As we look back on the 2025 summer tournament circuit here in Kansas City, we’ll be breaking down the top players by tool from each class based on evaluations from our scouting team at Homefield and Creekside. Follow along as we take a deep dive into these players and highlight the summers they put together. Each week will feature our top five players based on each tool from the class, presented in no particular order.

Top Off-Speed Class of 2026

Cooper Shrum RHP / 1B / Belton, MO / 2026 Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 87 / POS: 25

Cooper Shrum is one of the more exciting players we’ve seen all year, and the sky is the limit for the Tennessee commit. He turned heads this summer with the Royals Scout Team, producing both at the plate and on the mound. At 6-foot-6 and a lean, athletic 185 pounds, he has plenty of room to add strength. He’s been up to 94 MPH with the fastball and projects as a potential impact arm in the SEC for the Volunteers.

Shrum also features one of the best changeups we’ve evaluated. We’ve seen it as firm as 82–84 MPH, with impressive movement and depth. In one outing this summer, the pitch showed up at 76–78 MPH with nearly -8 inches of vertical break. His ability to locate it consistently for strikes only enhances the effectiveness of his low-90s fastball.

‘26 | RHP | Cooper Shrum (Belton, @Vol_Baseball)

FB: 88-93
CH: 76-78 8.6 IVB ⬇️
SL: 67 (2500 RPM)

0 runs and 3 Ks over 2 innings of work for @RoyalsScoutTeam. Relied on his +changeup when in trouble.

Exciting prospect with a high ceiling. @PrepBaseballKC // @PrepBaseballMO… pic.twitter.com/HwIkHADrET

— LJ Hatch Prep Baseball KC (@ljhatchpb) June 15, 2025

Follow along on X: @ljhatchpb and Instagram: @ljhatchprepbaseball as we continue breaking down the top tools from this past summer.