Henry
Akopov

6-foot, 180 pounds. Despite having very few live AB’s to prepare for Future Games due to a pulled quad about a month ago, this freak athlete did not let that stop him. He racked up some ridiculous numbers in a 3 game span, reaching base a total of 7 times out of 10. Henry had 2 lasers at 92.8 in his last 2 games, showing off his plus bat speed (80 mph) that puts him ahead of many pro baseball players in the category. Akopov’s overall fast twitch fibers are beyond special. But to go along with that, his top hand grip strength was one of the best in the event. This helps him create serious force in the hands through contact and a different level of whip in the barrel to the pull side. His swing is very well sequenced and makes it even easier for the incredible athleticism to show, as he has nothing in the way of his raw talent playing every swing at the plate. As we’ve seen him mostly develop into a doubles/power production hitter this spring and summer, it was fun to see him get a few infield knocks with his blinding top of scale speed. He’s so fast, he even got a hit on a grounder to 2B! When he gets on it’s pure misery for opposing teams, and he stole 7 bases in 3 games with 6 runs scored! His lightning quick jumps and incredible top end speed make it look like he’s jogging, just toying with even the best catchers. While he may not be the purest hitter yet, there’s so much potential in the bat. But what makes him low risk is the run, defense, and arm tools. Even on the days he doesn’t crush the ball into gaps, he’s going to manufacture/score runs, save runs in CF (instincts & range), and save runs with his arm. Even though he’s one of the strongest players in the class pound for pound (435 squat, 275 bench for reps), he still has much room to fill in the frame. When in doubt, bet on the tools!

Uncommitted. 6-foot, 180 pounds. The CF talent in the 2025 class is nothing short of incredible, with 4 of them in our top 10 and many more a bit further down. Henry’s new arrival into our Top 10 was very well deserved, as he’s taken step after step offensively from better pitch recognition to much more well sequenced swing mechanics. Last year the swing had multiple parts to it, and this spring he came out with very impressive fluidity. His hip timing of release points is better instead of him starting early and having to slow down his fast twitch fibers and sap some of his power. The coil is much more gradual and perfectly timed with the pace of his stride, turning his load from 2 pieces to 1. These adjustment took much effort out of his swing, and allowed him to catch the ball outside his front foot more often. The results? The power production has jumped tremendously, and he’s basically been a walking barrel all spring. Akopov is driving the ball to all fields consistently and his speed has been much more impactful because of it, giving him the opportunity to take an extra base regularly. His top of the scale speed was obviously the 1st thing that caught our attention, but what might excite me most is his ability to play CF. His instincts are innate, reads are lightning quick just like his 1st step, and his routes are precise. The closing speed is nothing short of incredible, allowing him to make plays most CF’s have no shot at getting to. But his glove is of the same quality, as he can make web gem after web gem to save runs for his pitching staff. The ceiling is endless for this electrifying athlete, and he’s only beginning to scratch the surface.

Uncommitted. 6-foot, 180-pounds. Akopov was one of my favorite guys to watch in all facets of the game. His athleticism shines through his swing, speed, and presence in the outfield. His patience at the plate was exceptional, working himself into a 3 ball count early in his first at-bat. He then drove a ball into the opposite field to record his first base hit of the day. His short-compact swing allows him to drive the ball well to all parts of the field with high exit velocity. Akopov then added a stolen base to his stat line to show off his quickness. Defensively, he excels with exceptional reaction time and shows off his speed by covering a lot of ground. He will be a very interesting player to watch develop over the next few years.

Uncommitted. 6-foot, 180 pounds. The electric tools of Akopov have brought excitement and praise from everyone on our PBR scouting staff both in state and nationally. There’s absolutely no question about his talent as a defender, as he’s consistently made plays of MLB difficulty since we began bearing down on him heavily last summer at LakePoint. Not only is he a top of scale runner but the instincts, lightning quick first step, tracking ability, and fearlessness to put his body on the line make for some incredible web gems on the regular. Henry has the 3 tools that play every day at a premium position (speed, glove, arm) and has big time bat speed at the plate. What we’ve been scouting the hardest with him are his advancements as a hitter, and he’s passed each test with flying colors all spring. The pitch recognition and approach have been both improved steadily, and are 2 must have hitting intangibles to play this game at its highest level. He’s laying off tough breaking balls out of the zone, working FB counts much more often. His approach has gone from purely aggressive to selective aggressive, and his hard hit rate has gone up dramatically because of it. He didn’t just hit a breathtaking pull side bomb down 1 run in the 7th, he also had 2 barrels on outside pitches to deep RF. His willingness and confidence to hit the ball the other way has expanded his impact as a hitter tremendously. Due to his all-fields focus, Akopov is now hitting strikes much more often, where he would’ve taken strikes on the outer half last year. His incredible bat speed and advanced bat strength are able to show much more consistently now.

Underclass Games - Outfield Analysis 

Positional Profile: OF/RHP Top of the order CF who can hit the ball to all fields w/ juice.
Body: 6-foot-0, 180-pounds. Athletic med. size build.
Hit: RHH. Wide base. Toe-tap activates hips w/ shift of weight into the backside. A minimal gain in stride allows for a compact swing.  Short path w/ line drive contact to follow to the pullside and middle of the field
Power: 95.5 max exit velocity, averaged 87 mph. 276’ max distance. Current gap to gap power, but the athleticism+strength to come will result in big jumps for him power wise
Arm: RH. OF - 80 mph. med. depth arm circle w/ 3/4 slot. Cleaning up the lower half will allow for arm strength to improve.
Defense: Athleticism shines in the OF, as expected. Fluid+smooth transfers and reactions.
Run: 6.44 runner in the 60.