Jacob Pearson

Pearson is the top prep position player out of Louisiana thanks to an above-average feel for hitting with improved power during his senior season with West Monroe (La.) High. There are questions about whether Pearson will be able to stick in center field due to concerns about his quickness and body type as a short outfielder who's added weight, but he's been compared to Mississippi State's Jake Mangum, with more power and worse speed and arm grades. Pearson has lengthened the finish of his swing this season after realizing he was bailing out to try and improve home-to-first times, and with that has come improved elevation and distance on the ball, helping him hit more home runs as a senior than his previous three seasons combined. Pearson is old for the class--he turns 19 on June 1--but he's got good makeup and his ability to hit and hit for in-game power could overwhelm concerns that his 55-grade run times will decline moving forward. What a team thinks about his future defensively will determine exactly where he goes, but Pearson is one of the better offensive prep outfielders in this class.