Theo
Swafford

Swafford sits in the number two spot in the 2028 class in deference to a 100+ MPH sophomore arm, but would easily be the number one player without that presence. Swafford missed some time earlier in the spring with a moderate injury to his shoulder, but has quickly acclimated himself to the lineup upon his return. Playing in the DH role for this live look, Swafford took three trips to the plate and posted three productive and quality at-bats. Facing a LHP with quality present stuff in his first two at-bats, his ability to stay on spin moving away from him with a FB running in on his hands while making consistent contact with his balls in play, each coming solidly off the barrel, was a testament to Swafford’s advanced offensive ability as a pure hitter. The highlight of those two ABs was a nine-pitch battle with a runner at 3rd base and less than two outs, where Swafford fouled off an early FB before falling behind 1-2 then battling back to a 3-2 count, spoiling 2K offerings to each side of the field before drilling a hard two-hopper ground ball up the middle for an RBI groundout. Swafford capped the day by ambushing an early count FB from a righthander and drilling another two-hopper up the middle to reach base on a fielder's choice. Even on a day where Swafford didn’t collect a hit, the pureness of what he does at the plate stands out with the adjustability in his swing, pitch recognition, simplicity in the load, and consistency for timing to launch. With his upper body beginning to fill out and the athleticism to his overall profile, the talented LHH sophomore continues to solidify himself as not only the top tier of talent in California but across the nation.