Arkansas Insider: Unsigned Runners

July 14, 2016

By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

As the summer nears the end, I want to look at some of the top names in the 2017 class based upon premium tools. Today we take a look at uncommitted players with a plus run tool.

Chase Bryan, OF White Hall HS
Bryan is a 6-foot 180-pound outfielder with an athletic frame and physical build. He runs a 6.55 in the 60. Defensively he works through the baseball with fluid footwork. He uses a quick exchange and a short accurate arm. Offensively he uses a crouched stance with a smooth load, short stride and fast bat speed. He has a slight uphill swing bath that shows rotation at times. He has shown the sporadic ability to hit for power producing exit velocity up 91 mph. Overall Bryan is a premium athlete that seems to be figuring the rest of the game out as he matures.

Jake East, MIF, Bryant HS
East is a 5-foot-10 155-pound short-stop with an athletic frame and build. Defensively he plays through the baseball with fluid footwork and soft hands. He uses a quick exchange and an accurate arm to throw the ball 83 mph. His arm action is short and loose. Offensively he starts from an athletic stance, he uses a slight leg kick as his load and timing mechanism. He uses a compact line drive swing that produces exit velocity up to 86 mph. He runs a 6.56 in the 60. Overall East is a premium defender that competes at a high level, with premium athleticism.

Matt Goodheart, INF, Magnolia HS
Goodheart is a 6-foot-1 180-pound infielder with an athletic frame and build. An advanced offensive player as a left-handed hitter. He starts with a balanced stance, with a smooth load, he attacks the baseball with a line drive swing and fast bat speed. He stays balanced throughout his swing and has an advanced feel for the barrel. Defensively he plays through the baseball with solid footwork. His actions have some stiffness to them, he has a quick exchange and an accurate arm. He runs a 6.60 in the 60. Overall Goodheart is an elite athlete with an advanced offensive game.

Haven Hunter, OF, Lonoke HS
Hunter is a 5-foot-10 160-pound outfielder with an athletic frame and build. He runs a 6.68 in the 60. He shows solid defensive instincts, he plays through the baseball with fluid footwork. He uses an average exchange and an accurate arm that throws the ball 83 mph from the outfield. Offensively he uses a rotational slight uphill swing to produce exit velocity up to 85 mph. Overall Hunter is an above average athlete with solid defensive instincts, offensively he has bat speed, will just need to refine his skill set.

Seth Tucker, OF, Bryant HS
Tucker is a 5-foot-10 155 versatile baseball player, with an athletic frame and build. On the infield he plays through the baseball with fluid footwork and solid actions. He throws on the infield accurately from an L ¾ arm slot. In the outfield he has shown above average instincts, playing balls in either gap from centerfield. Offensively he starts from a slightly open stand stance, he dives into the plate, using a leg lift for his load and timing mechanisms. He attacks the baseball with an uphill swing with some rotation to it. Overall Tucker is a premium defender and athlete. He competes at a high level and plays the game hard competing at whatever position he plays.