When traveling the country or even a region to scout players, putting a good run of top prospects is challenging with the volatility of schedules, especially at the high school level. Then, you can’t control how they perform. I had it all laid out for a trip to Dallas and Oklahoma City and while some performances left a little to be desired, it’s hard to argue with what I came away with last Thursday and Friday.

My Thursday started with SS Jordan Lawlar (Jesuit Dallas Prep, TX) at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, TX. He punched out looking twice on borderline calls, and reached on an infield single, leaking out front but getting down the line in 3.93 seconds. Not a loud performance you’d hope for out of the No. 1 player in the country, but the 80-grade time down the line (even with a slight head start) was noteworthy and there would be more opportunities to see him--like Friday night as the end cap to a Texas triple up. Talking to scouts, and hearing Lawlar admit himself, he wasn’t performing like he should. I missed his first single in the Friday night game, but saw him smoke one back up the middle in his third at-bat with a more balanced swing. Then, with his team down a run in the bottom of the seventh, he came up with a runner on. A new pitcher came in to face him, starting him off with a fastball for a called strike. A breaking ball then missed for a ball. The third pitch was another curveball, which hung over the inner half and Lawlar put the short, smooth and quick swing you want to see from a top prospect on it, launching a walk-off home run over the pavilion in left field.