Early Spring Scouting Update – Arizona

The Ides of March are nearly upon us, and so too are the eyes of amateur scouts across the country, with both college and high school baseball now in full swing.

This year’s draft figures to be full of intrigue with no clear 1-1 candidate at time of publication and a more fast-paced format with the event being condensed to two days as opposed to the three as it has been in previous years.

Being based in Phoenix thankfully affords me outstanding access to some of the best collegiate, high school and professional baseball on a routine basis. While there are still plenty of players left to see on my own draft target list, here are my thoughts to date based on my initial spring live looks – broken down by high school and college prospects.

High School

Slater de Brun, OF, Summit HS (OR)

The Pacific Northwest has seemingly been the world’s leading exporter of compact, undersized left-handed outfield bats (i.e. Corbin Carroll and Slade Caldwell) in recent years, and Bend, OR native Slater de Brun is the latest to fit that mold.

Much to the chagrin of numerous scouts in attendance, de Brun didn’t so much as swing the bat during the entirety of my live look at the Perfect Game MLK weekend tournament, but he did display outstanding plate discipline and double-plus speed once on the basepaths following several walks.

Having seen the aforementioned Caldwell in the same tournament a year prior, de Brun is more long-levered and a bit leaner, which I think could lend itself to fringe average or even average in-game power down the line.

The athleticism and fluidity will allow de Brun to stick in center long-term, and, for me, de Brun is a better prospect at this stage than the 2024 first-rounder Caldwell, who is already drawing rave reviews from scouts in his first taste of pro ball with the Diamondbacks.

Bruin Agbayani, IF/OF, Saint Louis HS (HI)

If the name “Agbayani” sounds familiar, it’s because a) you’re older than you remember and b) Bruin’s dad is five-year MLB vet Benny Agbayani, who spent the majority of his career in the early 2000s with the New York Mets.

As the son of a major leaguer, the younger Agbayani unsurprisingly is one of the more advanced prep bats in the class and absolutely raked over the course of the tournament, including a three-HR performance on the day following my own live look.

Overall, it’s a well-built, proportional frame with strong hands and a quick, rhythmic swing that allows his above-average raw power to play to all fields. Agbayani also looked impressive defensively in center field throughout the course of the tournament and has the athleticism to stick up the middle at the pro level.

A current Michigan commit, I find it unlikely that Bruin makes it to campus and should find a home somewhere in rounds 3-5 on an overslot deal come draft day.

Brock Ketelsen, OF, Valley Christian Schools (CA)

A current Stanford commit, 6-foot-3 outfielder Brock Ketelsen oozes projection and has shown ability as a two-way player. However, I believe his future as a pro is as a position player.

Ketelsen has a lean, high-waisted and projectable body that could help him grow into more in-game power as he matures. He’ll be just a shade over 18 years old on draft day, making him an attractive option for teams that weigh age heavily in their models.

The actions at the plate and in the field are very fluid, with a smooth left-handed swing and plus barrel control. While he’s not a short-area burst type on the basepaths, Ketelsen can run at a good clip once up to speed and should maintain at least a 50 run grade even with further body maturation.

He may be a tough sign away from Palo Alto, but there were plenty of scouts at the event who seemed intrigued by the upside.

College

Ben Jacobs, LH SP, Arizona St.

First live look tonight at ASU LHP Ben Jacobs ('25 elig.). Showed flashes of brilliance en route to 11 K over 5 IP vs Oral Roberts. FB sat 91-93 with command of firm CH and sharp SL. Only a few mistakes up in zone that led to three HR. Fiery competitor & #MLBDraft name to watch. pic.twitter.com/RDaxpQgnjA

— Conor Dorney (@cdorney) February 22, 2025

After starting his college career at UCLA, Jacobs made his way to the desert in 2024, where he quickly established himself as the ace of the Sun Devil staff under head coach Willie Bloomquist.

This year, settling into the Friday night starter role in his draft-eligible season, Jacobs continues to showcase swing-and-miss stuff and has already cut his walk rate in half (12.4 percent to 6.2 percent) through four starts.

In my live look at Jacobs versus Oral Roberts, the lefty sat primarily 91-93 (T95) with a fastball that featured good carry through the zone, also showing off a firm changeup and two distinct breaking ball shapes, including a hard slider and sharp curveball, generating lots of swing/miss.

After surrendering a home run to the first batter of the night (and three total), Jacobs settled in to rack up 11 strikeouts over five innings of work. He commanded the fastball to both sides of the plate and showed great feel for the slider, which he went to often as his out pitch, particularly to right-handed hitters.

Jacobs gets down the mound quickly with an athletic, medium-effort delivery and is a fiery competitor who clearly relishes playing under the bright lights of his Friday night role.

At present, the true wart on Jacobs’ profile is a susceptibility to the long ball (which includes a 57+ percent fly ball rate each of the past two seasons). He has already proven himself capable of missing bats, so cleaning that up, whether by keeping the ball down in the zone or adding another fastball shape to keep hitters off his four-seamer, will be crucial in mitigating some of the reliever risk to his profile.

Brandon Compton, OF, Arizona State

Unlike Drake, I was trying to see Compton on this Friday evening, a hitter who has established himself as one of the most dangerous bats in the Arizona State lineup over the past two seasons.

Compton’s calling card is plus raw power from the left side in a sturdy frame with a compact swing and excellent upper body strength.

For a player with as much juice in the bat as he has, Compton routinely turns in lengthy, competitive at-bats and displays a great awareness of the strike zone, making excellent swing decisions, as evidenced by 19 walks to just 14 strikeouts to start the 2025 season. He has a lot of fans in the industry, especially after performing well on the Cape last summer.

I’d personally like to see him get to more in-game power before slotting him in one of the top three rounds, as his future defensive value is limited.

Kien Vu, OF, Arizona State

Despite Compton getting the majority of the headlines early on, Vu has undoubtedly been the Devils’ most impressive bat this season – slashing .339/.444/.746 with a team-leading six home runs.

The power has been a welcome development to Vu’s profile and one that could have him surging up draft boards come July. At the plate, he displays advanced bat-to-ball skills and plus barrel control that allow the power to play to all fields.

Vu is in right field for the Devils this season, however, his average arm likely means he’s destined for left or center field at the pro level.

Before I sign off, don’t forget to give the Just Baseball draft team a follow across all social media platforms – there’s a ton more exciting scouting content coming your way as we approach the 2025 MLB Draft.