Hunter
Backstrom

Hunter Backstrom, Serra HS (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 165lbs. Medium frame. Lean athletic build. Plenty of room to add strength. Advanced + runner (6.58 60-yard).
Defense: Relaxed athletic actions. Around and through while creating good momentum. Easy/quick glove-to-hand. Slower first steps but gains quickness in approach. Extra steps into crowhop. Speed gives him easy range.
Arm: LH. INF - 82 mph. Average strength. Higher effort. Uphill shoulders to an over-the-top slot. Tighter path in the back. More of a pulldown-type action. Present accuracy.
Hit: LHH. Wider base with an upright upper body. Small sway into backside. Present coil. Smaller leg lift trigger. Direct hand path. Above avg. hand/bat speed. Turns tight and quick as bat accelerates early into the zone (19gs avg. rotational acceleration). Balanced throughout. Pounded middle of the field throughout round. LD single to left during gameplay against a LHP.

CA State Games: Uncommitted; he term 'electric' as it relates to a baseball player can be hyperbole or apt and when it comes to the left-hand hitting Backstrom, it is 100% on point. The run tool is plus plus, the bat speed is lightning, the strength and burst are both measurably and visually impactful. He's got power to get through gaps and over the heads of outfielders and he's got the bat control to consistently GET to his speed. On clean hits that he's sniffing for extra bases, when he shifts into a higher gear, a scout can SEE it take place. Then on a ball that could be an infield hit or at a minimum, put pressure on the defense, he seems to be either easily safe or JUST out. This is the type of player a scout is excited about on his drive to the game.

Body: 5-10, 160-pounds. Athletic, high-waisted build with room to fill out and add mass.
Hit: LHH. Slightly open to start, wide base with a toe-tap timing mechanism.  Gains some seperation with the hands during load. Keeps the barrel through the zone for a long time and showed the ability to find the barrel consistently.
Power: 93.00 max exit velocity
Arm: LH. OF - 77.00 mph. A tight arm path gets the ball up to the ear and out quickly.
Defense: Above average footwork and rhythm in the OF. Played balls with a collected, under-control sense of urgency.
Run: 6.87 runner in the 60.