Huntsville Rising Stars ID: Quick Hits
July 4, 2024
MADISON, AL - The Huntsville Rising Stars ID was held on Tuesday, July 2nd at James Clemens High School in Madison, AL. This event was an open event hosting some talented prospects from the 2028-2029 classes in Alabama. These players went through extended pro-style workout that included batting practice using Trackman and Blast Motion, ran the 60-yard dash using Swift Performance, and much more. Pitchers were able to throw during a simulated bullpen and were able to get numbers and metrics off of our Trackman unit, such as pitch velocity, spin rate, horizontal & vertical movement & much more. There were some players who showed up and continued to build off of prior performances, but there were also some new names who jumped onto our radar with a strong showing this week.
Continuing our post-event coverage for this event, we highlight some of the top performers from the event. Please continue to check back over the next week, as we will release quick hits articles, other various event leaderboards, individual scouting reports, and much more on each player present at the event.
View entire event stats HERE.
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Hudson Oliver OF / LHP / Guntersville, AL / 2028Lean, athletic 5-foot-11, 158-pounds with loads of projection remaining. High-waisted frame. Already has varsity experience and was tabbed to the All-Area team this past spring as an eighth-grader and easy to see why. Always on-time with his swing utilizing a toe-tap trigger while also creating sizable separation. Smooth, athletic left-handed swing with typical upward path through the zone, which should yield higher volumes of power in the future. Just an advanced prospect for his age with the projectable, athletic frame to match it with. Clocked a 6.87 60-yard dash and posted a top EV of 90.6 mph. Hopped on the mound and was equally as impressive, holding 81-82 mph throughout his bullpen with natural arm-side run. Also spins a sharp-biting curveball in the upper-60s well with 1-7 shape to it and flashed a 73-74 mph changeup with fading action. Clean, repeatable operation with athleticism throughout the delivery. Already making a strong case for being the top-ranked prospect in the rising freshman class in Alabama with this performance.
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Drew Jackson III LHP / OF / Tuscaloosa County, AL / 20285-foot-9, 163-pounds. Lean strength to build with more on the way. Another advanced two-way prospect who has already built a strong track record by performing on the circuit, as he was a standout last summer for Team Alabama at the Prep Baseabll Jr. Future Games. Offensively, the left-handed bat routinley seemed to find hard contact throughout his round of BP with consistent line drives to the pull-side. He possesses loose hands and really gets into the lower-half to drive the baseball at contact, posting a top EV of 92.7 mph. Barrel works cleanly through the zone and extends well through contact. Can also really pitch on the mound doubling as a talented southpaw, sitting 81-83 mph and registering spin rates consistently near the 2400 RPM mark. The fastball has good late life and can be throw to both sides of the plate. Mixed in a firmer, lateral slider at 73-74 mph and a 1-7 biting curveball at 71-72 mph, while also showing the ability to turn over some quality changeups at 70-71 mph with killed spin and dive. Well-rounded prospect who also is making a strong case to be one of the top prospects in the 2028 class in Alabama.
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Chase Utley SS / Whitesburg Christian, AL / 20285-foot-10, 137-pounds. Slim, athletic frame with loads of projection. Another former Prep Baseball Jr. Future Games alumni from last summer who has continued to develop into his frame with still plenty more to come and has the skills to pair it with. High-contact left-handed hitter with an early toe-tap trigger for timining mechanism. Consistent line drives to all fields during his round of BP while utilizing a mostly level path through contact. Working more short-to-long with the swing and extends nicely. Can also really pick it at the shortstop position with good actions and range. Possesses an early prep step and showcases athletic footwork to move to balls to his left and right with accurate throws during the defensive workout. Has built a strong foundation as a younger prospect with some exciting development to come in the future.
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Tristan Blalock RHP / James Clemens, AL / 20296-foot-0, 162-pounds. Long, lanky and highly-projectable frame. Easily one of the better pitchers to throw during the bullpen portion of the event. Works at a really quick pace on the mound and moves down the mound with long levers well. Sitting 82-84 mph throughout his bullpen with the fastball and showing tons of horizontal action and sink when to the bottom of the zone to the pitch. Has a heavy feel, as well. Spins a mid-60s breaking ball with more horizontal bite and sweep to it and was able to be landed in the zone more often than not. Can also turn over a diving changeup ranging 72-74 mph to round out an intriguing three-pitch mix. Long levers on the mound with loose arm action and tons of whip to it for a pitcher in the rising eighth-grade class. Possesses exciting upside on the mound and should continue to add size and strength down the road.
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Desmond Ruffin OF / James Clemens, AL / 20285-foot-7, 132-pounds. Slim frame with plenty of room to add. Very athletic prospect with seemingly natural feel for the barrel at a young age. Showed off the athleticism by clocking a 6.71 60-yard dash to start the workout, an event-best, and carried it over into his round of BP with line drives back up the middle. Not much wasted movement to left-handed swing that possesses good bat and hand speed for a rising freshman. Hitter-ish look with contact-oriented approach. Simple load allows him to be on-time with each swing and is quick to contact while staying short throughout. Athleticism translates to the outfield, where he shows the ability to track well during the defensive portion of the workout. Quality skills across the board for the highly-athletic prospect in the rising freshman class in Alabama.
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Upcoming Events
| SHOWCASE | DATE | LOCATION |
| Tuscaloosa Rising Stars ID | July 9th, 2024 | Northridge High School (Tuscaloosa, AL) |
| Tuscaloosa Summer ID | July 9th, 2024 | Northridge High School (Tuscaloosa, AL) |
| Montgomery Rising Stars ID | July 16th, 2024 | Stanhope Elmore High School (Millbrook, AL) |
| Montgomery Summer ID | July 16th, 2024 | Stanhope Elmore High School (Millbrook, AL) |
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