This week in baseball.

What is it? It's an opportunity for me to share what I know, what I'm thinking and what I've learned with you, the Five Tool reader. I am going to highlight something at the following five levels of baseball: MLB, Power Five, Non-Power Five DIs, DIIs and DIIIs, Junior College and High School. Each week I will pick a topic to cover for each level as a way to keep people posted on all things baseball. Want to be in the know about what's happening in the game you love across all levels? I hope I can help. 

For this installment of This Week in Baseball, I wanted to highlight a freshman or rookie at each of the five levels. Part of the excitement of each new season comes from the fresh faces at any level. New players in the system or on a team can add excitement for the players, fans and coaches. I picked players from across the country to highlight as seasons are kicking off around the country. 

High School: Joshua Viars - 2026- C - Rock Hill

A freshman at Rock Hill, Josh Viars is no stranger to big-time baseball. Coming from a baseball family, the younger brother of 2021 third-round pick Jordan Viars is ready to produce at the varsity level. Viars has already played on some big stages and has a great deal of versatility, which will prove valuable for the Blue Hawks and coach Shaun Stanton. With last year’s starting shortstop Jack Opoien already off to a hot start for Navarro College, Viars will have a chance to play on the left side of the infield with senior DBU commit Uriah Walters. If he's not playing shortstop or the hot corner, Viars can spell senior catcher Zachary Fike or can hop on the mound where he has been clocked up to 86 MPH already. 

The son of a coach, Viars arrives on the varsity scene with an advanced approach and a calm but strong right-handed swing. While already producing exit velocities over 95 mph regularly, the most impressive part of his offensive game is his maturity and willingness to take the ball the other way if necessary. As a staff, we are excited to get some early looks at Viars and his teammates in the Inaugural Five Tool Festival in early March.

Junior College: Angel Acosta - Freshman - RHP - Alvin Community College

A great thing about baseball is how many different paths can be taken to arrive at the ultimate goal. For Alvin’s Angel Acosta, a guy who started pitching relatively late, there is a big part of his baseball story still to be written. As a senior at Texas City, Acosta displayed a mid to upper 80s fastball that resulted in 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. That performance, along with a clear upside, led him to Alvin CC where in a short time he has made a jump velocity-wise to the mid-90s. 

Acosta currently flashes two breaking balls with a slurve and a hard slider that has some swing and miss potential as evidenced by his start to the spring. In his first outing against Midland JC, the righty struck out three in 1.2 innings and gave up only one hit as his lone baserunner. As he learns to trust and command his newly found velocity, there will be interest in Acosta as a candidate to move to the next level whether that be the D1 ranks or pro ball.

Non-P5 D1: Joey Wright - Freshman - SS - UC-Davis

For a new head coach, getting “your guys” onto the roster and in the system can help build the foundation of your program for years to come. For second year UC-Davis head coach Tommy Nicholson, handing the keys to his infield to a freshman is a strong statement of trust. The freshman shortstop from Newport Harbor High School and MVP for the defending CIF Southern California Regional Division 3 champs is up to the challenge. A captain on the team, Wright’s leadership qualities, coupled with an advanced defensive game, are what drew the interest of a head coach who himself was a former standout infielder. Known for his own defensive wizardry, Nicholson compares Wright to his double-play partner at the University of Texas, Todd West, who Longhorn fans hold in very high regard as one of the game's top defensive shortstops. Where Wright has a chance to surpass West is at the plate with an advanced contact approach that will only progress as he continues to get stronger. UC-Davis will look to improve as a program with a potential cornerstone manning the defense’s most important position.

P5 D1: Carson Turnquist - Freshman - RHP - Oklahoma

One freshman I am looking forward to seeing this spring is California native and Oklahoma pitcher Carson Turnquist. Fresh off a national championship series berth, the Sooners are looking to reload on the mound as they aim to replace first-rounder Cade Horton, second-rounder Jake Bennett, and 17th-rounder Chazz Martinez from their rotation. More notably, perhaps, all three were members of #teambish in the Five Tool Podcast college draft. Known for his pitching prowess, Skip Johnson went to Paso Robles to grab the 6-5 right-handed and Brewers Area Code alum. As a prep arm, Turnquist possessed a low 90s fastball that jumped on hitters, a swing and miss slider and showed an advanced feel for the changeup. Pairing a frame that will continue to add weight and a work ethic to match the potential with Johnson's tutelage is especially exciting. Over his career of more than twenty years, Johnson has taken similar balls of clay and molded them into big leaguers at a high clip. I am very excited to see how Turnquist’s career unfolds for the crimson and cream before a potential pro career.

MLB: Josh Jung-Texas Rangers

For the Texas Rangers to really make a run in the 2023 season, they need contributions from some newcomers not named deGrom or Eovaldi. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft is in position to build off a 98 at-bat sample size, where he blasted five home runs in a September callup. A San Antonio native, Jung spent his college career terrorizing the Big 12 at Texas Tech and left as one of the most decorated players in league history. He was a Freshman All-American, a two-time All-American and Big 12 Co-Player of the Year. Jung has been pegged as high as the ninth best prospect in all of baseball and has produced at every stop in the minors. To this point, only injury has been able to slow him down. He suffered a stress fracture in his foot in 2021 and a torn labrum in 2022. The Rangers will presumably look to Jung to man the hot corner on a roster in search of another bat. Should Jung produce up to his potential, the Bruce Bochy-led Rangers may have a shot at playing meaningful baseball come fall.

Drew Bishop