Prep Baseball Report

Future Games - Hitting Recap - Washington Prospects


Dan Jurik
Scouting Director - Pacific Northwest

LakePoint, Georgia, - The 2020 Future Games has come to a conclusion

This one-of-a-kind event featured the best uncommitted Class of 2022 prospects and select 2023 prospects from our 40-plus state coverage area. 

As you’ve come to expect, Prep Baseball Report provided an unrivaled baseball experience. Featuring live-stream action, Trackman & Blast data, plus continuous coverage from all of our social media platforms

For the first time ever, we were able to put together a roster of players from the Pacific Northwest to participate in the Future Games. The roster was compiled of players from both Washington and Oregon. To get our post-event coverage started off, we're taking a look at the hitters from Washington who had the chance to compete on the mound. 

Pacific Northwest team preview - Here

Workout notes - Here

Statistical release - Here

Pitching recap - Here

Future Games

Hitting recap

Grant Cunningham RHP / 3B / Seattle Prep, WA / 2022

One of the breakout players in the 2022 class this summer, Cunningham has been doing it all recently and shows no signs of slowing down. He had a dominant performance on the bump in Game 3 and he preceded that outing with an impressive multi-hit performance at the plate earlier on during game action. From a tools stand point, there’s plenty of bat speed to work with, averaging 73.4 mph across his BP swings. It’s a low maintenance approach in the box, with short and clean actions to initiate the swing. The simplicity allows Cunningham to be on-time and get his barrel out front to the ball. Not a big ‘elevate & celebrate’ guy, looks more comfortable staying in the gaps and had some of his best contact to the opposite field when facing live arms. Showed some poise in the box and the ability to have a quick memory and move on to the next pitch. 

Sebastian David SS / RHP / Lakeside, WA / 2023

Arguably the most physical bat in the PNW line-up, David was a tough out from start to finish. Despite his youth and the fact he was facing mostly older competition, he showed off a polished approach at the plate, drawing 3 BB and not punching out. He actually only had 1 swing and miss across all of his ABs. Uses an aggressive, high leg kick to gather on his backside and syncs that up with a consistent hand load. Gains a lot of ground on the forward move but keeps his hands back and avoids committing to the pitch too early. Produced hard contact in every plate appearance while also collecting 2 clean hits. Every ball put in play was a line drive and while there’s presently more gap-to-gap power, there’s plenty of reason to believe he will continue to develop more lift on the ball as he continues to mature. Also looks to make things happen on the base paths and is an athletic runner when getting down the line. Established himself as a national level prospect. Committed to Stanford shortly after the event. 

Jordan Hockett OF / RHP / Mt. Spokane , WA / 2022

Hockett is putting together an impressive summer and establishing himself as one of the most consistent hitters in the ‘22 class. Although statistically he didn’t get much to show for his quality ABs and hard contact, the offensive ability was apparent throughout. Hockett utilizes quick hands at the plate and also put up some impressive Blast metrics. Averaged 19.1g of rotational acceleration, which is above the standard mark of 16.8g at the pro level. The rotational speed helps Hockett adjust late and get his barrel to the ball quickly and efficiently. Hockett won’t get himself out at the plate. He attacks strikes and stays away from pitches out of the zone, forcing the pitcher to execute. His athleticism translates to reliable tempo and body control in the box while also giving him the tools to be a dependable outfielder. 

Julius Hooks SS / OF / Tahoma, WA / 2022

We’ve seen Hooks really develop his overall game across multiple events during the last year. The Future Games gave us a great glimpse at how his tools and energy play up in game. He reached base in 4 of his 8 plate appearances over the 3 game stretch, notching 2 hits and 2 BB. The contact ability and plate discipline should continue to stay sharp and make him a consistent on-base threat. His swing got high marks for his connection and on-plane ability via Blast. For on-plane %, a target goal of 70% or higher is above average. Hooks averaged 80% on-plane efficiency and that should allow him to continue to spray contact from line to line. He’s comfortable taking a high volume of pitches in-game and shortens up nicely when he needs to protect. Overall, the body control and hand-eye coordination are his strongest assets at the plate and we expect him to hit at a high rate in the future. 

Tyler Howard C / 1B / Skyview, WA / 2022

A polished backstop with the chance to be a well-rounded threat at the plate. Howard started off on a high note with arguably one of the better showings in BP during the workout day. He hits from a tall, relaxed stance with loose, easy hands. Hovers on his backside at leg lift before landing in a wide, balanced set-up. Hands stay loaded at landing. His approach allows him to create noticeable barrel whip to the ball with extension after contact. Works short to the ball then long through it. Registered a peak exit velocity of 95.4 via Trackman. As with most catchers, he has a strong feel for the zone and doesn’t get over anxious or chase. More power likely to come in-game as he gets stronger. 

Bryce Johnson C / RHP / Eastlake, WA / 2023

While Johnson excelled on the bump, he also showed plenty of promise at the plate and has the chance to develop into an impact bat. Uses his height in the box, staying tall and upright throughout with a lofted swing plane and high finish. The set-up is narrow and slightly open to begin before he gets some bend in his lower half and a slight hinge at the waist. Barrel works thru the zone easily with low effort bat speed. Strong lower half keeps him balanced and allows him to use his size for leverage/power. Has some feel for recognizing spin and was able to drive a breaking ball to his backside gap in game early on for his first hit of the event. Overall, the size, strength and barrel control make Johnson an intriguing follow as an offensive prospect.

Dylan Osborne LHP / OF / Union, WA / 2023

A well-rounded athlete who can make a difference in the game in a lot of ways, Osborne has an ideal L/L profile for the OF and could see big jumps in his ability as he continues filling out his wiry frame. As it stands now, he uses a ‘handsy’ swing at the plate, letting the ball get into the zone & has enough quickness in his wrists to pepper his backside gap. His ABs were limited a bit while he was pitching on the mound but he still registered multiple hits and didn’t strike out. Showing a knack for putting the ball in play with solid feel for the barrel. The finish thru contact is pretty flat and level, limiting his ability to lift the ball but the approach works for him and he doesn’t try to do anything he’s not capable of at the plate. The contact ability with his athleticism and arm strength give him a strong skill-set to build off of.

Carter Seely RHP / 3B / Selah , WA / 2023

Young and aggressive in the box, Seely has advanced strength for his age and fits at corner INF with his power and arm strength combination. At the plate, he stays wide and bent in his lower half with a leg kick load to create momentum. The hands stay loose and active as he gets into landing. Showed some raw power in BP and definitely looks to do damage, especially to his pull-side. He also had to go back and forth between pitching and hitting duties so while we didn’t get to watch Seely consistently stay in the line-up, he gave us plenty of reason to believe in his bat. Peaked at 72.9 mph with his bat speed during BP. As the event went on, the more pitches Seely was able to track, the more comfortable he appeared at the plate. Pulled a firm line-drive in his final AB to grab his first hit. 

Will Woodward LHP / 1B / Eastlake , WA / 2022

At 6-foot-6, Woodward has an immediate presence in the batters box. In general, being a tall hitter can present certain challenges due to the amount of zone you have to cover and the tendency for the swing to get long. But Woodward avoids those downfalls with his exceptional barrel accuracy and short, direct stroke. He keeps his hand placement low, allowing him to get to the ball quickly, posting some of the best hand speed and time-to-contact numbers we saw at the event. His peak hand speed was 27.6 with an average of 25.4, putting him at the pro level range according to Blast. He produces mostly line drive contact but he cut loose on a few balls late in BP and easily cleared the RF fence to his pull-side. He stays wide with bend in his lower half and uses a short forward stride to create separation. Peak exit velocity of 96.9 via Trackman.