2017 National Rankings Released

August 27, 2015

By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

It always good to see where Arkansas players stack up against the rest of PBR’s coverage area. The 2017 class has solid representation on with 3 players being ranked in the top 50 and 6 players landing in the top 300. Today we will break down the first three and tomorrow we will look at the next three.

No. 46 Casey Martin, MIF, Lonoke HS
Martin is a 5-foot-11 175-pound MIF/OF with an athletic frame and build. He is a premium athlete running a 6.65 in the 60. Defensively he is a versatile player with arm strength. He throws the ball 84 mph across the infield and 88 mph from the outfield. Offensively he starts from an athletic stance with a smooth load. He has fast bat speed with a slight uphill swing path. He has shown the ability to hit the ball to all fields and has flashed some pull power. Overall Martin has shown a 5 tool player that needs to continue to refine his game. He recently committed to Arkansas.

No. 48 Evan Hooper, OF, Cabot HS
Hooper is a 5-foot-11 175-pound OF/RHP with a wide shoulders and an athletic build. Defensively he is sound with the ability to defend gap-to-gap due to his overall sped. He runs a 6.34 in the 60. He has a short arm action that is accurate with carry at 85 mph. Offensively he has a line drive swing with fast bat speed. He produces exit velocity up to 95 mph. He repeats his mechanics and stays balanced through extension. Overall Hooper is a rare athlete with a ton of tools, over time he should develop more offensively finding barrel on a more consistent basis. As a pitcher Hooper works from below 3/4 arm slot with a quick arm. He attacks the bottom half of the strike zone with a fastball 83-86 up to 88 mph. The fastball has sink with slight cut. He compliments his fastball with a frisbee breaking ball thrown 70-72 mph, and a change up with arm side run thrown with fastball arm speed and a He has repeatable mechanics and rhythm. Overall Hooper has good deception and stuff, I project him more as an outfielder but it isn't far fetched to see him pitch out of the bullpen at the next level either. He is committed to Arkansas

No. 50 Hunter Milligan, LHP, Greenbrier HS
A 6-foot-4, 195-pound left-hander, Milligan commands his fastball to both sides of the plate. He has a clean arm action and has already touched 90. His curveball has good shape with 11-to-5 action. He could benefit from using his lower half more, but is mechanically sound. Overall Milligan is a big talent he has had a rough year battling back injuries, so has not pitched since early spring. He committed to Mississippi State prior to his sophomore season.

2017 National Rankings Released

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