On Saturday, February 7  the Prep Baseball Arkansas Staff hosted our annual East Arkansas Preseason ID. This event consisted of 20+ players from around the state. All of our events offer players the opportunity to update their recruiting resume and showcase their talents in front of our staff. We also use these events as identifiers for future invite-only events, like the Preseason All-State, our summer Top Prospect Games, and the prestigious Prep Baseball Future Games that take place at the tail end of the summer. To see what our events offer click HERE. 

Today, we are taking a look at a few of the standouts from the day with scout notes and video below.

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Position Players

Grif Silverthorn 3B / SS / Brookland, AR / 2028 Silverthorn kicks off our list of standout players from the East Arkansas Preseason ID. He is a talented young player with the ability to excel at multiple parts of the game. At the plate he brings a consistent and level bat path giving him a top exit velocity of  91.3 mph. Grif is a young player with untapped potential with more to come as he continues to mature physically throughout his high school career.

Chase Buckalew C / 3B / Christian Brothers, TN / 2028 Buckalew is a Tennessee native that stood out at the event coming in at the top 5 in multiple categories. At the plate he packs a solid swing, giving him the second highest velocity of all players in attendance at 95 mph. Behind the dish he recorded pop times ranging from 1.90-2.08 putting him at the top backed by a solid arm reaching 76 mph. Look for Buckalew to have a breakout out season and continue to impress over the next couple of years.

Treyson Becker C / SS / Valley View, AR / 2028 Becker is the third of our standout position players to make the list from the event. This young athlete carries a short-compact swing from the left side of the plate with consistent pop through the middle of the field. Defensively he impressed with a solid pop time range of 1.95-2.09 and showcased some solid glovework in the infield. He also showed off his arm across the diamond landing him a top spot with an infield velo of 82 mph. Be on the lookout for Becker to continue to improve his game over the years making him a name to be on the watchlist.

Joseph Kraus 2B / 3B / Collierville, TN / 2027 Kraus rounds up our list of standout position players from the event. Coming in as the second of our representatives from Tennessee, he brings a twitchy swing from the left side of the plate giving him a top exit velocity of 93.1 mph. Defensively he showed some impressive glovework with a quick arm action making him a top infielder from the event. Kraus looks to be a standout talent as he continues to grow and gain strength in the years to come.

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Two-Ways

Brooks Robinson RHP / 1B / Greene County Tech, AR / 2028 Robinson kicks off our two-way standouts from our trip to Jonesboro. Being a top arm off of the mound is just the beginning for Brooks as he lands a top spot for FB velo htting 91.1 mph. His fastball is backed up by an impressive zero-line slider reaching -7.8 inches of horizontal movement. At the plate he brings a powerful swing allowing him to create consistent pop reaching a top exit velo of 93.5 mph. Robinson continues to make a name for himself in the talented class of 2028 graduates.

Eli Mathis 1B / RHP / Valley View, AR / 2028 Mathis is next up fot our two-way standouts. Coming in at 6-foot-4-inches and 185-pounds, he is as physical as they come. At the plate he showcased an explosive uphill swing giving him the highest exit velo from the event at 97.8 mph, giving him the ability to leave the yard with ease. On the mound, he presented some solid mechanics with late power down the mound and the ability to create effortless velocity sitting 83-84. This young athlete looks to be a name to be on the lookout for as we get ready for the upcoming spring season.

Barrett Mallett SS / RHP / Valley View, AR / 2028 Mallett is next up on our list of standouts. Mallett is a twitchy athlete with the ability to produce on both sides of the ball. At the plate he brings a downhill swing the creates consistent contact allowing him to reach a top exit velo of 93.5 mph. Defensively he shows off his arm across the diamond giving him the top infield velocity from the event at 82 mph. Off the mound he showcases a solid pitch mix that consists of a fastball ranging 81-82 and low-spin changeup at 75-77. Mallett looks to have a solid foundation to build off of and improve his game throughout his high school career.

Lyric Gray OF / LHP / Jonesboro, AR / 2029 Gray is a familiar face at our events as he previously represented Arkansas in Lakepoint at the Junior Future Games this past summer. He comes in as a well-rounded two-way athlete that produces some juice at the plate coming in at the number 5 position in exit velo with a top of 93.2 mph. Off the mound, he showcases a solid pitch mix changing speeds, keeping hitters off-balanced. Gray is a name that should be at the top of scouts radars as he progresses through the rest of his high school career.

Wyatt Carter 2B / RHP / Westside, AR / 2027 Carter is the final of our two-way standouts from the event. At the plate, he brings a slight-uphill swing that gives him the ability to consistently drives the ball gap-to-gap. Off the mound he showcased fundamentally sound mechanics that show that there is more in the tank as he matures throughout his career. Look for Carter to play a big role for his team in the upcoming spring season.

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Pitchers

Jake Webb 2B / Christian Brothers, TN / 2026 Webb is the final of our standouts from the event. He brings a long and lean frame to the table that coaches can admire in a pitcher. Webb showcased his ability to get down the mound well and create an effortless delivery with room to add velocity as he builds strength throughout his career. Be on the lookout for him to make some major jumps as he continues to develop and fill out his frame by the end of the year.

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