Stokes
Needham

6/14/16 - 60 Time: 6.84, Position Velocity:  OF-77, Exit Velocity: 76
6'1, 170-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance and uses a toe tap and stride, along with some bat waggle, to get into his loaded position.  Stays tall throughout his swing and doesn’t really allow his lower half to get as involved as he could, sometimes rushes to get front foot planted and causes a timing issue with his hands, handsy swing that produced some low line drives in BP.  Defensively, showed a good feel for outfield play and uses a long and sometimes stiff arm action through an over-the-top arm slot to get the ball in, some accuracy and average arm strength, good hands and a clean exchange help make up for some of the arm strength he may be lacking.

1/31/16 - 6-foot, 175-pound RHH showed a big jump in arm strength and exit velocity from previous event last fall. Hits from a balanced stance, toe tap and short stride trigger the swing, front side hitter at times, loose hands help to generate bat speed, line drive gap to gap hitter, ball jumps off barrel when squared. Moves well as an outfielder and plays through the ball, clean exchange with an over the top release, arm strength has improved and will improve further as he incorporates better use of lower half in throws. Needham is a 2018 prospect to keep a close eye on.

10/25/15 - The 6 foot 1, 175-pound prospect posted a 6.94 60 time and had a 71 mph position velocity from the outfield. Defensively Needham shows short arm action, some accuracy, average arm strength, soft to average hands, fluid footwork but needs to get quicker, clean exchange, plays through the ball, and has natural instincts. Offensively Needham shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 76 mph exit velocity off the tee. Needham hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, uses his lower half, has average overall balance, aggressive approach at the plate, level path, fluid rhythm, and is a line drive type hitter. Stokes went 1 for 4 during game play with a double.