Jacob
Hite

Hite has been on a steady rise over the past half year, showing well multiple times this fall at Tournaments and a showcase. The strides keep coming for the 6-foot-2, 179-pound, wide-shouldered, right-right, two-way prospects. The 60 time is down to a 6.80 and his exit velocity has climbed six mph, now peaking at 103 mph off the bat. His arm plays easy at 86 mph. On the mound he is an easy, clean mover down the mound with above-average feel for his arsenal. His fastball sat 81-83 mph, T85 mph with some sink and feel for the zone. He complements it with a firm 70-72 mph curveball that features vertical 11/5 action and flashes depth, alongside a 73-76 mph changeup with sink and run. Best days still seem yet to come. Follow 2028 two-way.

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-0, 174.2 pounds. Lean, projectable frame with a high waist.
Hit: RHH. Stands tall, balanced, pre-pitch bat wiggle, slower stride. Loose, twitchy, balanced, looks to keep the ball on a line, uses the whole field, strong hands, flat, generates backspin at times. 71.8 mph bat speed with 15g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 97 mph max exit velocity (90.4 avg.); 349-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 81 mph. Full circle, some carry, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Fields off glove foot, one-hand gather.
Athletic Testing: 7.09 runner in the 60-yard dash; 25.00-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 62.31 Edge Score.

Delivery: Up-tempo, high-leg kick, clean lower-half, slight drop/drive operation, works in-line, front foot lands square.
Arm Action: RH. Clean, quick arm, compact circle, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T82, 79-81 mph. Life through the zone with some carry, feel in the zone. T2068, 2018 average rpm.
CB: 66-71 mph. Some feel around the zone, tight 10/4 shape. T2177, 2133 average rpm.
CH: 73-75 mph. Controlled around the zone, plays with arm-side life. T2191, 2106 average rpm.

OF/RHP Jacob Hite (St. Laurence, 2028) had one of the better two-way showings on the day. He has an upside and projectable frame at 6-foot, 174-pounds with a high waist, wiry limbs and room to add strength. On the mound, he’s a smooth and silky mover with some tempo to his delivery, high leg-kick, clean lower-half with a slight bend in the back knee down the mound, works in-line, front foot lands square, shoulders work level downhill. Clean and quick arm, medium circle out of the glove, ¾ slot. Fastball plays with easy life out of the hand, showed some carry traits with feel around the zone, 79-82 mph. Showed advanced feel for his curveball with tight 11/5 shape, could land it in the zone with ease. Changeup also looks to be a quality third offering with feel for strikes, played with heavy arm-side run with efficient spin, 73-75 mph. The right-handed hitter also swung it well during BP; showing a loose and twitchy swing with line drive approach to all fields while possessing balance. He was second in max exit velocity (97 mph), average exit velocity (90.4 mph), and hard hit percentage (72%), while also finishing third in max distance (349 feet) for the event.

A wiry, 6-foot, 170-pound frame, with lots of room to still grow, Hite showed well with the bat in Top Tiers' first game Friday afternoon. The right-handed bat went 2-for-3 with an opposite-field line drive single and a triple. With present rhythm in the box, Hite uses his size to his advantage to drive the ball to all parts of the field. An athletic runner for the frame, moving well around the bases. 

OF Jacob Hite (St. Laurence, 2028) showed an easy line drive approach at the event. A right-handed hitter, he maintained balance throughout his operation, and reached a max exit velocity of 95.4 mph with a peak distance of 320 feet. Hite also showed to have quick hands through the zone (avg. 21.6 mph hand speed), while also flashing bat speed (T74.4 mph).

Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-8, 140-pounds. Well-proportioned frame.
Hit: RHH. Tall setup, toe-taps into a long stride. Some rhythm in the hands, looks to stay on top of the ball, balanced finish.
Power: 84 max exit velocity, averaged 73.9 mph. 245’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 74 mph. Clean, quick arm circle, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Steady hands and actions, one-hand gather out front off front foot, shuffle-step towards home.
Run: 7.99 runner in the 60.

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Simple, under control delivery; medium leg lift into slightly coiled balance point, tall/fall lower-half.
Arm Action: RH. Clean, quick, 3/4 slot.
FB: T72, 71-72 mph. Clean out of the hand, has above average feel for the bottom part of the zone. Has some arm-side action to it. T1839, 1757 average rpm.
CB: 62-66 mph. Thrown with intent, gradual 10/4 action. Has feel for the glove side. T1917, 1890 average rpm.
CH: 66-68 mph. Thrown with intent, similar profile to the fastball. Developing. T1862, 1822 average rpm.

RHP/UTL Jacob Hite (Palos Heights, IL, 2028) had a day at the plate for Top Tier from start to finish on Sunday. First, in the semifinal game he went 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Then, in the championship game he hit a double and also scored one run, too.