By:Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

The 2018 rankings were released on Monday, with a large shake ups spot. Including Tyler Johnson moving from No. 16 to No. 5 after a year of hard work and great production with bat, at Bentonville High School and for Perfect Timing this summer. Below is a look at the left-handed hitters that landed in the top 20 of the 2018 rankings.

No. 5 Tyler Johnson OF/1B Bentonville High School
Johnson is a 6-foot-2 185-pound first baseman/ outfielder with a large frame and a physical build. He is an impressive offensive player with an advanced feel for the barrel and fast bat speed. He starts from a tall stance, he loads back, transitioning with a slight stride, a line drive bat path, staying balanced through extension. He shows the ability to hit the ball to either field and shows pull side power. Defensively he plays through the baseball with solid footwork and a normal exchange. He throws the ball from a ¾ arm slot with accuracy. Overall Johnson is a physical player that understands how to manipulate the barrel.

No. 9 Jakobi Jackson OF Watson Chapel High School
Jackson is a 6-foot 190-pound athlete with a large frame and an athletic build. He is an advanced offensive player with ability to hit for power to both fields. He starts from an athletic stance with a fluid load, he attacks the baseball with fast bat speed. He has slight uphill bat path. He does a sound job maintaining rhythm and balance through out his swing. Defensively he shows good instincts on balls in the air. He plays through the baseball with a fluid exchange and a strong arm with carry. As a pitcher Jackson pounds the strike zone with a fastball 79-82 mph. He compliments the fastball with a 1/7 curveball with sharp late break. Overall Jackson is an advanced hitter with above average athletic ability.

No. 11 Pate Fullerton MIF Harding Academy
Fullerton is a 5-foot-10 155-pound middle infielder with an athletic frame and thin build. He plays through the baseball with fluid footwork. He fields the baseball with soft hands, he uses a quick exchange and a short arm action to throw the ball accurately across the infield ( 83 mph). He starts from a balanced stance with a slight load and stride. He uses a line drive swing that stays inside the baseball with fast bat speed. He produces exit velocities up to 86 mph. Overall Fullerton is a polished baseball player, time will tell how physical he becomes as he grows and matures. 

No. 17 Luke Johnson CIF Shiloh Christian
Johnson is a 6-foot-3 230-pound corner infielder with a large frame and solid build. Offensively he starts from a slight open stance, he uses a slight leg kick as his timing mechanism. He attacks the baseball with a slight uphill swing. He shows the ability to hit the ball for power to pull side. He plays through the baseball with solid footwork, he uses a normal exchange. He as elongated arm action from a H ¾ arm slot. He throws the ball accurately across the infield. Overall Johnson is a physically imposing player with an advanced feel to hit.