Payton Green

Green has been one of the more difficult players to place in the 2021 class, because the industry seems to have as wide a split on him as any player in the class. There are teams who view him as a top-50 player in the class and others who think he needs more time to refine and develop his game and would prefer to see how he performs in college at North Carolina State. Carolina area scouts have a solid history with Green, who played at Green Hope High in Cary, N.C. before leaving the school to take classes at Crossroads Flex High and play with Pro 5 Academy. Green Hope produced Jordyn Adams as a first-rounder in 2018 and Liam Norris as a third-rounder in 2020. Green has a projectable, 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame with impressive bat speed that could help him grow into solid or better power in the future, and he’s also a good runner with above-average arm strength. A shortstop now, Green has solid actions and should be able to play either second or third base if he outgrows the position. The teams that like Green are buying into his improved swing this spring and believe he has the skill to turn into a solid-average or better hitter, while those that are more skeptical saw a lot of swing and miss last summer on the showcase circuit, with a bat path that was too steep at times. Green has a solid tool set and enough teams seem to be on him that he could be selected in a signable range among the first few rounds.