By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

Over the past three weeks my staff and I have hosted three events (Central Arkansas Open, Top Prospects Games and Underclass Games) with over a 175 players in attendance. This has been great for me, to most of the top players in the state versus other top players. Below you will find just a few of my take a ways from the recent events, before I spend the next few weeks, watching video and writing reports.

Central Arkansas Open Showcase

2017 MIF Jake East, Bryant HS is starting to separate himself as the top middle infielder in a class with middle infield depth. He ran two 60’s sub 6.7, displayed soft hands and solid actions defensively, during offensive evaluation he showed a compact line drive swing with the ability to hit to all fields.

2017 MIF Zac Freeman also had a solid showing. Freeman quick twitch athlete with fluid footwork and soft hands. Offensively he does a sound job keeping the barrel in the hit zone for a long period of time and maintains balance

2017 RHP Logan Gilbertson Cabot HS is a name to watch. He is a 6-foot-5 190-pound right-hander that showed the ability to command the strike zone with his fastball working consistently at 83-85 mph. He put everything together on a few pitches and worked as high as 88 mph. He also showed a feel for his breaking ball and changeup.

2017 RHP Tyler Gregg Farmington HS worked 84-86 mph with slight sink. He complimented the fastball with an 11/5 curveball with sharp break at 71-74 mph. He has a quick arm and a repeatable delivery. He wasn’t as sharp as I saw him in the spring but was impressive. I have had Gregg up to 89 mph in the two starts I attended in the spring.

Top Prospects Games

2017 RHP/UTL Jaylon Deshazier Pine Bluff HS is a baseball player. Prior to the event I had him pegged as a pitcher only but after the two day event I am not so sure my initial assessment was correct. Deshazier showed advanced bat speed and feel for the barrel, offensively. Defensively he played all over the field and didn’t look out of place in any spot. On the mound he was a sound as ever. He kept hitters off balance with cut fastball working 84-86 mph consistently in the bottom half of the strike zone. He flashed a solid breaking ball 70-72 mph with late break.

2017 OF Chase Bryan White Hall HS is starting to figure things out at the plate. Bryan has always shown sub 6.6 run times with a solid arm and adequate defensive ability, but I have always questioned his bat. During the Top Prospects Games he displayed a better approach to at bats, with fast bat speed and a more compact swing. During game play hit a home run showing power that I had not seen before. Bryan should be a player to watch.

2017 MIF Tajnick Bishop Ashdown HS impressed with a solid two day performance. Defensively he tested well with arm strength and exhibited fluid footwork with soft hands and an efficient exchange. Offensively he hit the ball to all fields with a compact line drive swing with fast bat speed.

Underclass Games

This event was loaded with intriguing players to watch over the next 2, 3, even 4 years.

The 2018 and 2019 classes are solid with catchers, look for catcher writes in a few weeks. Overall feeling after the event there were 5 or 6 collegiate catchers with a few others that will compete on college rosters, it just may not be behind the plate.

2018 RHP/CIF Jaden Hill is the rising star of this event. Hill is a physical player with a big time arm and a bevy of other tools to match. He is 6-foot-4 190-pounds. His fastball worked 87-90 mph with late life through the strike zone. He also threw a curveball with 10/4 action and late break 72-75 mph. defensively he plays through the baseball with soft hands and fluid footwork. Offensively he attacks the baseball with fast bat speed and a slight uphill bat path. He displayed pull side power driving balls off the wall during batting practice and also showed the ability to hit the ball to the opposite field during the game.

The 2020 class has some elite players in it. I am not sure how much depth will be in the class as I am just beginning to work through a new crop of players but the group that attended the Underclass Games displayed advanced skills. More to come on this group.

Overall

It has been a busy few weeks with many players displaying several tools that should allow them to play college baseball, at some level. I am really excited to get out and further investigate some of the players that have jumped up the radar.