Prep Baseball Report

2024 Utah Top 10 Prospects (Winter Update)


Jeff Scholzen
Utah Scouting Director

The Fall is complete, and now it’s time to reveal a class of players that goes well beyond the top 10, of which many after 10, could have been in the top 10 rankings. A handful of these players were members of the first ever Team Utah, that represented the Beehive state at the prestigious Future Games at LakePoint Sports in GA, the last weekend of July. This class is deep with college hitting prospects and 3 elite arms at the top. It wouldn’t surprise me if a few reached beyond the collegiate level. With 3 years of high school left with this class, this class not only are making names for themselves right now, but could be doing some special things individually and for their teams when they are seniors. This will be a fun class to follow moving forward! ENJOY ....

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2024 Top 10 Prospects

Zach Edwards RHP / SS / Riverton, UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Oregon State

A 6-2 190 above avg athlete, that also plays basketball. Edwards was throwing his FB upwards of 88 mph in the fall ('19) of his 8th grade year, when he received his 1st D1 offer. Going into his freshman campaign, with many offers in hand, he chose powerhouse Oregon State. With a classic high kick to a compact delivery, Zach has good length down the slope with lower half leverage, and has a med compact arm circle thru a HTQ arm stroke. The FB touches 89, but works more in the 85-87 range which is really good considering his age. The CB has the makings of being a solid pitch and he throws K's. Will be fun to watch him on the Utah HS scene over the next 3+ years. 

Easton Barrett LHP / OF / Springville , UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Arizona State

A Future Games participant and did he ever make the most of his time at LakePoint! Barrett was the most talked about arm from Team Utah as we got a late start to the game, due to rain and he was matched up vs another quality LHP, so there was a good size crowd of coaches in attendance. Showing a quality delivery with the ability to repeat and pound the mitt, Easton has a high kick to delivery and turns his front shoulder and releases it late as he clears the path for this HTQ arm stroke. The late shoulder turn creates deception and better perceived velocity than his 84-86 mph FB suggests. Hitters get late reads and swings and he was tough to pick up. The CB 69-72 has quality break and shape and can start it in the other batters box to the arm side and it finishes with bit in and through the zone. The CH 75-78 is a plus pitch and he’s able to kill spin and throw it with FB arm speed and the pitch has plus deception and late bottom. The ability to throw 3 pitches with command at such an early age (15 Yrs Old) leaves an evaluator to dream on a 92-93 mph arm in a few years. He attracted P5 and major college interest and received 9-10 offers after the event. Was fun to watch!

Easton Davies RHP / OF / Orem , UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Arizona State

A Future Games participant and the #3 ranked player in the ‘24 class. Easton showed well from a stuff and tools standpoint at LakePoint, as he showed the college recruiters in attendance the strong framed athletic build you look for in a young pitcher. The ability to throw 3 pitches with arm strength. One of the top 20 velocity arms at the event, Davies flashed 91 with the FB and showed sink life below the thigh with a 2569 abv avg spin rate. He showed the ability to repeat his delivery, although he along with some of the other pitchers had some difficulty gripping the baseball due to many of them pitching in humidity for the first time. When he used the rosin, he pounded the ball down in the zone and was able to spin the SL 78-82 with tight late lateral biting action with depth at times. As he continues to grow, add strength and mature, this is the kind of arm that will be throwing really hard one day and attract MLB scouts. He committed to ASU shortly after the Future Games!

Luke (LT) Taylor C / 1B / Skyline, UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Utah

A Future Games participant and one of the top 2 hitters in the ‘24 class. Luke had a tremendous workout with the bat as he rocketed 3 ball high and deep over the LF wall with an easy slightly uphill stroke with loose wrists and a fluid bat path. With a two hand fully whippy finish, then ball jumped off his bat. Also had a ringing 2B to RCF in game 2 that was deep and split the gap. Taylor also caught game 2 and played 1B in game 3. Behind the plate, he worked well with pitchers and blocked 9-10 balls in the dirt with agility and smothered balls. His index finger was beat up by some of the velocity and as his makeup is top shelf, he wanted to stay in the game, before being lifted. At 1B, he handled some hot shots off the turf and made them look easy and took the bag himself on a couple of occasions. Looked at home at both spots. Versatile defensively and showed really well!!

Trey Evans OF / SS / Crimson Cliffs , UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Uncommitted (Has an offer)

A Future Games participant, Evans showed extremely well with 3 hard barreled balls, with one deep over the CF’ers head for a headfirst 3B. Another 2B followed as well into the RCF gap and he also barreled a ball right back at the pitcher, who snared it from going into CF. The shot was clocked at 97.4 off the bat. New to the OF and just learning routes and angles, as he spends more time in left, Trey will become a passable defender in time, but it’s his focus in the box, with pitch recognition, a patient eye and strong hitting metrics that will drive him to the next level. He’s a happy feet type in the box, as he moves around with his feet in his setup, then gets everything going and into his load like a Dustin Pedroia or Nolan Arenado. It’s unconventional, but works for his style of hitting. One thing is for sure, college coaches know who he is after LakePoint with the bat!

A Future Games Invite for the summer of 2022

Will Dart SS / RHP / Spanish Fork, UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Arizona State

Will toggled between SS and 2B with his brother, as BYU commit and when all was said and done, he grabbed hold of the SS job, and ran with it. A large lean athletic frame with projectable height and weight gains to come. Will be a taller athletic middle infielder, and will carry his man body well in the future. Shows athletic actions defensively and has proper footwork with soft hands. Throws have carry and are accurate, from a lower 3/4 arm slot. Hitting a the top of the lineup and has added some strength over the past year. Does carry his hands a bit forward in his load and needs to get the hands back further to create added leverage, but has timing and squared balls up this spring. 

Carson Moody OF / RHP / Riverton, UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Utah

Tall and rangy with long arms and wide shoulders with the look of a pitcher, and oozes projection moving forward. Came to the prior event in November as an OF'er, and this event as a two way type. As a hitter, and where he is best suited in college, Carson has shown some solid strides, as he raised his 60 time from 7.24 to 7.14 and his OF velo from 78 to 82. The Swing has remained the same in his previous two events, but 8 months of maturity and the EV has jumped from 86 to 93. All his metrics across the board have improved dramatically. Keep an eye on this kid moving forward, as he plays in a good HS program and has some athletic movement patterns of former MLB OF'er Shawn Green. 

Austin Ellis C / 3B / Westlake , UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Uncommitted (Being Recruited) 

A Future Games participant, Ellis caught 2 games in LakePoint and received and worked well with pitchers. Ellis showed a flexible style of catching, in getting spread out with his legs and with his rear knee high to move well laterally and frame balls, and also being in position to drop to block and smother balls. Had to block an array of pitches as pitchers had a hard time gripping the ball with the sweat and humidity. Austin threw well in the workout phase with a number of balls carrying the bag and was online with his throws. A quick short bat path with a two hand finish, that produced deep gap power and the ball jumped off his bat. He’s gonna be a good one as he continues to mature and grow in the game over the next 3 years. Has an engaging personality and interacts with his coaches and teammates very well.

A Future Games Invite for the summer of 2022 

Zach Carlson OF / LHP / Juan Diego Catholic, UT / 2024

 

Commitment: Uncommitted

Report: March 2021 (Coming back from ACL Surgery) Note: 4A HM All-State as a Freshman!!

A talented two way player with the bat and on the mound. It’s tough to crack metrics boards as a freshman, and this is an eye test baseball player with advanced skills for a 15 year old. He ran a 6.93/60 yard dash while showing a smooth fluid arm stroke from RF at 78-83 mph, with online one hop accurate throws. He produced an EV of 85.65 which is good for his age. The arm on the mound is fluid and loose with a long whippy clean arm stroke. The delivery is sound for his age and one that with a FB topping 80 is where most freshmen are from the left side that project as his physicality suggests. Has a feel for the CB 67-69 and the CH 66-68. I look for his arsenal to jump 3-4 mph in 6-9 months as he continues to grow and get stronger. One that colleges should have on their radar at a young age.

A Future Games Invite for the summer of 2022.

Keaton Stinson OF / 2B / Cottonwood , UT / 2024


Commitment: Uncommitted

Stinson was the best player at the Fall Prospect ID and it wasn’t close. A surprise in that he attended the Summer ID and for some reason slipped through my line of sight. However he is squarely on my radar now! Features a lean athletic strong build and projects even more size and strength at maturity. A young 15 yr old bat with tons of potential, as he posted an EV of 99.8 and looked the part of a hitter, with a slightly open semi crouched stance and his weight distributed 55/45. Stinson gets to a deep load and then fires the bat with hand speeds of 25.2 with an event best bat speed of 82! All of these are elite level metrics! From the OF, he shows soft hands and comes thru the baseball, and shows some low elbow MIF type arm stroke, and his throws have some tail, yet are online and carry with one hop accuracy at 81 mph. A 6.94/60 completed his tool package. At the Summer ID he took GB’s at SS and showed natural feel out front with his hands and plays thru the baseball with educated feet. Shows a medium arm stroke and his throws have carry. Has put himself on the map as a short list candidate for the PBR Future Games next July, if he stays uncommitted!

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