Xavier
Horton

Horton is a corner infielder with a physical frame, and he backed it up with a strong workout. At 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, he already has a developed, physical build. The setup starts from a shoulder-width stance with a bigger hinge, with the hands loading back during the leg lift and a longer bat path that helps him stay on plane, all geared toward doing damage on a line with a gap-to-gap approach. He posted a 94.7 mph max exit velocity, a 351-foot max distance, and a 67% hard-hit rate. Each of those marks was an improvement from his last look at the Los Angeles Preseason ID in early January, where he bumped his max distance from 280 feet to 351 feet and his max exit velocity from 92.1 mph to 94.7 mph. In game action, Horton went 1-for-2. In his first at-bat, he stayed on a fastball away and roped a line drive to right-center field, then stole second base off a quick first step, while timing up the pitcher. In his second at-bat, he struck out on a quality slider low and away. He also made a great play at third base, fully laying out on a hard ground ball down the line and throwing a perfect one-hopper to first. The ball ended up foul, but the play was impressive nonetheless.

Xavier Horton, Wiseburn DaVinci (CA), 2027
Positional Profile: 3B/1B Developing INF with consistent hard line-drive approach at the plate
Body: 6-1, 219-pounds. Strong, physical frame with present athleticism throughout.
Hit: RHH. Shoulder-width, squatted stance. Hands sit outside of the shoulder and work opposite to the forward stride. Long bat path provides coverage through the zone. Simple lower half allows hands to throw the barrel. Produces consistent contact. 65 mph bat speed with 8 G's of rotational acceleration.
Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 86.4 mph. 280' max distance.
Arm: RH. INF-84 mph. Small arm circle and compact throwing motion. Releases from a high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Gets into the lower half and utilizes athletic footwork. Presents the glove early and has quick, reactive hands.
ATH: 7.92 runner in the 60.

Xavier Horton, Wiseburn DaVinci (CA), 2027
Positional Profile: 3B/1B Potential power, middle-of-the-order bat profile with an already present hit tool.
Body: 6-1, 211-pounds. Physical build with present strength throughout the frame
Hit: RHH. Relaxed and balanced stance with hands set parallel to the shoulders. Creates natural rhythm in the load with a coordinated toe tap and hand movement. Shows gap-to-gap impact potential with consistent line drive contact. 66.9 mph bat speed with 8 G's of rotational acceleration.
Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 85.9 mph. 347' max distance.
Arm: RH. INF-80 mph. Short arm action with a quick transfer and a whippy finish.
Defense: Reads for the correct hop and fields smoothly into an efficient transfer.
ATH: 7.54 runner in the 60. 1.77 in the 10 yard split. 19.00 max vertical.

Horton put together one of the most impressive BP rounds of the event, consistently driving the baseball gap to gap on a line with minimal effort in his swing. His 91.8 mph max exit velocity only tells part of the story, as nearly every swing produced firm, controlled contact with intent. Using a simple toe-tap stride and a balanced setup, Horton’s approach carried seamlessly into gameplay, where he adjusted well to an off-speed pitch with two strikes, lining a single into center field. Defensively, he showed an 80 mph arm across the diamond as a corner INF profile. No matter where he settles defensively, Horton’s bat is going to carry the profile as he is trending in the right direction at the plate.