By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

The 2017 Rankings have been overhauled, a little shuffling at the top and an extra 25 players added. As I work through this class I continued to be impressed by the depth of players that should have the ability to compete at the collegiate level.

No. 1

Casey Martin MIF Lonoke HS, hold onto the top spot. He impresses with his overall tools. He runs a 6.6 in the 60. Throws the baseball 85 mph across the infield and 88 mph from the outfield. He produces exit velocity up to 91 mph. The tools make him one of the elite players, what has made him stand out is his overall performances in games, this fall and winter he has shown solid defense and the ability to hit for power. He has always shown a consistent feel for his barrel, now he is showing the ability to hit home runs.

Martin is a position player followed by three two way players in No. 2 OF/RHP Evan Hooper, No. 3  CIF/RHP Paxton Wallace and No. 4 OF/RHP Austin Kelley.  LHP Hunter Milligan comes in at No. 5. All of the players in the top 5 have made their college decision:

No. 1 Casey Martin- Arkans
No. 2 Evan Hooper- Arkansas
No. 3 Paxton Wallace- Wichita State
No. 4 Austin Kelley- Arkansas
No. 5 Hunter Milligan- Mississippi State

For the majority of the class they are still working through the recruiting process. Here is a look at the top uncommitted players of this class.

No. 6 Pierce Mitchum OF Heber Springs HS
Mitchum is a 5-foot-9 160-pound outfielder with a medium frame and physical build. He played through the baseball with a fluid exchange and an accurate arm. He registered up to 83 mph throwing from the outfield. Offensively he has a short lined drive swing with fast bat speed. He produced exit velocity up to 89 mph. Mitchum is a premium athlete running a 6.59 and the 60. As he continues to develop Mithcum should turn into one of the better prospects in the 2017

No. 9 Adrian Hannah CIF Searcy HS
Hannah is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound left handed hitting infielder with a large frame and an athletic build. He runs a 7.17 in the 60. Offensively generates bat speed creating 88 mph exit velocity. He starts from an athletic stance, a smooth transition to his load. He has a slight arm bar but uses quick hands to drive the baseball with raw pull power, defensively he has fluid footwork, as he plays through the baseball. His exchange is smooth, his arm is accurate with 81 mph across the infield. Overall left-handed power bats are going to draw a lot of attention, as Hannah moves he will garner attention due to his offensive abilities.

No. 10 Cameron Tissue MIF Catholic HS
Tissue is a 6-foot 165-pound middle infielder with an athletic frame and build. Defensively he plays through the baseball with fluid footwork, soft hands and a smooth exchange.  He throws the ball 78 mph across the infield with accuracy. He throws with a short quick arm. Offensively is where Tissue separates himself, He attacks the baseball with fast bat speed with a line drive swing. He starts from an athletic stance, he has a smooth load and a short stride, and he has shown an advanced feel for the barrel with his line drive swing. Overall Tissue is a well-rounded player with and advanced offensive player, I think he will transition to third or second at the college level but he has the hands to compete at short stop.

 

Top 10

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Casey Martin	AR	Lonoke	2017	SS	Arkansas
2	Evan Hooper	AR	Cabot	2017	OF	Arkansas
3	Paxton Wallace	AR	Greenbrier	2017	RHP	Wichita State
4	Austin Kelly	AR	Bryant	2017	RHP	Arkansas
5	Hunter Milligan	AR	Greenbrier	2017	LHP	Mississippi State
6	Pierce Mitchum	AR	Heber Springs	2017	OF
7	Logan Easley	AR	Heritage	2017	3B	Wichita State
8	Kinner Brasher	AR	Southside	2017	OF	Arkansas Little Rock
9	Adrian Hannah	AR	Searcy	2017	3B
10	Cameron Tissue	AR	Catholic	2017	SS

Complete List Click Here