Honeycutt's approach is great and he rarely chases. He takes his walks, gets on-base often and has pull side loft which allows his average raw power to provide some thump. Everything I just said could've been used to describe Jud, and likewise to him, he's an incredible defender. He might even be a grade better with a touch more athleticism and less length in his frame. He's not in the Bradfield Jr. tier, but he's somewhere between him and Fabian as a 60-grade, all-star talent. He raised his in-zone contact rate by 10% last year, but he also raised his out-of-zone contact rate by 7%. He ran a K-rate just above 20% but walked at an identical clip. Because of the defensive value and plate discipline, there's a relatively high lower percentile outcome on his career, whether he reaches that median outcome of an average everyday regular is dependent on his hit tool. His upper percentile outcome is a 4-win above-average regular with inconsistent but above-average offensive production.

Stevenson has a plus arm and is a great athlete, but is still not quite there as a receiver. He should play as an average catcher moving forward. The impact with the bat is very encouraging, posting a 112.2 Max EV , 106.4 90th percentile EV to match a .350 xwWOBAcon. There’s an obvious feel to loft the baseball and he will get to his power. I’m a big fan of his swing decisions as well, his chase rate is 20.5%, swings at pitches in the zone 63% of the time and overall very selective with his swings. He’s had problems handling spin, an issue that I anticipate will be a trend throughout his career.

Matthias flashed some of the better stuff in the country out of the pen for UNC last year. His four-seamer 22.5” of carry at 91-94, touching 95 mph. He throws 4 secondaries: cutter, slider, curveball, and change-up. He has great velocity and solid-average or better movement profiles on all 4, but has struggled to miss bats and draw chase. I feel good about the stuff, and think there’s enough in terms of command that he could end up a starter, and if not possibly a premium long-reliever.

Kepley has a sublime feel to hit, posting a <10% whiff rate in 2024 with the Liberty Flames. The chase rate is plus at 14.8%, but I’d be fine with it coming up. He’s overly passive in his approach, which may get taken advantage of in the ACC. Kepley has not done much damage, and is a line-drive hitter with minimal power (106 max EV). Added strength and selling out for pull-side fly balls to manufacture damage will likely be the path forward here.