The bat speed jumps out immediately, and when he connects, the ball comes off hot. There’s some natural length to the swing given how long his levers are, and his lower half can get a little rigid, which leads to some miss in the profile, but those are the types of things a good college or pro development system can smooth out.
What really elevates his profile is the speed. For a player built like a corner-power bat, running a 6.4 in the 60 gives him a different dimension altogether. He moves well enough to stick in a corner outfield spot, and the athleticism suggests he could grow into an above-average defender with more reps.
It’ll be interesting to see how Pitt develops Ligenza over the next couple of years, but he should definitely be an everyday starter for them on day one. The Panthers are coming off a 28-27 season and hope the likes of Ligenza and others can help them take the next step in the ACC.
OF Brock Sell, Stanford
Stanford had a big-time freshman come to campus last year in Rintaro Sasaki, and they did the same this year, bringing in Brock Sell. While Sell doesn’t have the same fanfare or hype as Sasaki, he was still a pretty dang good prep player.
Brock Sell is the kind of athlete who jumps off the field the moment you watch him move. His game has taken a real step forward, and he’s turned himself into one of the more intriguing upside plays in the class.
The swing is clean and efficient, and the barrel gets through the zone quickly with tight, direct turns. The athleticism shows up everywhere. Sell has been timed as an above-average runner, giving him a real shot to stick in center field long term. The arm is a weapon too, reaching into the low-90s from the outfield and even touching around 90 on the mound.