Kaleb
Cost

UNC Commit. 6-foot, 185 pounds. As this is currently our No. 19 player in Georgia and 188th Nationally, we’re very high on Cost. But after the unbelievable show he put on at Battle For Bartow, he’s proven himself in every way possible for another move up the board. Some assume that since he’s a 4 star CB, that he’s just an athlete playing baseball. In reality, that couldn’t be any further from the truth. This is a baseball player who happens to be a great athlete, with very good baseball IQ and feel for the game overall. He shows all the intangibles you’d see in a player with high level baseball experience - pitch recognition+plate discipline, approach, baserunning awareness, defensive instincts, and internal clock. His instincts don’t just play defensively, they are ELITE overall. He has an innate feel for how pitchers are trying to work him, how they hold him on the basepaths, when he should steal, etc. But his defensive instincts are the best we’ve seen in a long time here, and it’s easy to see why he’s a 4 star CB. The hips have perfect fluidity no matter where the ball is hit (to his left+right+in front+overhead), allowing him to take the shortest, fastest, most efficient route to the baseball at all times. His tracking ability is top of scale and he can adjust his body in a split second to make the most difficult catches look easy. Wind, rain, backspin/topspin/no spin can do nothing to distract him from making plays. Offensively, his body control is elite due to not only rare strength but simplified swing mechanics that use the ground to create power. The hip pace is perfect, the hands start above slot and create ideal momentum throughout the load, and his posture is the definition of good. The swing path is incredibly short and allows him to not only turn the barrel in tight space vs big velo, but inside-out the ball with easy juice. Outside of PBR, this might be the most underrated player in the country.