2022 Karbach Round Rock Classic

Karbach Round Rock Classic: Hitters To Watch

Karbach Round Rock Classic: Hitters To Watch

Brock Jones highlights a laundry list of great hitters that will put in work at the Karbach Round Rock Classic.

Feb 18, 2022 by Briar Napier
Karbach Round Rock Classic: Hitters To Watch

There’s oodles of high-level college baseball hitting talent that could make a mark on the professional baseball scene soon—and some of the best of the best are playing on a minor-league field in the middle of Texas.

The four-team field at the Karbach Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas (home of the Double-A Round Rock Express) may be small in numbers—but they’re not low on attention. From potential first-round draft picks to underrated producers, the invitational is stacked and nearly every game features a future pro.

Held from Feb. 25 to 27 with all games streamed live on FloBaseball, the Round Rock Classic makes for a key early-season opportunity for schools to test their might against other quality foes—and for certain hitters to impress scouts and onlookers. Here are five swingers of the stick that could make a major impact in the Lone Star State later this month. 

Brock Jones, OF, Stanford

The MLB’s top collegiate outfield prospect in its 2022 rankings is none other than the reigning All-Pac-12 First-Teamer Brock Jones. Before he’s even played a game of his junior year, he’s already been named to various preseason All-America teams expecting another big season. Originally recruited to Palo Alto to play both football and baseball, he stopped playing on the gridiron after his freshman year, to refocus on his game on the diamond with tremendous payouts. His 18 home runs were best in the Pac-12 a year ago and his 62 RBI a team-high, showcasing great speed (14 stolen bases) while he was at it, both on offense and at center field. Most mock drafts have Jones going very, very high on the board this summer (MLB has him as the No. 7 overall 2022 prospect), but how much he dominates at the college level this year will directly affect how high he goes.

Robert Moore, 2B, Arkansas

The son of Kansas City Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore, Robert Moore has been around the pro level for a long time and is likely to find himself being a highly-coveted future prospect for a major-league organization very soon. The Razorbacks’ starter of choice at second base since he stopped on campus, “Big Game Bob” is a switch-hitter who blasted 16 home runs and 53 RBI in his first full season in 2021. MLB’s official prospect rankings put him at No. 11 in the 2022 class and compare him to the highly-touted prospect his Dad helped select for the Royals as general manager in 2019—Bobby Witt Jr. Moore has some of the same tools at the college level that could set him up well for a fruitful pro career.

Cayden Wallace, 3B, Arkansas

An Arkansas man through and through, Wallace was the top prep prospect in the state and a top-25 recruit nationally, by Perfect Game, out of Greenbrier near Little Rock. His home-state Razorbacks got their first sight of Wallace in the school jersey last year as a freshman and he did the colors proud, tying the school’s freshman home run record (14) with two former first-round picks—Zack Cox (2010, Cardinals) and Heston Kjerstad (2020, Orioles). Wallace played well for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League last summer, and should make a switch from right field (where his MLB prospect profile indicates scouts see him playing as a pro) to third base this season in Fayetteville, thanks in part to a solid defensive arm. His team-leading 67 hits from last season plus power forces plenty of attention from opponents already. 

Morgan Colopy, OF, Indiana

The Hoosiers’ most-common choice in right field during the 2021 season, Morgan Colopy had a solid first season in Bloomington while playing only against fellow Big Ten competition (the league disallowed regular-season non-conference games last year). He was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team with a .274 batting average, five home runs and 21 RBI. His highlight of the year came during the series against Minnesota in late April, when the Ohioan was named the conference’s Freshman of the Week after hitting 7 of 13 (.538) with two RBI and six runs throughout the team’s three-game series against the Golden Gophers. With some strong performances from fall ball in tow—like a four-RBI performance in an exhibition against Cincinnati—Colopy could be set up for a breakout season, especially as he sees some new programs and pitchers to face in his second year. 

Tyler Robertson, OF/3B, Louisiana

After two years of playing at the community college level, Robertson instantly became a major piece of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ offense from the moment he arrived in Lafayette, being one of just two players to start all 55 games while leading Louisiana in runs (38) and tying for the team lead in hits (57). But it was Robertson’s rapid pace on the basepaths that solidified his place in his first year in the Sun Belt Conference, finishing with 20 stolen bases to finish second in the league. Robertson should man the leadoff spot for the majority of games this year—as he did last season—as the Alabama native could truly break out into the national spotlight this year for the defending Sun Belt West Division champions.