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A's Scout Day Takeaways: Underclass

March 1, 2024
By: Diego Solares
Central Region Media Director, Scouting

On February 10th, 17th, and 19th, the Prep Baseball Missouri staff traveled to the Athletics Baseball Academy in Fenton, MO, as well as the Athletics Baseball Academy in Springfield, MO, to host the A's Scout Day - a three part event that featured more than 100 players from throughout the A's travel program.

All of our events offer players the opportunity to update their recruiting resume and showcase their talents in front of our staff. We also use these events as identifiers for future invite-only events, like the Preseason All-State, our summer Top Prospect Games, and the prestigious Prep Baseball Future Games that takes place at the tail end of the summer.

For a full roster of those in attendance, click HERE.

Shortly after the event, our staff posted several of the day's stat leaders within our traditional 'Stat Story', which you can find HERE. 

Today we’re diving deeper into the event as a whole and highlighting several of the standouts that impressed our staff. We’ll start with the underclassman (2026-to-2028s) today with the upperclass scout notes (2024s & 2025s) to come at a later date. Continue reading below to learn more about 25+ underclassmen that showed well at this year’s A’s Scout Day. 

QUICK HITS - UNDERCLASS 

+ This event gave us our first look at RHP Jack Smith (Springfield Catholic, 2026; Mizzou commit), who’s one of the top arms in the state’s sophomore class. A strong, compact 5-foot-11, 180-pound athlete, Smith’s fastball sat 84-86 mph and averaged 19.3” of vertical break. His slider flashed sharp lateral break at 72-74 mph from a similar arm window to his fastball and he also threw a 77-79 mph changeup that averaged 18.4 inches of horizontal movement. Smith will look to be an impact arm for a Springfield Catholic squad that’s perennially been one of the more competitive programs in the state. 


+ One of the biggest winners from this day was C Anson Zaiser (Washington, IL, 2026). A physical, muscle-bound 5-foot-10, 175-pound backstop that’s also a hockey player, Zaiser was on the barrel with authority throughout his round. His average exit velocity (93.5 mph) was the highest of any underclassman in attendance, and his 97.3 mph high finished second in that same regard. Zaiser’s 292 foot average batted distance tied for the event lead and he drilled his furthest batted ball 362 feet, the highest mark of any underclassman as well. Zaiser’s hardest throw from the crouch peaked at 76 mph and he was highly impressive when receiving bullpens, chesting up the baseball consistently with quiet hands to pair. 


+ RHP Henry Vedder (Washington, MO, 2026) is long-limbed, highly projectable 6-foot-4, 180-pound athlete with one of the highest ceilings on the mound in the state’s current sophomore class. Vedder’s arm plays long and loose on the backside, touching 86 mph on his fastball’s firmest bullet, while sitting 83-85 mph. He continued to show heavy horizontal action (-16.8” avg) on his breaking ball at 72-75 mph and his splitter has swing-and-miss potential with late tumble at times at 75-78 mph. 

+ 3B/RHP Luke Baer (Ozark, 2026) was a standout performer at the Preseason All-State in early February and put together another strong showing on both sides of the ball at this event. The physical 6-foot-2, 195-pound sophomore found the barrel often from a long, leveraged right-handed swing, squaring his hardest ball up at 95.4 mph and also posting one of the event’s deepest batted balls (359 ft.). He peaked at 86 mph across the infield and also showed his arm strength on the mound, sitting at 85-86 mph with his fastball during his ‘pen. Baer also spun one of the event’s better sliders, as his 71-73 mph offering averaged -19.2 inches of horizontal movement and showed true late sweeping action off a 10/4 plane. He also threw a firm 75-79 mph changeup that averaged 16.1 inches of horizontal movement, peaking at 18.2 inches. Baer continues to be a name-to-know two-way prospect in the state’s sophomore class. 


+ One of the top sophomores in the state, OF/RHP Zak Meador (North St. Francois County, 2026) is another name with noteworthy talents on both sides of the ball. Meador’s hands work easy and loose from the left side, flashing bat strength at peak (92.5 mph max EV, 325 ft. peak distance). On the mound, Meador’s fastball sat 83-85 mph with notable rise (18.8”) and run (19.3”) at max. He consistently landed a short wrinkle 72-73 mph curveball for strikes and he also threw all of his harder, more laterally spun 74-76 mph slider in the zone. Meader also threw a firm 78-80 mph changeup that played with 15 inches of horizontal movement on average with low spin (T1578 RPM) to pair. 

+ INF Bryce Schaltenbrand (Belleville West, IL, 2026) ran a 6.93 60, one of the day’s fastest times, and took a polished, yet loud, round of BP. Schaltenbrand has quick hands and rotates with intent out of his load, barreling pull-side contact throughout his round with advanced bat strength for his age - 93.3 mph max exit velocity, 350 foot peak batted distance. Defensively, Schaltenbrand has soft hands with a clean hand transfer to release and quick, agile feet that move comfortably around the infield. 

+ C Teagan Trent (Logan-Rogersville, 2026) had a strong showing at the Preseason All-State in early February and built off that again at this event. Trent impacted the baseball at a higher rate at peak (95.1 mph) and on average (88.7 mph) in this look, lifting contact into the pull-side gap throughout his round (368 ft. peak). The 5-foot-11, 165-pound backstop ran a 7.14 60-yard dash and continues to look like an asset behind the plate, touching 76 mph from the chute. 

+ C/RHP Collin Burns (Morton, IL, 2026) is a well-proportioned 6-foot-2, 180-pound athlete with upside on both sides of the ball. At the plate, Burns was on the barrel consistently from a loose right-handed swing that played level through the zone to contact. His hardest ball came off his barrel at 90.9 mph and averaged 86.9 mph per barrel - both of which should continue to trend up as he tack on strength to his frame. He was accurate to the bag defensively, touching 75 mph on his firmest throw, and he was also up to 81 mph on the mound with feel to consistently land his curveball for strikes. 

+ RHP Kade Huffman (Poplar Bluff, 2026) has plenty of physical projection to come on a 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. His fastball played at 80-83 mph, up four ticks from his peak at last year’s event, and he showed drop spin with depth on a 63-65 mph curveball. Huffman also threw a straight changeup for strikes at 74-77 mph. 

+ C/INF Bryce Dobbs (Poplar Bluff, 2026) generated consistent hard contact off the barrel from a flat, direct right-handed swing throughout BP. Dobbs’ firmest ball registered at 96.8 mph on TrackMan, with an average exit velocity of 91.8 mph, and he consistently drove the baseball (264 ft. avg) while sending his furthest batted ball 343 feet. 

+ Another athlete from Kentucky to follow from this event was INF/RHP Sebastian Dazey (Christian County, 2026). He’s a lean, quick-twitch 5-foot-10, 140-pound athlete that moves well down the mound, pitching in the zone with his fastball at 81-83 mph. He flashed feel for a fading changeup at 69-71 mph that he spotted on the arm-side corner and beneath the strike zone. Dazey rounded out a quality three-pitch mix with a tight low-70s breaking ball that he was also able to land in the strike zone at times throughout his ‘pen. Positionally, Dazey works in rhythm from a simple, direct, and athletic right-handed swing that sprayed line drives throughout his round of BP. His arm played with life defensively, touching 84 mph across the infield with an 87 mph high home from the outfield as well. 

+ OF Malik Thompson (Poplar Bluff, 2026) is a lean, upside sophomore that sprayed line drives off his barrel throughout BP, peaking at 92.5 mph with an average mark of 85.5 mph, and ran a 7.09 60. 

+ INF Tylan Messley (Ash Grove, 2026) was on the barrel with balance consistently from a polished, leveraged right-handed swing in BP. The 5-foot-10, 155-pound sophomore also has sure-handed actions on the infield and plays in rhythm on the move. 

+ A physical 6-foot-3, 215-pound athlete, UTL Matthew Bell (Valley Park, 2027) has advanced strength for his age in all aspects of his game. Bell’s strong left-handed swing worked uphill to contact with quick hands and a knack for elevated contact, posting an 89.8 mph max exit velocity. His arm talent showed at three different defensive positions - he was up to 86 mph across the infield, peaked at 81 mph from behind the plate, and threw his hardest ball from the outfield at 82 mph. Bell jumped on the mound afterwards and pitched at 85-86 mph with his fastball that showed advanced raw spin traits (T2533 RPM, 2379 RPM avg). He consistently landed a 66-68 mph curveball with gradual break for strikes and turned over a 73-76 mph changeup as well. 


+ A member of Team Missouri at last year’s PBR Junior Future Games, INF/RHP Nathanael Eakins (Logan-Rogersville, 2027) keeps trending up on both sides of the ball. Eakins has added strength onto a 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame and showed a long, level right-handed swing through the zone in BP. His arm played loose and with carry on the infield, touching 85 mph on his firmest bullet, and he also pitched at 82-83 mph on the mound, peaking at 83.5 mph. His ability to consistently land a tight slider for strikes at 72-74 mph is advanced and he also turns over a low lift, low spin changeup with natural arm-side run at 77-79 mph. 

+ CIF Sean Creasey (Aurora) looked the part of a physical left-handed bat in the state’s 2027 class. The 6-foot, 200-pound freshman posted one of the event’s highest exit velocities (T100.2 mph) and he averaged 89.3 mph per barrel as well. Creasey also ran a 7.17 in the 60, topped at 83 mph across the infield, and his fastball touched 81 mph in his ‘pen. 


+ LHP/OF Chase Stieferman (Capital City, 2027; Mizzou commit) looks every bit the part of a high-end, top-of-the-scale type prospect in the state’s current freshman class. Stieferman put together one of the more polished ‘pens we saw all winter, filling up the zone with a true four-pitch mix that starts with a 85-87 mph fastball. He consistently landed a 73-76 mph curveball that spun off a 1/7 plane for strikes and also threw a more firm, laterally spun slider in the zone at 75-77 mph. Stieferman’s most polished pitch, at the moment, may be a low spin, low lift, naturally fading changeup at 78-80 mph. To pair with his talents on the mound, Stieferman also swung a strong left-handed bat that was on the barrel often, averaging 86.9 mph per barrel with a max mark at 94.4 mph. 


+ OF/RHP Eddie Davis (Christian County, KY, 2027) showed promise on both sides of the ball at this event. A lean, long-limbed 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete, Davis has a quick arm that plays long on the backside and finishes out of a high ¾ window. His fastball touched 83.5 mph on his hardest bullet and he landed all five of his curveballs for strikes at 66-68 mph. Davis also threw a 70-72 mph slider that flashed heavy horizontal movement at times (-19.4”) and he turned over a mid-70s changeup that averaged 17 inches of run as well. Offensively, Davis looked to elevate the baseball throughout his round from a long, leveraged right-handed swing and he was up to 85 mph from the outfield. 

+ RHP Dasch Kaiser (Fair Grove, 2027) looks the part of a follow athlete from the state’s southwest region. Plenty physical at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, Kaiser’s a rhythmic, in-line mover that controls his body well downhill. He showed carry on his low-80s fastball, and we’ve heard reports that he’s bumped his heater up into the mid-80s this winter. With that, Kaiser spun a 69-70 mph curveball with big depth and drop for strikes and he also threw a 74-75 mph splitter that flashed late swing-and-miss tumble. 

+ OF Nicholas Long (Kickapoo, 2027) holds strength on a muscle-bound, compact 6-foot, 190-pound frame. Long’s swing plays long through the hitting zone and on an uphill path with above-average bat strength to pair. He averaged 89.1 mph per batted ball event, peaking at 96.8 mph, and he juiced his furthest batted ball 354 feet. Long’s strength translated to the outfield, where he was up to 84 mph on his hardest throw.


+ INF Bryden Banks (Herrin Community, IL, 2027) is a freshman from Illinois to know from this event. He sprayed line drives gap-to-gap throughout his round with a max exit velocity of 91.8 mph. Defensively, Banks showed soft hands and comfort on the move. 

+ OF/RHP Jackson Leonard (Eureka, 2028) stands in at a hard-to-miss 6-foot-4, 190-pounds with advanced strength on both sides of the ball for his age. At the plate, Leonard drove his furthest ball 338 feet, per TrackMan, and squared up his hardest ball up at 90.1 mph. Leonard pitched at 79-82 mph with his fastball, touching 83.3 mph at peak, and he was able to create heavy horizontal movement (17.3” avg) on his changeup at 73-75 mph. To round out his three-pitch mix, Leonard flashed feel for the zone with a short wrinkle 71-74 mph slider. 

+ Another upside 2028 to come away from this event as a follow was 6-foot-5, 170-pound RHP Luke McKenna (Shawnee Mission South, KS). McKenna’s a polished mover that controls his long, lanky levers well down the mound and has a loose arm that accelerates out front. His fastball came out of his hand with jump and life at 79-80 mph, though he’s likely to take a considerable jump in velocity over the next few years. His upper-60s slider showed late lateral break at times and he also consistently threw a fading changeup to the arm-side corner of the plate at 73-74 mph. 

Luke McKenna

+ A pair of future high school teammates from Arkansas to know are CIF Jayden Campbell (Greenwood, 2028) and INF/RHP Caden Mendenhall (Greenwood, 2028). Campbell is a physical 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete with a strong, uphill right-handed swing that reached a peak exit velocity of 93 mph. Mendenhall has plenty of projection to come on a high-waisted 6-foot-1, 155-pound frame that repeated line drive contact to the middle of the field from a level right-handed swing. He showed clean, sure-handed actions on the infield (T84 mph) and threw his fastball at 80-81 mph as well. 

+ RHP Carson Hamilton (Alma, AR, 2028) has long, lean, and projectable levers attached to a 6-foot-4, 157-pound frame. A stretch-only worker down the mound, Hamilton’s fastball sat 79-80 mph from a short, compact arm action. His biggest separator was his ability to spin a sharp 67-69 mph breaking ball with hard, downer tilt that he flashed feel for the zone with on occasion. 

+ OF Memphis Mooneyham (Aurora, 2028) swings a fast, level left-handed swing that showed feel for the barrel and sprayed line drive contact throughout his round. 

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