Unsigned Senior Spotlight: RHP/MIF Lawson Hughes (Rolla HS)

Lawson Hughes, SS/RHP, Rolla HS, Class of 2013:
The athletic 6-foot, 180-pound Hughes impressed with his scope of work at shortstop. One of the top fielders of Preseason Prospect Showcase, Hughes shows a good approach to the ball with soft hands and one of the quickest exchanges we saw at the event. He also showed quick arm speed and throws on a line across the diamond. Hughes fields his position well and looks to be a very confident fielder.

Offensively, Hughes has a long stride and uses his lower half to generate some bat speed through the zone. He shows some strength in his hands (88 mph exit velocity) and keeps his hands inside the ball.  At times he had the tendency to drop his bat head in his swing.

On the mound, Hughes showed the ability to command three pitches for a strike. Hughes comes from a ¾ arm slot with good rhythm, quick arm speed and a deceptive delivery as the ball jumps out of his hand. Hughes’ heavy fastball sat 75-79 mph, topping at 79-mph mph and showed some late arm side action. He also displayed a breaking ball (61-65 mph) with 11-to-5 shape and sharp break, thrown at near fastball arm speed and stayed down in the zone. Hughes also showed a 69-72 mph change up with some sink action.