Jacob Pearson Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Jacob Taylor Pearson
Born 06/01/1998 in West Monroe, LA
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School West Monroe
Drafted in the 3rd round (85th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2017 (signed for $1,000,000).

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Pearson is the top prep position player out of Louisiana thanks to an above-average feel for hitting with improved power during his senior season with West Monroe (La.) High. There are questions about whether Pearson will be able to stick in center field due to concerns about his quickness and body type as a short outfielder who's added weight, but he's been compared to Mississippi State's Jake Mangum, with more power and worse speed and arm grades. Pearson has lengthened the finish of his swing this season after realizing he was bailing out to try and improve home-to-first times, and with that has come improved elevation and distance on the ball, helping him hit more home runs as a senior than his previous three seasons combined. Pearson is old for the class--he turns 19 on June 1--but he's got good makeup and his ability to hit and hit for in-game power could overwhelm concerns that his 55-grade run times will decline moving forward. What a team thinks about his future defensively will determine exactly where he goes, but Pearson is one of the better offensive prep outfielders in this class.

Top Rankings

The Angels bought Pearson, the Louisiana Gatorade player of the year last spring, out of a Louisiana State commitment with a $1 million bonus after drafting him 85th overall. After batting .519 with 12 homers, 41 RBIs and 53 runs to lead his high school team to a 38-3 record, Pearson struggled in the Rookie-level Arizona League and was traded to the Twins in the offseason for $1 million in international bonus money, which the Angels used to pursue Shohei Ohtani. Pearson is a pure hitter with plus speed--he regularly clocks 4.1 seconds from home to first--and an advanced approach at the plate. He has a strong, athletic build and is physically mature. He doesn't wow with tools, but he generates solid bat speed with a quiet swing that doesn't have a lot of moving parts. His speed allows him to beat out infield hits and turn doubles into triples, and his ability to barrel the ball and impart backspin on it gives him surprising power. Defensively Pearson has a slightly below-average but accurate arm, moves to the ball aggressively in the outfield and has good hands and sound fundamentals. Pearson was an older high school draftee who will turn 20 next season, so he should begin his Twins career at low Class A Cedar Rapids in 2018.

Pearson is the top prep position player out of Louisiana thanks to an above-average feel for hitting with improved power during his senior season with West Monroe (La.) High. There are questions about whether Pearson will be able to stick in center field due to concerns about his quickness and body type as a short outfielder who's added weight, but he's been compared to Mississippi State's Jake Mangum, with more power and worse speed and arm grades. Pearson has lengthened the finish of his swing this season after realizing he was bailing out to try and improve home-to-first times, and with that has come improved elevation and distance on the ball, helping him hit more home runs as a senior than his previous three seasons combined. Pearson is old for the class--he turns 19 on June 1--but he's got good makeup and his ability to hit and hit for in-game power could overwhelm concerns that his 55-grade run times will decline moving forward. What a team thinks about his future defensively will determine exactly where he goes, but Pearson is one of the better offensive prep outfielders in this class.