Standout 2022, 2023 Players At The Minority Baseball Prospects All-American Games

2022 Class

Termarr Johnson, SS, Georgia

Baseball America’s No. 1 player in the 2022 high school class, Johnson has a sweet, compact swing from the left side with electric bat speed. That bat speed helps him generate some of the best raw power in the class despite his smaller stature, and his track record of controlling the strike zone and performing in games—both in terms of getting on base and hitting for power—is outstanding. While some scouts think his future is at second base rather than shortstop, that might be premature. He has a thicker lower half rather than a lean, wiry body type, but Wander Franco is a similarly built player who is playing shortstop in the big leagues, and Johnson’s slick hands, good internal clock and high baseball IQ are all defensive assets wherever he goes in the infield.

 

Druw Jones, OF, Georgia

The No. 4 player in the 2022 high school class and a Vanderbilt commit, Jones has elite defensive potential in center field. He has a tall, lean frame (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) with plus-plus speed and strong defensive instincts, breaking well off the bat with good routes to all angles. While it might sound strange to say for a player who could be a top-tier defender at a premium position, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see teams at least toy with a new position for Jones. He took pregame ground balls in the infield in Miami, something he has done at other events as well. He’s more experienced in center field so he looks more comfortable there now, but some teams that place a significantly higher premium on shortstops over center fielders are intrigued by what Jones could do if given more time and repetitions in the infield. Center field is still the most likely home for Jones, but a team trying him at shortstop with the backup plan of having a high-level defender in center field is something to watch as the draft gets closer.

 

Javier Santos, RHP, Georgia

No pitcher at the MBP All-American games had better stuff than Santos, who ran his fastball up to 97 mph and paired it with a sharp breaking ball. He also struggled to throw strikes, giving up a run by walking the first four batters he faced, though he settled in after that with three straight outs including two strikeouts to get out of the inning. Control was an issue for Santos again later in the week at the World Wood Bat Association World Championship, where he struck out five but walked four in two innings, so while he has big stuff he’s going to have to learn to corral it more in the strike zone.

Adonys Guzman, C, New York

Guzman came in with a reputation as the best defensive catcher in the class. The No. 41 high school player for 2022, Guzman showed off a premium defensive tool quickly with an outstanding arm that’s at least a plus-plus weapon. At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Guzman is a defensive-oriented player with a strength-based offensive game who will have to cut down on his swing and miss, but his skills behind the plate will get him a lot of looks from Northeast scouts in the spring. He’s a Boston College commit.

 

Salvador Alvarez, C, Florida

Alvarez is a fun player to watch, as he’s not that big but he‘s mechanically polished with his catch-and-throw skills for his age. He’s quick, agile and flexible behind the plate, with a swift transfer and good accuracy that helps his arm play up. A Florida commit, Alvarez stands out for his defense, though he hit well here too by driving an outer-third fastball for a line-drive single to right field.

 

Omari Daniel, SS, Georgia

An Oregon commit, Daniel fielded his position well at shortstop, where he showed a plus arm. He’s a lean, long-limbed 6-foot-2, 185 pounds with more space to fill out, and he hit well during the game as well, slicing an opposite-field triple into the right-center field gap.

2023 Class

Ariel Antigua, SS, Florida

The last time I saw Antigua was in August at the Area Code Underclass games, where the South Carolina commit homered twice to win the Most Outstanding Player award. In Miami, Antigua again blasted two home runs, putting a pair of fastballs into the netting beyond the left field wall. Antigua, who also won the home run derby the day before the game, has startling power coming from a frame that measured at 5-foot-7, 178 pounds at the Area Code Underclass event. He has a smaller strike zone, doesn’t expand it much and has impressive barrel accuracy, leading to a high contact rate in games with the ability to turn on the ball for extra-base damage. The No. 41 player in the 2023 class, Antigua mostly played shortstop here, though he worked out before the game at shortstop and catcher. Given the way Antigua is built, a lot of scouts will want to see more of how he looks behind the plate, but wherever he ends up playing, his bat is his calling card.

 

Jarren Purify, SS, Michigan

Purify has been a difficult evaluation this summer due to a hand injury, but he was healthy here and showed a lot to like on both sides of the ball. A Michigan commit ranked No. 39 in the 2023 class, Purify has a lean, athletic build (5-foot-11, 160 pounds) with quick-twitch actions both at the plate and in the field. He took infield at third base due to the volume of shortstops at the event but he plays shortstop for his high school team and showed quick footwork and good body control in the field. At the plate, Purify went 1-for-2 with a walk, driving a fastball for a line-drive single up the middle. Purify is also one of the youngest players in his class—he doesn’t turn 16 until next month—so he will still be 17 on draft day.

 

Tre Phelps, INF, Georgia

Phelps, a Georgia commit, is the No. 33 player in the 2023 class with a good mix of size, strength, bat speed and offensive track record. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Phelps has one of the fastest bats in the class, with the ability to drive the ball for impact already and the strength projection to develop plus to plus-plus power in his prime. Phelps played shortstop here, though his future is likely either at third base or possibly an outfield corner.

Antonio Anderson, SS, Georgia

A Georgia Tech commit, Anderson is the No. 10 player in the 2023 class with polished actions in the batter’s box from both sides of the plate. He’s 6-foot-3, 200 pounds with good rhythm and timing at the plate. He recognizes pitches and controls the strike zone well for his age, going 0-for-2 here but drawing a pair of walks. There’s a chance Anderson could eventually outgrow shortstop, but he played clean defense here and has a strong arm that was up to 89 mph when he got on the mound.

Boston Flannery, RHP/INF, New York

A two-way player committed to South Florida, Flannery struck out a batter in a quick 1-2-3 inning to start the game while pitching exclusively from the stretch. He’s a strong, physical player at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds with a fastball that sat at 88-91 mph and feel for a tight mid-70s curveball with good shape and depth that he used to freeze a hitter for his strikeout. Flannery’s physicality was also evident in batting practice, where he showed some of the biggest raw power among the 2023 players at the event.

 

Eric Guevara, INF, Georgia

An Auburn commit, Guevara was one of the top underclass performers of the event, going 2-for-2 with two doubles and a walk. At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Guevara has a quick swing from the right side and managed his at-bats well, never chasing or swinging and missing during the event.