CLASS OF 2028

Hayden Zellers, 2028, OF, Greenfield-Central: I saw Zellers for ~8 at-bats in Kokomo and he looked the part of a name-to-know for August as one of my favorite LHH's in the class. He is starting to add muscle to a 6-foot, 170-pound frame and turned in a 4.3 home-to-first on a groundout & 4.51 on a turn; I project him out as a future above average runner and he is well-above average for the grade now. He is more of an average runner out the box, but may end up being a plus runner underway. He grabbed three hits in my looks as he took two fastballs back to the middle of the field and went pull-side on spin. He can cover the zone from back to front with some length on the back, but it is on-plane throughout with natural lag and quality length out front. I think future strength will clean up the length on the back. He reminds me of OF's 2025 Cal Gates and 2024 Cole Decker in a lot ways.

3/08/26

Rounding out a DEEP crop of tantalizing centerfield prospects, Zellers showed the most noticeable improvements of the group with personal-bests in each metric category. The bat speed made a 7 mph jump, now 76+ on average, and it led to impacts jumping to 96 mph off the bat. While the silky operation in the left-handed box looked familiar, the noticeable improvement in the pace in which the bat moved was encouraging. A 6.78 runner, Zellers showed some arm strength improvements, as well, reaching into the mid-80s. With still room to add strength to a 6-foot, 170-pound frame, look for a breakout spring from Zellers and I expect usable power to start to show in 2026.

2/27/25

Frame: Lean, twitchy, 6-foot, 155 pounds. Thin-hipped and wiry. Has plenty of room to hold strength. Toolset/Profile: 6.82 60-yard dash, 1.60 10-yard was third-best of the day. The bat-to-ball and overall hit tool are both some of the classes' best. The swing is on-plane forever and he had the third-best bat speed average of the day. His exit peaked at 90.8 mph. There is enough bat speed and present twitch to project average to better power down the road. He was 82 from the outfield, just a tick above average for the class. He profiles as a top of the lineup, high-contact hitting CF with a potential plus run tool. Actions: Offensive - Starts tall & slightly open in relaxed stance. Loads into backside as back elbow climbs and barrel lifts, counterbalances with a short, controlled stride. Lands with control and feel to adjust. Solid launch quickness with a barrel that works on-plane for a long time. Defense - Athletic, natural mover with choppy footwork at times. Arm has improved. Summation: Zellers was one of the best looking prospects at the event. The run tool will likely be a plus and that jumps out at you when you combine his silky left-handed stroke. People will pay for L/L hitters that can really run and hit and Zellers fits that mold. He is a 2x Junior Future Gamer that I've seen take 30-plus at-bats so far, and the bat-to-ball has a chance to be real. The bat speed and barrel strength ticking up is huge for me to see and if it does further he may exceed average power projections.

2/27/25

10/29/24

Zellers is another exciting '28 prospect that was in attendance this weekend. The wiry framed, 6-foot centerfielder is an advanced runner for a freshman (6.84) with a sweet left-handed stroke that already produces upper-80s exit velocities. I love the pace of the swing and the bat path is elite for the age, evident in the backspun liners he produced from gap-to-gap during batting practice. Zellers holds a CF profile and is one of the more advanced hitters we have identified in this young class.

6/11/24

Hayden Zellers, Greenfield-Central (IN), 2028
Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 5-11, 140-pounds. Lean, athletic build that projects.
Hit: LHH. Tall, athletic setup. Loose elbows with a controlled load back that works on-time with forward move. Simple stride. Lands in a really good position to hit. Twitchy hands. Path works upward, present gap to gap strength for the class. Very advanced '28
Power: 89 max exit velocity, averaged 84.2 mph. 318' max distance.
Arm: RH. OF-71 mph. Longer arm action from an over the top slot.
Defense: Swift mover with obvious comfort with the glove. Developed ball to hand skills.
ATH: 7.11 runner in the 60.

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