Tag: MLB Draft

2021 Draft Prospect: Luke Albright – RHP – Kent State

Player: Luke Albright Scout Date: 2/21/2021 vs. Virginia Tech

Organization: Kent State Position(s): RHP

Height: 6’4” Weight: 215 lbs. Bats: Right Throws: Right

Fastball: Sits low 90s, touches 95. Some downhill plane with limited arm-side run. Can miss high arm-side too often. Ball flattens and becomes hittable when overthrown reaching back for extra velo. Most effective 91-93.

Change: Good arm speed, falls late. Best pitch on the day. Long been considered a distant fourth offering, made real strides and showing better command of pitch.

Slider: Two versions, cutting and breaking. Breaker in low-80s, cut action mid-80s. Shape gets slurvy at times but still sharp rather than loopy just with two-plane break. Cut action at higher velo is single plane break with late run that draws soft contact rather than a swing and miss offering.

Curve: 12-6 typically that occasionally moves over to a 1-7 break. Big looper. Arm speed doesn’t vary keeping hitters off balance. Break goes from shoulder to knees. Potential plus offering.

Delivery/Mechanics: Traditional 3/4 slot with good extension. Gets good leg drive. High leg kick in stretch leaves him susceptible to quality base runners. Missed zone with first five offerings on the day. Has body and delivery of a starter. Mild late effort. Command inconsistent and needs to be ironed out to make it although it improved throughout the game.

Summary: Not going to wow anyone, but four to five quality offerings (if you want to consider the cut action slider a pitch of its own) that can keep hitters off balance. Body and delivery suggest longevity as an innings eater. Limited ceiling but floor is rather high. Don’t see him becoming anything more than a number four starter, but could be a fast moving arm that should be a safe bet to be a mainstay at the back end of a rotation.

2020 MLB Draft Countdown: 34-1

With all the craziness going on in the world, a family road trip, and ongoing negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA, I simply ran out of time to do the full breakdown of each player. So here I put my final 34 in list form and will do a deeper dive post draft. A few notes as I look at it, lots of discussion as to who goes number one, I think Torkelson goes number one, but my pick would be Austin Martin. I like his bat and ability to play a premium position. Pete Crow-Armstrong I doubt slides to 20 as the amount of time he had in front of scouts pre-COVID may help him as much as any prep player in the draft. The first round will be college heavy for numerous reasons, the biggest two being the lack of access to bonus slot flexibility as a result of the shortened draft and HS players not scouted as much as college players have given the early end to the season,

34) Bobby Miller – RHP – Louisville
33) Carson Montgomery – RHP – West Orange HS (FL)
32) C.J. Van Eyk – RHP – Florida State
31) Bryce Jarvis – RHP – Duke
30) Chris McMahon – RHP – Miami
29) Nick Loftin – SS – Baylor
28) Casey Martin – SS – Arkansas
27) Dillon Dingler – C – Ohio State
26) Jordan Westburg – SS – Mississippi State
25) Carmen Mlodzinski – RHP – South Carolina
24) J.T. Ginn – RHP – Mississippi State
23) Slade Cecconi – RHP – Miami
22) Cole Wilcox – RHP – Georgia
21) Robert Hassell – OF – Independence HS (TN)
20) Pete Crow-Armstrong – OF – Harvard Westlake HS (CA)
19) Cade Cavalli – RHP – Oklahoma
18) Tyler Soderstom – C – Turlock HS (CA)
17) Ed Howard – SS – Mount Carmel HS (IL)
16) Garrett Crochet – LHP – Tennessee
15) Nick Bitsko – RHP – Central Bucks East HS (PA)
14) Mick Abel – RHP – Jesuit HS (OR)
13) Austin Hendrick – OF – West Allegheny HS (PA)
12) Patrick Bailey – C – North Carolina State
11) Jared Kelley – RHP – Refugio HS (TX)
10) Heston Kjerstad – OF – Arkansas
9) Max Meyer – RHP – Minnesota
8) Reid Detmers – LHP – Louisville
7) Zac Veen – OF – Spruce Creek HS (FL)
6) Garrett Mitchell – OF – UCLA
5) Nick Gonzales – 2B – New Mexico State
4) Asa Lacy – LHP – Texas A&M
3) Emerson Hancock – RHP – Georgia
2) Spencer Torkelson – 1B – Arizona State
1) Austin Martin – SS – Vanderbilt

MLB Draft Countdown: #35, Austin Wells, Arizona, C/1B

Player: Austin Wells		Draft Day Age: 20
School: Arizona		Position(s): C/1B
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 220 lbs.	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
Hit: Elite. He can hit for average, he can hit for power, he can flat out hit. The bat gets to the ball quickly and without wasted movement. This is his carrying tool and it will offset the concerns regarding his position.
Field: Here is the question, where will he play? He has good hands and feet behind the dish, but the arm is not accurate or strong enough to ever be even average, which could prove to be an issue. Some feel he can move out to left, but the lack of speed leaves plenty of concern regarding his range. That leaves him at first, where his bat can play.
Summary: No question he can hit, and there are some who truly feel he will stick behind the plate, which would make him an incredibly valuable. I think the catcher is the most valuable defensive position on the diamond, so I am not sold he sticks there, therefore I am lower on him than some. Also, a bat as advances as Wells’ will be able to move through a system quickly, not allowing him the time to develop defensively. This all points to him being a first baseman long term, and that just hurts his overall value, although the pure bat tools are among the best in the class.

MLB Draft Countdown: #36, Tanner Burns, Auburn, RHP

Player: Tanner Burns		Draft Day Age: 21
School: Auburn		Position(s): RHP
Height: 6’	Weight: 210 lbs.	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Fastball: 92-97 but sits 92-94. Runs arm side. Mild downhill plane. Cross body action keeps ball hidden and allows pitch to get on hitters quick playing near plus despite being slightly above average in terms of raw stuff.
Change: 82-83. Some dip and run. Used sparingly and needs work to become consistent. Flashes average and a nice third offering.
Curve: 78-81, can be slurvy. Best at lower velo. Even when into the 80s it has plenty of depth and curveball break. May be pitch with highest upside.
Delivery/Mechanics: Cross body action with 3/4 arm slot and falls to 1B side. Plenty of strain through the shoulder and proven to be the case with shoulder concerns sophomore year and regularly wears down as season goes on.
Summary: A lot of good pieces, no special pieces, Burns gets as much out of his stuff as anyone in the draft class. He has above average command of his pitches despite some concern in the delivery, allowing all of his pitches to play up. He has been a workhorse for Auburn, but there is some concern about his ability to stick as a starter long term. If he does, the change really needs to gain consistency and he needs to prove he can handle the workload. If he moves to the pen, his breaking ball alone will make him a quality big league reliever.