2026 VT Baseball Summer League Updates: Week of 7/20…
Summer league play is further starting to wind down as we had only 4 hitters and 1 pitcher make appearances this past week but there were some noteworthy performances, including Aiden Arnett who continues to be a mainstay in Player of the Week consideration.
Player(s) of the Week
• Aiden Arnett (Madison, Northwoods League) – He had another huge week as he played in 8 games and had a slash line of .385 avg / .484 obp / .769 slg / 1.253 ops that included a double, 3 home runs, 8 rbi’s, 7 runs scored and 3 stolen bases. The level of consistency coupled with standout productivity he has shown throughout not only this summer but last summer as well, is almost uncanny. Summer production doesn’t always translate to college success, but what he is doing in a competitive summer league is pretty impressive for someone that has yet to play in a collegiate game.
Other Notes
• Danny Lazaro (Upper Valley, NECBL) – He made another start this past week on 7/22. He wasn’t as dominant as in his previous outing, but he did manage to post a solid outing of 4.0 ip, 4 h, 2 r, 2 er, 2 bb, 2 so, 1 hbp and 1 hr. With that performance, his summer stat line moved to 4.05 era and 1.20 whip in 13.1 ip.
• Justin Munoz (Burlington, Appalachian League) – He continued his very up-and-down summer with a poor week at the plate, going just 1-for-13 (.077 avg) in 17 plate appearances. With his struggles last week, he is now hitting just .206 for the summer but has a more respectable .732 ops.
• Palmer Hornick (Pulaski, Appalachian League) – He had another good week as he slashed .273 avg / .471 obp / .455 slg / .925 ops to go along with 2 doubles and 3 rbi in 17 plate appearances. The performance has his summer slash line sitting at .276 avg / .488 obp (VT-leading) / .586 slg (VT-leading) / 1.075 ops (VT-leading).
3 Replies
V
VT One
5d
His plate consistency and productivity (as you mentioned) makes one think that his bat may need to be in the line up. If he is a proficient outfielder he will be an intriguing early option-at least until he shows that he’s human and not quite ready.
(In response to this post by QCP)
3d
Looking at some of his high school numbers/evaluations and his summer league stats, I expect he will start his career more as a corner outfielder but depending on how he develops, I wouldn’t rule out center field at some point in his career. Athletically, he is very similar to Jack Hurley in high school (speed and arm-strength wise), so hopefully Arnett could follow a similar progression of LF then a shift over to CF after a season or two. And while Nick Locurto is returning in LF, looking at D1 Baseball Defensive Runs Saved stats, he was one of the worst LF’s in all of D1 last year, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Arnett push Locurto if his bat ends up translating early at the college level.
Speed & Arm Strength
• Athleticism shouldn’t be a problem. Looking at some of his high school measurables, he compares favorably to Jack Hurley. In high school, Hurley had bests of 6.66 60-yd speed and 94mph OF Velo arm strength. Arnett’s numbers are very similar, with a 6.64 60-yd dash and 93mph OF Velo. For additional comparison, Sam Tackett who ended up playing RF late in his career had a 6.92 60-yd dash and 92 OF Velo.
Summer League Stats
• He was solid last summer and for the first half of this summer as he went error free in 15 games last summer and his first 19 games this summer, but has had 3 errors in his last 11 games in the field (2 errors in 1 game at CF and 1 error in another game in LF) over the last 2+ weeks. Last summer he played predominantly LF as he logged 14 games there and 1 game in CF. This summer, in 37 games, he has the following distribution: 15 in LF, 9 in CF, 7 at DH, 4 at 3B, 1 at 2B and 1 in LF/CF. In terms of range factor, he has a 1.73 RF/GM which is respectable for a corner outfielder.
High School Evaluations
• Here is a Perfect Game evaluation from July 2024 at their National Showcase: “Primary outfielder, short steps on the approach, plays with energy and maintains momentum, longer arm action through back, plays thru it well and carries low flight on throws with big carry and present arm strength.”
(In response to this post by VT One)
V
VT One
3d
have a freshman come in and put up some big offensive numbers most years. Maybe it can be Arnett this year, if we have one. Our outfield defense last year lacked “rhythm” to put it mildly, imo. Of course we were trying to get bats in the line up but if we have natural outfielders who can hit it works out better. Thanks for the in-depth data.
(In response to this post by QCP)