Hayden
Cantrelle

2017 First Team All-State
2017 Preseason First Team All-State

Louisiana-Lafayette recruit, currently ranked No. 4 in Louisiana’s 2017 class, No. 92 Overall. Athletic 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame, fast-twitch type athlete. Quality athlete that has posted a 6.57 60-yard dash. Switch hitter that hits from a balanced setup with a smooth load, short stride, explosive lower half, and excellent balance. Shows a compact, flat bat path with line-drive, gap to gap approach with fluid rhythm and bat speed. Quality defender with soft hands, fluid footwork, quick, clean exchange and plays through balls well. Short arm into high-3/4 arm slot with accuracy and carry on throws.

6/29/15 A 5-foot-10, 165-pound short-stop and right-handed pitcher with an average, athletic frame. Switch hitter that hits from a balanced setup with a smooth load, short stride, explosive lower half, and excellent balance. Showed a compact, flat bat path with line-drive, gap to gap approach with fluid rhythm an bat speed that produced an exit velocity of 81 mph. Quality defender with soft hands, fluid footwork, quick, clean exchange and plays through balls well. Showed solid arm strength out of a high-3/4 arm slot that produced an 80 mph positional velocity with accuracy on throws. Right-handed pitcher that showed solid arm speed out of a high-3/4 slot with regular effort, smooth rhythm, in-line direction and landing square. Fastball sat 81-84 mph with slight run, and showed quality command. Breaking ball showed 10/4 shape with late, hard break at 74-76 mph. Showed pitchability by working fast and attacking the strike zone with two pitches.

2020 DRAFT: A stalwart at shortstop for the Ragin Cajuns since setting foot on campus, Cantrelle is well suited for the top of the order, showing sound plate discipline, pitch recognition and barrel skills. At 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, he isn't built like a power hitter, but he does have hand speed and shows sneaky pop at times. He swung it well with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer, slashing .315/.427/.438 with three home runs. He's a good runner who uses his speed judiciously, swiping 19 bags in 22 tries over the summer. Defensively, he displays smooth infield actions and plenty of arm for the position. He was off to a slow start this spring, hitting just .148 over the first 16 games but he still managed to control the zone, walking (12) nearly as much as he struck out (15).

8/13/19: Cantrelle has been a stalwart at shortstop since his collegiate career began, but he slid over to second base and handled the position ably for the Commodores, showing smooth infield actions and plenty of arm for the position. He was also well suited for the top of the order, showing outstanding plate discipline, pitch recognition and barrel skills. At 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, Cantrelle isn’t built like a power hitter, but he does have some hand speed and showed sneaky pop at times this summer, finishing with three home runs and seven doubles, along with a .315 batting average. He’s a good runner who uses his speed judiciously; in one look, I saw him reach base on a perfect push bunt, steal two bases and draw three walks. He stole 19 bases in 22 tries on the summer. Cantrelle is an action player with a well-rounded tool set, but limited power; the key to his prospect status is whether or not scouts believe his bat has impact potential, which remains a question mark. But he certainly helped his cause by taking a huge leap forward this summer (.315/.427/.438), one year after he hit just .174 for the Commodores.