Liam
Houghton

Maryland Top Prospect Games II

Body: 6’2’’, 215 pounds. Strong, advanced frame with a sturdy base in the legs. 
Hit: RHH. Narrow, balanced stance with the hands showing plenty of rhythm above the shoulder; utilized a leg lift and stretch combination with the hands getting deep outside the shoulder for launch, initiated through a whippy, slightly uphill path into the hitting zone with high intent. Mostly pull-side approach demonstrating strong wrists at the plate, could keep the barrel in the hitting zone for a long period of time, working through extension on all quadrants. Generated a 60% hard hit rate to go along with plenty of loft in the approach. 
Power: 95 mph exit velocity during BP per TrackMan. Doubles power in the middle of the field and noticeable jump to the pull side for occasional home runs. 
Arm: RH. OF - 86 mph. INF - 84 mph. Loose, high ¾ slot with early length and then quickness on the front side. He could shorten up into a V-slot when needed from the INF. 
Defense: From his primary position, stuck the foot in the ground with stalking actions, staying behind the ball with regularity. Fielded off the left side of his body flashing slight downhill momentum and clean transfers into the throwing hand. Infield: ranged in either direction with comfortability to the left side, funneled inward with a soft glove that could operate in any direction with choppy feet. 
Run: 7.23 60-yard time.

Maryland Preseason All-State Session I

Body: 6’2’’, 210 pounds. Strong, XL frame with power present in the actions. 
Hit: RHH. Open, wide stance with quick rhythm in the hands next to the head to begin. Utilized a leg hang stride while doing a good job of holding the backside drive leg with the torso during the forward move. Entered the hitting zone through a leveraged, slightly uphill (flat) path with lift after contact. Was repeatedly on the barrel on this date, generating tons of barrel speed towards the pull-side gap. Hit into a stiff front side allowing for a 43% hard hit rate during his round and 341 foot peak batted ball distance via Trackman Baseball. 
Power: 95 mph exit velocity during BP per TrackMan. Home run power to the pull-side when getting the bat head out in front, can easily pepper the LCF gap with above-average feel for pitches over the plate. 
Arm: RH. INF - 85 mph. Long takeaway with good extension out in front from an over the top release. Accuracy present with some carry towards the target. 
Defense: Solid feel around the bag with short, methodical feet that played on time to the baseball; quality pace during defensive evaluations, made decisions early off the bat. Utilized a trusted glove hand out in front of the toes from a low posture. Solid corner type defender. 
Run: 7.43 60-yard time.

Preseason All-State Session I

Positional Profile: 1B/OF
Body: 6’1”, 195 pounds. Strong, athletic, projectable frame. 
Hit: RHH. Hits from a slightly crouched, relaxed, balanced, slightly open stance. Smooth back load and stride with good hand separation. Short to the ball with a slightly uphill swing path. Showed quick hands and fast bat speed. Strong lower half involvement with great extension through the zone and past contact. Excellent balance with effortless swing. Ball jumps off the bat, showing a strong gap-to-gap approach. 
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee. Gap-to-gap pop present to the pull side with more projectable. 
Arm: RH, INF - 75 mph. Longer arm action from a mid to high three quarter arm slot. 
Defense: Plays through the ball well, fielding it out in front with an athletic base. Showed soft hands and quick feet. Turns and squares shoulders effortlessly to second base on double play feeds. Quick and clean exchanges.  
Run: 4.69 home-to-first time.

MD Winter Update

Strong, solid body type and 6’1’’, 195 pound frame. Hits from an open stance with weight slightly shifted on back-side. Uses a small leg kick to load and gets good hand separation. Stays short to the ball with a compact, level swing path. Showed quick hands and creates fast bat speed through the zone. Strong lower half involvement and swings with intent. Stays behind the ball well and gets good extension through contact. Gap-to-gap type hitter with some pop. Recorded an 81 mph exit velocity.