A big showdown between a couple top high school draft prospects took place last week in Jacksonville with LHP Hunter Barco (Bolles School, FL) taking on SS/C Tyler Callihan (Providence School, FL) Callihan ultimately won the day, going 2-for-2 with a home run, single and walk off of Barco. He added another single later in the game.

A South Carolina recruit, Callihan is an advanced left-handed hitter with a strong frame. He didn’t back down in the left-on-left matchup, coming out swinging and seeing the ball well. He muscled an opposite-field, bloop single in his first at-bat before battling back from behind down in the count to work a walk. In his third at-bat, he hit a home run to left field. He only had one swing and miss against Barco and didn’t chase pitches high or away, showing restraint when he was behind. Defensively, his arm plays from the left side and he has agility and instincts. In the later innings, he hopped behind the plate where he is raw, but his athleticism lends to ability. He showed 2.0-second pop times between innings and had a 2.19 in game though it was to the shortstop side of the bag and he muffed the transfer.