Luke
Keaschall

Athletic, aggressive ball player who shows plus speed, average arm strength and the versatility to play up the middle at second base or center field. Well-rounded toolset with no glaring weakness. Fringe average runner down the line, but plus underway and showed good acceleration on the base paths. Has stolen 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts this season. Aggressive, early count hitter who wants to pull the ball. Sets up in the box with an open stance, takes a dive stride and a sweepy swing path. Good feel to hit. Slugged 18 home runs while batting .353 this season. Loved his hustling, not afraid to get dirty, style of play. The type of player who will likely overachieve in pro ball. Likely to be selected in the top 100 overall picks.

Cape Cod: Keaschall was a force this past spring for the Dons, putting up a .305/.445/.502 slash line for San Francisco while limiting empty swings and putting together regular quality at bats along the way. After entering the transfer portal and formalizing his move to Arizona State, the up-the-middle talent continued to show an impressive ability to find his way on base while launching a team best five home runs over his 44 games with Orleans. Keaschall is an athletic ball player with a “hair on fire” approach to the game across all facets, showing good aggression in the box, in the field and on the bases. He’s a plus runner, logging 4.13 to 4.22 home-to-first times in my viewings, and is an asset on the basepaths though his reads and jumps off batted balls currently outdistance his jumps on stolen bases.  Defensively, Keaschall is a capable defender at shortstop, showing good footwork and a high level of comfort side-to-side and charging the ball. He was equally impressive in center field where he showed good reads off the bat and an ability to close. His chops in the outfield were evidenced most clearly in a game against Brewster in which he closed a diving catch on a sinking liner to the 8/9 gap, ran down a ball at the fence and almost robbed a home run (with the ball being jarred loose upon impact with the wall).  The tools and production from the summer point to a current day one value on the profile, from a draft perspective, and he could step into Tempe as one of the more impactful transfers of the 2023 season.

Locklear formed the second half of the most imposing power duo on the Cape this summer, providing protection for teammate Chase DeLauter out of the clean-up spot while tying DeLauter for the league lead in home runs (9) and finishing in the league’s top ten in slugging (.504) and top five in ISO (.248). In my final look at Orleans, Locklear took an 82 mph fastball over (yes, over) the tree line behind the left-field bullpen at Cotuit – estimated by the fancy machines behind home plate to be a 450-foot blast. There’s easy natural loft in his swing, but also some rigidity that can limit his barrel path and open up holes in his coverage zones – particularly on the inner-half. The result is a fair number of empty swings and strikeouts (24% K-rate this summer), even on balls over the white, to go with that light-tower power. Because his swing-and-miss derives more from coverage than approach issues, a side effect is shorter at-bats with higher in-zone miss rates, which depreciates supplemental offensive value he might otherwise generate with longer at-bats (including drawing more walks, which should come naturally if pitchers are forced to work around his pop – that’s what we saw this spring at VCU). He’s capable at third base and moves well enough to handle an outfield corner rather than being relegated to first base or DH if a pro club moves him off of the hot corner, which further boosts his value. The good news is Locklear’s heavy lifting is done from a draft stock perspective, as at present he projects as an early Day Two/top 75 selection. The bad news is while there’s first-round upside in the stick there may not be enough high-octane stuff amongst the Atlantic 10 arms for Locklear to be able to completely dispel some of the strikeout and coverage concerns that arose with his facing more high-end talent on the Cape.

PBR Norcal Uncommitted Senior Games - Athletic, high waisted frame has added strength while maintaining his bursting speed (6.95 60-yard) at 6-foot-0, 160-pounds, showing the skills to stick at shortstop and atop a lineup. Picked up two hits and a stolen base showing his game knowledge and ability to advance quickly (4.53-4.60T). Short, quick handsy stroke works the entire field and shows ability to drive the gap; can pull the barrel through keeping the hands inside the baseball to LF. Moves easily at SS with understanding of the position beating balls to spots and keeping it firm across the diamond. Played well at both middle infield spots during the game with good range. Continues to be one of the ucommitted players we feel most strongly about, consistently shows tools AND usability of the tools.

CCB World Series - Keaschall continues to show me strong range with the glove and quick burst from his medium, lean and athletically built frame. Keaschall ran a 6.75 60yd on Friday and showed the speed again in games (4.04 H-1st, 4.36T) over the weekend. At SS, that burst and twitch allows him to bounce all around the field showing range and the ability to track pop-ups into the OF while covering the dirt both ways. Keaschall took strong angles to the baseball, taking away a lot of hits with his strong arm (83 MPH). At the plate, Keaschall showed a quick, compact stroke that can pepper gap-to-gap with good rhythm and weight transfer in the swing. The flat barrel stayed to the middle/oppo hitting a number of balls right at defenders during games after rocketing balls deep into gaps during BP on Friday. My favorite thing about Keaschall was his approach and demeanor around the game. The kid is a field rat always doing something, and just wanting to play the game. He stayed around multiple times between games in case he got a chance to play and was consistently positive and encouraging with teammates while taking instruction and looking to improve. 

CCS D2 Playoffs - Uncommitted. The athletic middle infielder continues to show the defensive skills to stick at the 6 spot with a quick 1st step and an arm that keeps it on a line across the diamond. He made some really big plays during the game including on a play up the middle where he showed his range and athleticism making a strong throw on the move and getting a good runner. He also ranged into the OF for a pop-up like it wasn’t an issue. He had some struggles at the plate swinging through the CHG in his 1st AB and then rolling it over for an easy 5-3 in the 2nd. One of the things that impressed me was even though he was not happy with the outcome at the plate, he never let it affect his defense. His athleticism was on display when he stole 3rd with a lefty at the plate showing a great read and an explosive first step.

Central Coast Open - 5-foot-10, 150-pounds, lean and wiry strong with seemingly plenty of room to fill out. Looks to be a standout in the 2020 class in the region. Ran a solid 60 yd dash at 7.28 on a slow surface. Offensively utilizes a high hands set up with a high back elbow from a slightly opened stance. His toe tap keeps his weight back and allows him to turn the barrel with his quick hands before attacking the baseball. Peppered both gaps during batting practice and produced 86 MPH exit velocity off the tee. Looked the part of a natural middle infielder with average range and solid footwork allowing him to keep momentum through the baseball. His compact arm is average showing a quick release (78 MPH) and regularly being straight and online to 1st. Impressive athlete overall with frame that can project more strength as he matures.