Ohio Insider: Uncommitted Prospect Spotlight - Griffin Merritt, 3B, 2018

6/6/17
A talented right-handed bat in the 2018 class. Looks athletic and fluid in the box. Flashed middle of the order tools. Creates a ton of energy into contact and swings with intent. Path is flat and he consistently drove the ball with authority in batting practice. In the infield he moves light on his feet with athleticism to his actions. Has obvious confidence in his glove. Very quick first step and showed impressive lateral mobility. An impressive athlete for the first base position. Gets off the bag very well and footwork is textbook. Solid defender.
Infield Velocity: 77
Exit Velocity: 96

1/16/17
At the plate he has a series of rhythmic movements to his loading sequence. Gets the barrel on plane early allowing him to be at max bat speed at contact. Very solid hitter with power potential moving forward. Middle of the order type guy. Showed smooth actions at third base with impressive lateral mobility. Glove works to both sides. Very mechanically sound. Arm strength is area for improvement. Brings a high level of athleticism to the first base position. Remains athletic as he gets off the bag and has above average glove skills.

60-yard dash: 7.31
Exit Velocity: 94
Infield Velocity: 75

8/2/16
6-foot-2, 197-pound strong, athletic frame. An athletic corner infielder that was very impressive at the plate. The strength and batspeed is there was he showed by registering an exit velocity of 95 mph. What separates Griffin is his in game approach. He showed advanced knowledge of the strike zone while hunting his pitch. He wasn’t bothered by offspeed and wasn’t afraid to hit with two strikes. Recorded three hits on the day including two, extra base hits. Has impressive footwork around the bag at first base. Creates angles on his double play balls and showed off above average glove skills. At third base he plays low and through the baseball. Glove is above average. Actions remain athletic on the move. Threw across the infield with 74 mph arm strength. Earned a Future Games Invitation.

6/2/15
6-foot, 165-pound athletic build. Over at first base he shows good footwork around the bag and gains ground coming off the bag. From a high-3/4 slot he shows 74 mph arm strength across the diamond. Right-handed hitter that uses a little leg kick to load. He is really short to the ball and the barrel gets in and out of the zone with 82 mph exit velocity. Ran a 4.5 down the line in the game. On the mound he has a slow tempo delivery and hides the ball well with his leg kick and quarter turn. Average effort and tends to fall off a bit. Throws from a high-3/4 slot with fastball sitting 74-75 mph. Breaking ball has decent break at 68-70 mph and showcased a knuckle ball at 58-59 mph with some tumble action.