Ranking Review: 2017

January 7, 2016

By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

The Arkansas 2017 Class rankings will be updated at the beginning of February, we are anxious to see growth of this class from the end of their sophomore campaign to the beginning of their junior season. The 2017 class has had seven players make their college commitments early including four of the top five in the class.

Unlike the 2016 class the 2017 class is loaded with position players with fifteen of the top twenty players being offensive contributors. Including No. 1 Casey Martin and No. 2 Evan Hooper.

2017 MIF Casey Martin Lonoke HS is a versatile athlete with a compact line drive swing. His combination of bat speed allows him to run into a few homeruns, even though he is more a gap to gap player. Defensively he can play all over the field including short stop. He plays through the baseball with soft hands and a fluid exchange. He is able to play multiple position due his strong arm and athleticism as he runs a 6.65 in the 60.

2017 OF/RHP Evan Hooper Cabot HS, has every tool a talented evaluator would ever ask to see. Hooper runs sub 6.6 in the 60 on a consistent basis. He throws the baseball 85 mph plus from the outfield and shows above average defensive instincts. Offensively he attacks the baseball with fast bat speed, but hasn’t shown the polish to hit on a consistent basis. If he doesn’t figure out his offensive game Hooper has a chance on the mound throwing up to 88 mph from a low ¾ arm slot.

Both players are committed to Arkansas for the fall of 2017. These two are pursued heavily in the rankings by two players coming off injuries during their sophomore springs. 2017 LHP Hunter Milligan Greenbrier HS and 2017 CIF/RHP Paxton Wallace.

A 6-foot-4, 195-pound left-hander, Milligan commands his fastball to both sides of the plate. He has a clean arm action and has already touched 90. His curveball has good shape with 11-to-5 action. He could benefit from using his lower half more, but is mechanically sound. He was shut down mid-way through spring due to a few nagging injuries and should be fully healthy by the start of the high school season. Milligan is committed to Mississippi State.

Wallace has recently been cleared to pitch again, coming off of Tommy John and will be an intriguing story for the spring. He has shown to be one of the best hitters in this class a true right-hander power bat producing exit velocities over 90 mph. Defensively he is sound at first base playing through baseball with solid action. He threw hard as a freshman and his arm strength looks back from watching him play the field this past summer. Wallace committed to Wichita State during the fall.

With only seven players making their commitments there are still plenty of good players to know in this class including No. 5 2017 OF Pierce Mitchum and No. 8 2017 CIF Adrian Hannah

2017 OF Pierce Mitchum, 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 Mitchum should turn into one of the better prospects in the 2017

2017 CIF Adrian Hannah Searcy HS
Adrian Hannah is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound left handed hitting infielder with a large frame and an athletic build. He runs a 7.19 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.

We are excited to continue to follow this group as they begin to separate themselves from prospects to players.

Ranking Review: 2017

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