2/04/25
I entered the event personally very high on the profile of CJ Hughes who I have seen be very strong in multiple live looks over the past 7 months. One of the younger players in the '25 class who will still be 17 at draft he has generated plenty of buzz amongst the scouting community for his strong present profile, but even more for the intriguing projection in that profile which again was on display.
During the workout the switch hitter showed a sound foundation of swings both from the RH side and LH side. The LH side appears to be slightly more athletic in the operation, but the RH swing is sound with impact in the profile. Which showed during BP as he slightly more loft after contact from the RH side, but more consistent hard contact from the LH side during his rounds which he split 2 on the RH side and 2 on LH side. Defensively, he is an athletic mover at SS who has body control, range, feet/hands and plenty of arm to stay at SS long term with an intriguing upside potential as he refines his game with maturity/game experience.
The enigma to his profile was on display during the game as Hughes flashed both the high end potential that is in his profile when he laced a hard line drive into the LCF gap off Bryce Collins which jumped off the bat with authority and carry. As well, he made a solid adjustment in at bat agaisnt Colt Peterson to get to 2K pitch that he one hopped right back at Peterson flashing his ability to work through an at bat. But, the postives came with some of the worry for Hughes who swung through a series of FBs that were elevated in the zone throughout the day that will be a part of his game that needs to be refined going forward.
Hughes is a UCSB commit who has been on a steady rise over the past few months, but does come with an interesting risk vs. reward profile and should have him being followed closely over the coming spring.