2025 Area Code Games: Hitting Standouts

On the defensive front, Clark spent a majority of reps at the hot corner, but he has the tools to be a solid defender at shortstop. He has the range, soft hands, and internal clock to handle the challenges of the position, plus there’s solid arm strength across the diamond. 

Clark looked every bit of a top fifty prospect in this class, and while his Princeton commitment will hold leverage come draft day, he’s earned himself a chance to turn professional out of high school.

C Teagan Scott, South Salem (OR)

A sturdily built backstop prospect, Teagan Scott certainly utilized this event to boost his draft stock even further. 

It’s a stereotypical catcher’s build with thickness and physicality throughout his frame. Despite his stout physique, Scott is very athletic and more mobile than his appearance suggests. He possesses solid lateral mobility behind the dish, showcasing standout catch-and-throw skills, and displays a strong arm with accuracy.

However, given his athletic traits, there’s a non-zero chance that Scott can get some reps in the outfield, primarily a corner spot.

Offensively, Scott has a great blend of hit and power from the right side. There’s substantial bat speed through the zone with a heavy barrel, helping him produce solid exit velocities to both sides of the field. He was hanging around the triple-digit mark all week, consistently staying on the barrel. He doesn’t chase out of the zone, and he pummels heaters, as well.

I believe there is more over-the-fence production on the way with Scott’s profile, as his swing is more linear presently, and is due for more loft in-game. His pull-side power prowess in batting practice is a promising sign, and it’s already above-average juice right now.

Scott has been furthering his case to be a first-day pick.

OF Blake Bowen, JSerra Catholic (CA)

Built like an NFL linebacker, Blake Bowen has seen his name trend upward this summer, as his physical tools and athleticism have gotten the attention from scouts.

Bowen’s approach at the plate has gotten more aggressive than it was a year ago, and given what he’s capable of with the stick, that’s a good thing. There’s significant bat speed with feel to lift the baseball to the pull-side, as Bowen had exit velocities up to 104 MPH in-game.

Better yet, his pure contact skills are sneaky good, as he kept whiffs to a minimum and only struck out two throughout the week. He keeps the swing compact and takes tight turns to the baseball. It’s an advanced offensive toolset that may feature 70-grade juice shortly.

Despite the imposing figure, Bowen is rather nimble on his feet and can scamper down the line. He’ll put infielders under pressure with above-average speed, and that’s with slightly underwhelming jumps out of the box. That speed certainly plays in center, though his size may push him over to right field. His arm is plus and fits the position perfectly in that case.

While scouts do have some questions about how the body projects in the future, what he is now has drawn eyes to his jersey on the field. This profile is one to watch, and he appears to be a top-two round selection from this chair.

INF/OF Jason Amalbert, DePaul Catholic (NJ)

Jason Amalbert is one of those do-it-all kinds of bats. Nothing in particular stands out on the field, but everything is consistently good. However, his performance at this event was a loud statement.

Amalbert was on the barrel all week, flashing extremely quick hands and twitchy actions in the box with a linear plane. It’s nothing that screams loud power, but Amalbert was consistently 95+ mph on exit velocities all week and laced liners up the middle of the field.

There’s aggression in his approach, but he didn’t skip a beat against quality competition. Once on the bases, he’s an aggressive runner who struggles to keep his feet planted in the dirt. He’s jumpy, he’s wired, and he’s ready to be a pest. It was excellent baserunning throughout the week.

In the field, Amalbert has versatility in his profile. He’ll jump around in the dirt, primarily up the middle at second base and shortstop, but his arm strength may fit better in the grass. His versatility will prove to be a vital part of his profile and has grabbed the attention of scouts.

3B/OF Gunner Skelton, Columbia Academy (TN)

Gunner Skelton is reminiscent of Brodie Johnston from the 2024 class. Whether he ends up at Vanderbilt like Johnston is to be determined, but the selling point is simple: the bat is legit.

A physical right-handed bat, Skelton takes tight turns to the baseball from a relaxed setup, which features minimal movement apart from his leg kick. It’s quick hands, loud bat speed, and feel to backspin the baseball, especially to his pull-side consistently.

He coils his core and creates a ton of leverage, as well. It’s easy power with feel to hit, albeit more aggressive than you’d like. Finding the value of pulling the baseball the way he does can be tough to find, though.

Defensively, he has the build of a future third baseman, but there are some kinks to iron out. His feet can get clunky, and his lateral mobility is tested, which leads me to think he’s a better fit in a corner outfield spot. That would lessen the pressure on his defensive skills, plus his ability to mash should give him leeway, especially in left field.

We’ll see how this profile evolves over the next year, but for now, it’s hard to find a bat with this kind of offensive value moving forward. He’ll mash in some capacity at the next level.

SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian (TX)

Grady Emerson has a lot in common with 2025 first overall pick Eli Willits. It’s nothing flashy, but it’s consistently good tools on both sides of the ball that make him a safer floor compared to some of his peers.

Emerson looked like the best hitter throughout the whole week. His approach is sublime and mature, rarely swinging at offerings out of the zone, and his bat-to-ball skills were great all week. He whiffed just twice throughout the whole event. He utilized the whole field to his advantage and routinely laced line drives. It was as good as it gets. 

It’s hit-over-power at this point, and it’ll likely wind up that way moving forward. His wide base does make it a bit tougher to separate his hips and shoulders, which does hamper his leverage slightly, but his exit velocities were solid throughout the week and crept up to the doorstep of triple-digits. There is a chance that he gets to fringe-average or better power that plays best to his pull-side in due time, especially given the projection to his frame and current bat speed.

Defensively, Emerson moved around the infield, but looked best on the left side. His actions and instincts are great at both shortstop and third base, plus his arm is reasonably strong across the diamond. If he becomes more physical down the line, he’d fit in perfectly at the hot corner, where I thought he was the most impressive throughout the week.

All in all, Emerson is every bit of a first-rounder in this class, and his case for the best prep athlete in this class is there. While Lombard’s tools are exceptionally loud, he comes with volatility as the hit tool needs a coat of polish. Emerson has that polish, and even though the power lacks right now, he’s a more complete profile at this moment.

UTL Jet Berry, Queen Creek (AZ)

It’s only appropriate that a kid with serious twitch and plus run times is named Jet, right?

A true switch-hitter, Jet Berry has the classic table-setter profile with a polished hit tool and loud athleticism. Utilizing a narrow stance pre-load, Berry extends his lower half down the box well and swings with a more linear path, but flashes solid bat speed from both sides of the plate.

His pure contact skills are excellent, he feasts on heaters, and he’ll show a pull-side prowess. He can be overly aggressive in terms of his swing decisions, but he continuously found ways to get on base throughout the week.

Once on the bases, he’s built for chaos. With plus speed at his disposal, he’ll wreak havoc on everyone. His feet don’t stop, and he’ll pressure defenders with aggressiveness by stretching singles into doubles and stealing a base at any given chance. He’s a nuisance that pitchers will hate at the next level.

Defensively, Berry exclusively stayed in the infield, where he’s got some bounce to his game at second base and shortstop. His actions and range are solid, plus there is enough arm strength to handle the “six.” He may find himself in an outfield position, as well, as his speed can be a valuable asset in any position on the grass.

This is a profile that has grown on me a lot this summer. It’s not as good as Aiden Ruiz, but it’s certainly up there.

1B/OF Kael Barney, Nolensville (TN)

It’s not often that you see Oregon State have such a big reach geographically in recruiting, but they see something in Kael Barney. Scouts in the stands got to see it, too.

At 6’5, 195 pounds, Barney is an uber-projectable left-handed bat with athleticism and significant power projection. While most guys this big tend to have issues repeating their swing due to the length of their limbs, Barney has shown the ability to stay compact and hammer the baseball to his pull-side, putting up exit velocities north of 100 mph during the event.

He leverages his body very well with great hip/shoulder separation and coils his core well, leading to quick hands and bat speed through the zone. It could be above-average to plus juice once he’s fully mature. 

The bat will do most of the heavy lifting in terms of value, but Barney’s athleticism has led some to believe a pathway to a corner outfield spot is possible. It’s good lateral movement with decent speed, which would work best in left field. If not, he’s relegated to first base, meaning immense pressure would be on the bat to produce.

Overall, there’s a lot to like with Barney, plus he’s going into his senior season focusing solely on baseball. He and his brother, Kyson, were basketball players for Nolensville, but have opted to ditch the court for the diamond.

Honorable Mentions: Josiah Morris, Myles Ross, Mickey Gilligan, Trey Ebel, Aiden Ruiz, Archer Horn, Ethan Bass, Landon Thome, Connor Comeau