Heston
Kjerstad

2020 DRAFT: The powerful left-handed hitter stands out for his physical presence in the batter's box and his loud batting practice. He has plus-to-better present raw power and more to come as he fills out his 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame. He's at his best when he gets extended through the ball and backspins it deep to left-center field. Kjerstad's setup and swing are unorthodox with a lot of hand movement and a high leg lift and pause in his approach, making him vulnerable to timing issues against elevated velocity and soft stuff away. These holes led to a 21.5% strikeout rate as a sophomore and 21.3% in 47 plate appearances for the USA CNT last summer. He's a near average runner underway, but well below average down the line, usually around 4.45. He showed a much better arm during last summer's USA CNT Trials; easily above average with good carry than during spring '19 looks. He possesses average defensive abilities in right field and profiles very well to the position in pro ball. Overall, Kjerstad is one of the top three power prospects for the 2020 draft and is a likely mid-first rounder after posting big numbers each of his first two years for Arkansas, last summer with the CNT (.395/.426/.651) and starting off the 2020 spring season with a .448/.513/.791 slash line in 16 games.

7/1/19: The powerful left-handed hitter stood out for his physical presence in the batter’s box and his loud batting practice. Although he looked to pull the ball with an uppercut swing throughout the Trials, he’s at his best when he gets extended through the ball and backspins it over the left-center field fence. This area of the field is his honey spot, as we noted during the spring. His current hitting approach will leave him vulnerable to velocity up in the zone. He has plus to better present raw power and more to come as he fills out his 6-foot-3, 205 pound frame. Previous to the game against Coastal Plain Select, he had hit the only home run of the Trials; a towering two-run homer off the right field foul pole. Kjerstad is a near average runner underway, but well below average down the line at 4.47. He showed a much better arm on this look than previously; easily above average-to-plus with good carry during the Trials. He also possesses average defensive abilities in right field and profiles very well to the position in pro ball. Currently, he looks to be the second best power prospect for the 2020 draft behind Spencer Torkelson and is a potential first rounder after posting big numbers each of his first two years for Arkansas in the SEC. (Seifert)

3/16/19: Lanky bodied left-handed hitting outfielder with plus power to all fields. His setup and swing are unorthodox, but work for him and are not the product of some cookie-cutter hitting academy. He has a lot of hand movement and a higher leg lift in his setup. Wants to get extended and looks for the ball middle away, a pitch he can lift and backspin to his honey spot; left-center field. Missouri pitchers did a very good job all series limiting his extension by tying him up inside and even hitting him on a couple occasions. Kjerstad is also an average defender in right field with a near average arm. (Seifert)