Preston
Jacobson

Preston has gained added strength and its evident in his exit velo’s over the last 2 events in June and July. The hand speed is relatively the same, yet he is releasing the barrel much better, as his exit velos have jumped from 95 to 101 over the last 8 months over the course of 3 events. His bat speed has remained steady, yet his core is firing through the zone at a quicker rate, resulting in added jump and carry off the bat. Has steadily made gains and needed improvements that should vault him to the next level after next spring. Still want to see him come thru a more conventional HTQ slot with release out front on the defensive side and sync his feet to keep him at the hot corner. But there’s no denying his bat is his calling card and he’s having a successful summer playing for Mountain West in numerous out of state tourneys. 

A good sized physical build with strength throughout and added strength to come in the years moving forward as he gains his man strength. From an offensive standpoint, he takes a high load with a vertical bat and does drift somewhat with his body into contact, yet it looks to work for him, and he has solid timing out front at contact, with a short compact stroke and some uphill to the stroke at contact to lift the ball. Has solid hand/eye coordination and barreled balls thruout. On the defensive side, he shows okay footwork, yet fields out front and shows soft hands to receive. He shuffles and replaces his feet to get aligned to his intended target. The arm is enough, though he needs to lower his slot to HTQ, instead of OH, which will allow for a consistent release and being able to throw from multiple angles. His home is 3B and shows enough athleticism to be able to handle both corner spots nicely. The ball jumps off his bat and with 2 years remaining, physical size and natural strength, coupled with some minor tweaks, he could break out.