Ayden
Lockett

Uncommitted. 6-foot, 150 pounds. Our last look on Ayden, he barreled 2 87 mph FB’s to the pull side vs one of the best pitchers in the ‘25 class. To have lightning in his hands in such a young frame with minimal body weight stands out. You rarely see a player this lean with these type of fast twitch fibers, and it shows we’ve got something unique here. His advanced swing mechanics continue to get better each time we see him. The hip hinge and lower half sink show you how hard he works on his swing, how well he understands his body movements, and how much better he can become as a hitter with 4 more years of HS/Summer ball under his belt. He continues to improve his pitch recognition with more reps, and his patience to and discipline to stack the backside in stride and stay connected are impressive. The feel for the front hip leading the stride is getting better, and he already has elite linear connection post landing as the hands are thrown. We look forward to seeing more of an extended look on him as a defender this summer, and the tools are going to move on a steady incline.
 

Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 148 pounds. Although not as well known as his pure hitting teammate directly above, this player has many of the same skills in a much less physically mature frame (27 lbs lighter). This was one of the most lasting impressions a player has made on me this spring, as he showed not only feel to hit vs a quality arm but the ability to manipulate the barrel perfectly at both the top and bottom of the zone. The body control was honestly shocking with how thin he currently is, showing not only good swing mechanics for his age but also that there’s more strength right now than meets the eye. The hip hinge is preset (unlike Colemans) which simplifies his negative move and allows him to time up good arms properly and stay strong on the lower half despite not having much strength in the legs currently. Combine this with his sink into the lower half on his minimal negative move, and you’ve got a very well connected swing before the forward move even starts. He does a great job of riding the backside in stride and creating loaded power to go with his impressive bat speed. He will need to learn how to let his front hip lead the stride (and clear by landing) instead of his foot, which was what caused him to be off balance (front side heavy) on a breaking ball or two. But overall, this was an amazing look and Lockett showed plenty of plate discipline working himself into advantageous counts. It’s going to be fun to track this player in 2023, and he’s got plenty of advanced traits in the bat for his age. Strength will take him to the next level as a prospect.