocket by going to UCI.
- Jackson Thomas
RHP DREW THORPE, CAL POLY SLO
Seen: 4/14
Performance: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 2 BB, 33.98% CSW
Drew Thorpe continued his dominant season with a good outing against the UCI Anteaters. Thrope has generated a lot of buzz in California for his consistent performance, projectability, and ability to throw 3+ pitches for strikes. He repeats his delivery well showing lots of athleticism to drive down the bump and push out over his chest. His arm action overall was very clean and smooth, coming from a small tight circle path to a high 3/4 release. The Mustangs’ ace leaned heavily on his change-up all night, arguably his best pitch with flashes of plus. The changeup moves with late lateral fade, falling off as soon as it gets near home plate, sitting 78-81 MPH. His changeup had a 50% whiff rate on the outing and Thorpe demonstrated high confidence in using that weapon in any count. Thrope’s fastball topped out at 93 and was mainly in the 89-91 range as the night progressed. He showed the ability to command his fastball and all edges of the zone, using its sinking profile to his advantage. Thrope’s slider was used as his third pitch and generated its share of whiffs, coming in with a tight and short 10/4 break at 79-81 MPH. A common theme for Thorpe on his outing was that he consistently battled from behind in counts to generate outs, which is great to see he can compete even without having his best stuff.
- Jackson Thomas
SS BROOKS LEE, CAL POLY SLO
Seen: 4/14, 4/15
Performance: 2-7, 1 RBI, 1 K, 2 BB, 1 SB
Arguably the top college draft prospect for the 2022 class had a relatively quiet two games in my looks, only getting two hits, with one being an IF single. Regardless it’s apparent to see why Lee is a projected top 5 pick. Lee has a maxed-out build with tree trunk legs and a strong upper half. He is able to fully integrate his body into his swing, fully complimenting his great bat speed and above-average bat-to-ball skills. When running out of the box Lee showed good acceleration down the baseline but didn’t reach a top line speed that was anything to write home about. Lee made a good read on a breaking ball to get a stolen base with ease on Friday’s game, once again showing high-level intangibles and baseball intellect on the diamond.. I will question how long Lee can stay at SS considering his range seemed limited to his right side on a couple of ground balls that snuck through with slow and choppy footwork. However, Lee has the ideal makeup for a pro player as he consistently plays with high levels of poise, leadership, and confidence on the diamond.
- Jackson Thomas
RHP NOLAN DEVOS, DAVIDSON
Seen: 4/15
Performance: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
DeVos has been somewhat of a popup prospect this spring for Davidson after he was a walk-on his freshman year. He consistently has been one of the nations leaders in strikeouts throughout the spring season. This is due to his above average fastball/slider mix which generates whiffs in all quadrants of the zone. DeVos has a deceptive operation that analytically driven teams covet, as he releases from a lower release height and still creates lift on his four seam fastball up in the zone. This was displayed during his outing as he was able to attack Bonaventure hitters up in the zone and generated whiffs. His fastball sat in the 89-92 range, which is a couple of ticks down from earlier in the year when he would sit in the mid 90s. It is important to note that he has been primarily used as a reliever during his collegiate career and the additional workload may be a factor for the slight decrease in velocity. Additionally, he had to battle suboptimal weather conditions as there were 40mph winds as well as precipitation factored in with below 40 degree weather. He showed excellent command of his sweeping slider which darted away from right handed hitters and was not afraid to triple up on the offering. He also dropped in a couple of curveballs or “dumpers” early in counts to work ahead of hitters, as well as flashing a changeup to left-hand hitters. The only blemish on his line came when he left a fastball up over the heart of the plate to a right handed hitter who was able to get on plane and drive the pitch over the left field wall. Despite the long ball, he rebounded nicely to strikeout the next two batters he faced. DeVos worked from a very quick tempo on the hill and was very efficient with his pitches as he made quick use of hitters and rarely worked deep counts. There is a lot to like in the analytical profile with DeVos and if he can show that he can gain back some of his velocity, he figures to hear his name called in the 8-10 round range.
- Brandon Smith
CF PARKER NOLAN, DAVIDSON
Seen: 4/15
Performance: 2-5, 1 HR, 1 1B, 1 K
Nolan is a toolsy outfielder and will be a name to monitor late on day three. Despite being a four year player, Nolan’s game still is raw. Standing in at 6’4, he showed his defense, speed, and power tools . He gets great reads off the bat in centerfield and uses his speed to track down fly balls in the gaps as he has great closing speed. He showed the power tool when he unloaded on a go-ahead three run homerun in his final at-bat that he blasted to his pull side. There are questions surrounding his bat to ball skills and whether or not he will make enough contact to ascend through a minor league system. Nonetheless, the raw skills and athleticism Nolan possesses would make him an interesting prospect if an organization feels that they can develop his raw skill set into more polished tools.
- Brandon Smith
C MICHAEL CARICO (2023), DAVIDSON
Seen: 4/15
Performance: 1-3, 1 1B, 2 BB
Never too early to look ahead to the 2023 class and Davidson appears to have a name to follow in Michael Carico. The left-hand hitting catcher is very poised in the box. Carico demonstrates advanced feel for the strike and recognizes spin well. This is reflective in his swing decisions and in his walk rate. A byproduct of his selective approach at the plate is his ability to punish pitches in the zone. He has a quiet load as works into his backside and has a quick bat path which allows him to barrel pitches. He showed power to all fields during his pregame batting practice and has hit homers to all fields in game. Carico is an athletic catcher who moves well behind the plate. There is still plenty of projection remaining in his game with his hit and power tool grading out well above average.
- Brandon Smith
MLB Draft Live Looks Week 7 - Atlanta Metro Area
Live Looks: Pac-12 Baseball in April
California is in a down year with collegiate talent for the 2022 Draft. However, the abundance of colleges here have allowed me to see talent come all through the West Coast. Recently, top Pac-12 teams have started to appear in Southern California for conference play, allowing me to see more of the West Coast’s talent for the 2022 Draft. Below are some of the players that have stood out in the early going, including a small school California arm.
RHP JAKE BROOKS, UCLA 4/1
Performance: 8 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 SO, 1 BB, 24.42% CSW
Opponent: University of Oregon
Jake Brooks showcased his four-pitch mix that induced loads of weak contact by Oregon all night long. Brooks repeatedly showed an ability to compete with hitter after hitter, constantly executing competitive pitches with purpose. Brooks was able to run his fastball with arm side run in on the hands of hiiters avoiding barrels. He gained a feel for his breaking balls as the outing progressed leading to a lot of ground balls and quick at-bats. The breaking ball shapes teetered around slurvey shape early on but quickly found their distinct identities as he settled in. The changeup plays well with his fastball, coming out from a similar arm-slot but with significantly more fade and sink than his fastball. Overall, Brooks was as advertised, a pitcher who can compete and get outs, but won’t overpower a lineup.
SS JOSH KASEVICH, OREGON 4/1
Performance: 1-4, 1 2B
Opponent: UCLA
Josh Kasevich consistently made loud contact all night long and was in the minority of Oregon hitters that found barrels off Jake Brooks. Kasevich rocketed a hard-hit line drive into the LCF gap in his first at-bat, generated from his plus bat speed and extension, but Malakhi Knight (‘24) tracked it down with ease. In his next at-bat, Kasevich made sure he wouldn’t get beat and once again, rocketed a Jake Brooks fastball down into the left-field corner for a double. Kasevich runs well out of the box, progressing to top speed fairly quickly with good baserunning actions. On the diamond, he stood out for his defensive preparation and light footwork before each pitch, showing that he has intangibles and a hunter’s mentality at SS. The Oregon SS has made a considerable effort in 2022 to elevate the ball more and tonight’s performance indicated that it is indeed true.
RHP CJ CULPEPPER, CAL BAPTIST 4/2
Performance: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 6 SO, 1 BB, 25.81% CSW
Opponent: Seattle University
CJ Culpepper didn’t come out with his best stuff for the outing but he showed flashes of what can make him a day three arm in the upcoming draft. He has an ideal projectable pitcher’s frame with a slender build and long levers. Culpepper’s delivery has a slow-paced rhythm with a timed burst, letting his arm speed do the heavy lifting from a 3/4 slot. Culpepper did show a feel for commanding his slider early on in the game, showing lots of confidence in it throwing it early in counts and often to Seattle U hitters. The slider has a high spin rate and profound sweep, generating consistent shape pitch after pitch. Culpepper’s fastball has high spin and some arm side run, consistently sitting in the low 90s. It doesn’t have any prolific movement but has viability as a future bullpen weapon with added velocity, which Culpepper is capable of. Overall Culpepper shows promise as a day three reliever prospect with room to grow in his arsenal development and quality strike-throwing ability.
LHP COOPER HJERPE, OREGON STATE, 4/8
Performance: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 9 SO, 0 BB, 2 HBP, 35.87% CSW
Opponent: University of Southern California
Cooper Hjerpe put on a very enjoyable pitching performance showing his ability to throw three pitches for strikes and get ahead early in counts. In the first time through the order against USC, The Beavers’ ace relied heavily on his fastball while slowly gaining a feel for his slider. Hjerpe has an ideal fastball pitch profile for generating whiffs, with a great combination of a -4 vertical approach angle, 18 inches of horizontal break, and funky deception. This was proven the case as USC hitters were overmatched against his fastball, whiffing against it 12 times on the night. After the first inning, Hjerpe locked in his slider with tight spin and good sweeping depth, showing he can spin it in any given count. The slider showed flashes of plus and is a true swing and miss pitch, generating a whiff rate of 50% against The Trojans. Hjerpe’s changeup began to appear the second time through the order and he maintained great arm speed while generating late darting fade.
He is able to repeat his delivery very well and pitches with a confident mound presence. What is most fascinating about Hjerpe’s repeatable delivery is its innate uniqueness. Hjerpe has one of the most deceptive deliveries in the college ranks with his upper body rotation, sling-shot like arm action, plus arm speed, and low 3/4 arm slot. The entire package of Hjerpe looks like a pitcher that will get outs at the major league level with two potential plus offspeed pitches. I’m all in for Hjerpe continuing as a SP in pro ball and believe he will add a couple more MPHs to his FB. Hjerpe would be a great comp round pick and I find it hard to believe he lasts far into the 2nd round.
OF JACOB MELTON, OREGON STATE 4/8-4/9
Performance: 2-7, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB
Opponent: University of Southern California
First and foremost, Jacob Melton has a great physical presence, with noticeable strength through his 6’3” frame with projection for another 5-15 lbs of muscle. During my two-game look at Melton, he consistently demonstrated a methodical and patient approach at the plate, approaching each at-bat with a plan and intent to act upon it. He is very comfortable spitting on pitches and waiting to attack on pitches he feels he can bang. In both games, Melton was consistently on time with all of his pitches, with good bat to ball skills letting him fight pitches off. Melton also has above-average bat speed and extends on-plane through contact well, as he smoked an opposite-field double through the LCF gap. He handled CF on Saturday showing solid range and gliding route running ability into the gaps. The Beaver OF definitely has the offensive tools to succeed in pro ball with likely a future in a corner OF spot. Overall he is one of the higher upside senior draftees in the upcoming draft.
OF JUSTIN BOYD, OREGON STATE 4/8-4/9
Performance: 4-10, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 4 SO, 1 BB, 2 SB
Opponent: University of Southern California
In a two-game look, Justin Boyd showed he can do a lot of things well as a player and prospect. He has a filled-out physical frame with noticeable strength throughout his body and solid athleticism. During his at-bats he demonstrated a patient approach with a high intent to mash any pitches that came over the plate. Boyd has average bat speed but pairs it with good bat-to-ball skills, letting him spray balls across the entire field and run up pitch counts. Defensively Boyd was able to make quick reads on flyballs letting him camp under with ease. The knock on Boyd is that he really doesn’t have any plus tools, but there aren’t any noticeable weaknesses in his game. Boyd could greatly improve his status as a prospect if he came back to the Beavers next season to improve his bat speed in the hopes of unlocking more power, as a little would go a long way given his current skillset.