Lots Of Power, Homegrown Talent Among 2016 Position Player Signees
December 03, 2015 | Baseball
SEATTLE - It is hard to not get excited about UW Baseball's future when looking at the list of talented signees that the coaches lined up for 2016. There are 17 names on the list that make up the 19th-ranked recruiting class in the country, including nine offensive players. Last week, eight pitchers and one catcher – Nick Kahle – were reviewed. This week, GoHuskies.com takes a look at the other eight members of the class that are classified as outfielders and infielders.
The offensive potential of the 2016 signing class is undeniable. Including Kahle, five offensive players are ranked among Perfect Game's top-170, including two top-100 players. Baseball America has three future Huskies ranked on its list of the 2016 High School Top-100. Simply put, the group of hitters assembled by Coach Lindsay Meggs, Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Jason Kelly, Hitting Coach Donegal Fergus and Catching Coach Tanner Swanson is one of the best in team history.
The group of position players has several distinct standout traits, including speed, versatility, athleticism and strong defense. The trait that stands out the most, however, is the offensive potential and raw power.
“This is a group who can really swing the bat and loves doing it. Without question there is a power slant to the group, especially from the left side of the plate,” said Fergus of the hitters, which feature five left-handed swingers.
“You can also see the professional potential in this class,” he added, “just with the body types, power and athleticism that so many of these guys possess. There are so many that can impact the game in multiple ways.”
Another important trait of this collection of hitters assembled is that six of them are from the state of Washington.
“We definitely wanted to keep the best Washington kids at home,” said Fergus, who is entering his third season at UW. “That's always a priority for us and we certainly feel like we did that in this class. The top-three ranked players (by Baseball Northwest) in Washington are all going to be Huskies. We're proud of that.
“Husky pride runs very deep in this state and you're starting to see that effect come through in a big way, especially with these guys.”
The in-state position players signed for 2016 are: Matt Fleming, Jordan Hassell, Jacob Hirsh, Christian Jones, Nick Roberts and Austin Shenton.
Jones, a left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder from Federal Way High School, is the No. 1 ranked player in the state. He is a top-100 overall recruit – ranked No. 55 by Perfect Game and No. 79 by Baseball America – and is also ranked as the 156th best Major League Draft prospect by Perfect Game for 2016. He stepped into the national scene this past summer, putting on a power display in the Under Armour All-America Game and Area Code Games. Once Jones steps onto campus next fall, Coach Meggs believes he will be a show stopper.
“When he steps in the batter's box everything comes to a screeching halt,” said Meggs. “If you don't get excited watching Christian swing the bat, then you don't love the game of baseball. Before it's all over, every Husky Baseball fan is going to remember watching Christian Jones at Husky Ballpark.”
Right behind Jones in the national rankings is Shenton, another left-handed hitting power-hitting prospect. Shenton, from Bellingham HS, has played mostly on the left side of the infield to this point, but he may be moved around to first base and left field in his college career. No matter where he plays in the field, his bat will always be a factor.
“Austin will be a major force in the middle of our batting order from the time he arrives on campus,” said Meggs. “He is a RBI machine who has a chance to be an All-Pac-12 player as a freshman. This guy can hit for average and for power, and he runs surprisingly well for a guy who will drive in runs.”
Shenton is the No. 94-ranked high school player by Baseball America and No. 142 by Perfect Game. He competed in the 2015 Area Code Games and had a breakout summer in 2014 for Team Northwest at the USA Baseball National Team Championship.
Fleming is yet another left-handed hitting power prospect from the state. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 190-pounds, Fleming is a natural fit at first base. He was a team captain as a junior at Kentridge HS and was Second-Team All-State and First Team All-SPSL.
“We think Matt has tremendous upside and that he's only scratched the surface when it comes to his offensive potential,” said Meggs. “Matt is going to fit in well with the other accomplished left-handed hitters in this class giving us some legitimate juice from the left side.”
The final left-handed hitting prospect from the state is Jacob Hirsh from O'Dea HS. At 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Hirsh perhaps doesn't match the physicality of the other lefties in the class, but he is a speedy, top-of-the-order table setter that can play all three outfield positions, with centerfield as his primary focus.
“In a group with a very physical profile offensively, Jacob's ability to get on base and apply pressure gives us great balance from top to bottom,” Meggs said of the 2015 First Team All-Metro member, Hirsh, who helped the Irish win the league title. “And while Jacob is a true centerfielder, his ability to play all three outfield spots gives us the quality depth you need in the Pac-12 and will allow him to compete for at bats the minute he gets here.”
The two right-handed hitters in the class from Washington are Hassell and Roberts. Hassell, another versatile outfielder that can play all three spots, plays for Fife HS, where he led the state as a junior with a .527 batting average and stole 24 bases in 28 attempts. He was Washington 2A All-State First Team and All-SPSL 2A First Team, and he played in the Area Code Games this summer. Coach Fergus can't wait for Hassell to get onto campus so he can help him refine his natural talents.
“I certainly feel like we have some real hidden gems in this group,” said Fergus. “Jaden Hassell is a kid who isn't unknown, he made the Area Code team after all, but, with his physical skill set, he is so close to breaking out and becoming a star.”
Fergus is also very familiar with Roberts and is very excited to get his bat onto campus. Fergus coached Roberts' older brother, Nate, at Seattle University. The younger Roberts has the ability to play everywhere on the infield and currently holds down shortstop for Central Kitsap HS in Silverdale. He was First Team All-Narrows League as a junior and looks to have a huge senior season on the Kitsap Peninsula this spring.
“While Nick is a baseball player who can do a lot of things, his biggest attribute is that he's a winner,” said Meggs. “Nick is going to get that hit or make that play when the game is on the line.”
While the state of Washington proved to be very fruitful in the recruiting efforts for the UW coaches, they also tapped into California and of all places, Alabama, to round out their collection of hitters. The two players the Huskies grabbed from California were the highest-rated at their respective positions in the state. Kahle was the No. 1 catcher and No. 116 overall in the county, while Ben Baird was the No. 1 shortstop in the state.
Baird, from Agoura Hills HS in Agoura, is the No. 69 overall player according to Baseball America and is No. 72 by Perfect Game. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-handed hitting senior showcased his talents in the 2015 Perfect Game All-American Classic and the Area Code Games for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2015 National Classic. The shortstop gets it done with both his glove and bat, leaving Coach Fergus and the rest of the staff salivating to get him to Montlake.
“Ben Baird is flat-out as good as just about any player in the country,” said Fergus, “and he is only scratching the surface of his potential.”
The Huskies reached long and far for the final member of the class, travelling all the way to Alabama to sign Brock Anderson. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound left-handed hitting outfielder played for Sparkman HS and was selected to play in the 2015 USA Baseball Tournament of Stars. It was on this national travel circuit that Fergus discovered Anderson, who was teammates with Shenton on the Marucci Elite travel team.
“I figured it was a long shot at best,” Fergus said of the idea of pulling Anderson out of SEC territory and bringing him to Washington. “The more I got to see him play and know him, the more intrigued I was at finding a way to steal him out of the deep south. I basically just laid in the weeds and stayed in the mix until the end when we made a hard push to try and get him signed.
“I think in the end, the relationships he had developed with everyone involved, from our staff to our other recruits in that class, especially Austin, made this a choice he felt like gave him what he wanted, which is a chance to develop, get a world class degree, and have a chance to play professionally.”
Anderson has the potential to play all three outfield positions – even centerfield, despite his linebacker size. He is the No. 1 position player from the state of Alabama and is ranked 159th overall by Perfect Game.
“Brock can drive the ball out of the ballpark and runs well for a guy who will likely hit in the middle of the batting order,” said Meggs. “And while he fits in nicely with the other left-handed hitters in this class, he may be the most athletic of them all. This guy has all the tools you're looking for, plus he plays the game hard.”
Anderson proved to be the perfect cherry on top of the sundae for the Huskies recruiting class. He was the last player to sign a letter of intent to play for UW and helped bump up the overall class ranking to 19th.
With the group of hitters and pitchers assembled in the 2016 class, the Huskies future looks as bright as any time in school history. The group is athletic, versatile from both sides of the plate and mound, displays power and speed on offense, has strong defensive potential and a boasts a nice collection of power and control arms on the pitching staff. When this group is added to an already strong nucleus of youth and talent on the current roster, the future could very well include a June spent in Omaha.
