Even though the 2023 MLB Draft isn’t until the summer the online discussion, lists and more are in midseason form. A big-time hitter from Colorado we had a chance to see this summer is a popular draft prospect and we’ll explain why he’s unique. Plus, we’ll discuss two young prospects from loaded high school programs and a couple of Texans from the 2024 class that caught my eye in the summer and did some exciting things this fall. 

What is the Five Tool Five? The short, succinct definition: it’s simply a look at five players who recently caught our attention. The long-winded, more detailed explanation: showcasing our coverage from around the United States and highlighting noteworthy baseball talent, skill, performances, news, uncommitted players who colleges should pay attention to and more. We plan to deliver a fresh Five Tool Five every Monday through Friday to help satisfy baseball fans’ hunger for coverage at the amateur level and welcome you to the home of what we believe is the best amateur baseball coverage you’ll find - FiveTool.org.

This guy will forever be a Five Tool favorite because he starred in one of the top videos of the summer…

Not surprised to hear this guy moving up scouts’ lists 

Once Christmas time approaches and the baseball industry doesn’t have any games to watch or talk about, MLB Draft rankings and discussion are widely used to fill the void. Following an awesome showing at Area Code that we saw live in person, Walker Martin has created a buzz in scouting and MLB Draft circles that hasn’t quieted down and is instead getting stronger. A talented QB1 at Eaton High School in Colorado, Martin showed on one of the biggest stages in amateur baseball he can hammer elite pitching and perform. 

A 2023 prospect committed to Arkansas, Martin is a lean, projectable, athletic 6-3 shortstop who probably gets an extended look at the premium spot on the dirt at Arkansas and/or in professional baseball. Even if he grows into third base, the left-handed hitter with quick, strong hands has the hitting tools to profile fine at the hot corner. He showed an advanced feel for timing pitches and did a good job of feasting on opportunities to pull mistakes with a dangerous barrel. 

A fascinating tidbit courtesy MLB.com: Martin could become the first prep player from Colorado selected in the first three rounds of the MLB Draft since Darnell McDonald in 1997. That illustrates how rarely talented Walker is given his location and also reiterates why events like Area Code and top summer select tournaments are especially critical for top MLB prospects who might not have the weather and/or big-time competition in high school season to sway scouts’ minds and give them a good setting for evaluation. 

As you can see from the video below taken in 2021 at a Five Tool event, Martin has always possessed a good, quick left-handed swing that puts the barrel on the baseball at a high rate. 

Queen Creek is a good spot to find some talented baseball players

My brief time in Arizona this fall at the Arizona Fall Classic taught me Queen Creek is an excellent area and high school for baseball. And working through a bunch of our Arizona fall coverage taught me that 2024 right-handed hitter Jesse Aguirre is one to follow. 

Aguirre’s relaxed hands caught my attention because they easily created the bat speed and types of paths to the baseball that can do extra-base damage. To put it simply: Aguirre, currently uncommitted, looks fluid in the batter’s box and his movements around the diamond have a promising bounce. I have no doubt he’s going to be a physical right-handed hitter with some raw power because it’s already showing in the way the ball flies off the barrel. Defensively, the future probably looks like second base, maybe third or the outfield because he moves well, which shows up in the stolen base department. 

Interesting two-way talent adding more pull-side juice… 

Carson “Chile” Timmons emerged as an “it” guy for me when I saw him live this summer at the Pudge Rodriguez World Classic. It looks like the fall has been good to the uncommitted 2024 prospect because Timmons has filled out some physically and is showing more pull-side power.

A standout for C2 Baseball Blue, Timmons (Clear Falls; Texas) didn’t run a blazing time down the line or post amazing statistics when I saw him, but he did show intriguing all-around skill with a confident appetite for being involved in the action; he’s one of those guys who wants the ball in the infield, wants to be in the batter’s box and wants to be on the mound to attack hitters. 

It’s not going to surprise me if some college coaches that see him during the high school season or this upcoming summer leave a fan of his baseball actions and the way he plays the game. 

A name to follow at Servite in the 2025 class

While my time in Arizona taught me about the baseball talent at Queen Creek I don’t need any time in California to know Servite often has some dudes. Perhaps 2025 prospect Austin Boatright becomes one of those dudes in the future. 

Tall, long and slender with plenty of room to fill out and mature physically, Boatright shows the type of right-handed swing and hands worth betting on long-term. As he adds more strength, his contact over impact approach could develop into some pull-side damage and gap-to-gap ability. Regardless, he’s an exciting young hitter who probably profiles best at second base defensively and is an advanced performer in the batter’s box who has more than held his own when playing against older players. 

State champion in football is a natural competitor 

Speaking of playing up in age and excelling, Cade Dodson was a 2024 prospect who caught my eye playing up an age level with the North Texas Longhorns in the AABC Don Mattingly World Series. According to our stats, Dodson didn’t strike out once in 37 plate appearances at Five Tool events this summer. Yes, it’s definitely a contact over impact approach from the left side right now, but Dodson is willing and able to smack pitches all over the field and moves well around the infield defensively. 

A talented athlete who was a member of the Gunter 3A Division II state championship football team and has played basketball in the past, Dodson showed impressive short-area quickness and agility when he toted the rock for Gunter this season. And based on some times I’ve gotten on the turn, I think he’s going to be an above-average runner at worst. At around 150 pounds, Dodson should eventually add more strength and mass to his frame. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor