| Player: Jack Leiter Scout Date: 3/20/2021 vs. South Carolina |
| Organization: Vanderbilt Position(s): RHP |
| Height: 6’ Weight: 195 lbs. Bats: Right Throws: Right |
| Fastball: Absolutely dominant pitch on day. 90-97, sat 95. Final pitch (number 124) was 96. True 4-seamer, occasional arm side run but typically pretty straight. Rising look when working up in zone. Gets solid downhill plane despite shorter stature. |
| Change: 83-85. Far and away his fourth best offering on most days, was only off-speed working early in outing. Flashed plenty of arm side run. Inconsistent and rarely used currently but flashed easy above average upside. |
| Slider: 79-82 big 2-8 breaker that shows plus at times. Had no command of it on day, regularly missing glove side or bouncing. Mixing in cutter that runs. Seen this be his best pitch on days, this day it was just not working for him. |
| Curve: 76-77, 12-6 break, many scouts like this as best offering. No feel for it in first 7 innings on day. Best came in 8th and was unquestioned plus in one good offering. Consistency needs to be better. More loop than big faller. Plays close enough to slider batter doesn’t know where it will end. |
| Delivery/Mechanics: 3/4 to high-3/4 slot. Big leg kick in stretch and windup. Tons of drop and drive. Lands with very wide base. Fights against front leg some leading to late effort. Base combined with violence at the finish screams future arm issues. Ability to use legs suggest staying as starter highly likely. |
| Summary: No-hitter on the day with 16 Ks and one BB. Absolutely dominant on day despite none of the secondary offerings working. One pitch pitcher for 7 of the innings and couldn’t be touched. Overall, there is some longevity concerns with the effort late, but has established himself as a real 1-1 candidate. Outing after he went 7 hitless before being removed. Pure stuff he is on-par with Kumar Rocker, prior knock was lack of track record against high level talent, no longer a factor. Ace upside, injury risk, quick mover with aggressive approach on mound. |
Tag: MLB Draft
2022 MLB Draft Prospect – Elijah Green – OF – IMG Academy
| Player: Elijah Green Scout Date: 2/25-2/27/2021 |
| Organization: IMG Academy Position(s): OF |
| Height: 6’3” Weight: 215 lbs. Bats: Right Throws: Right |
| Hit: Mild leg kick in stride, bat lives in a 45-degree plane covering the whole zone. Shows quality zone awareness. Solid balance through swing. Swung and missed on quality curve early in AB, same pitch later in AB turned on for double. |
| Power: Ball jumps. XBH machine. Doesn’t get cheated on hacks. HR in big league ballpark. Mature body but still room to add strength. True plus power potential. |
| Run: 7.60 home to second on dribbler to center turned hustle double. Steals bases with ease. Concern the speed will slow to average in time based on frame, but a weapon today. |
| Arm: Scouts have had him up to 93 in the OF in showcases, take a few MPH off to account for game action and still above-average to plus. Wasn’t tested in weekend I watched. |
| Glove: Bad route led to dropped fly ball that should have been caught. Athleticism currently makes up for raw routes. May be lone concern currently but likely to improve. |
| Summary: There is a reason Green is listed as the top prospect for 2022. He opened the tournament at Globe Life with a rough game but bounced back in games two and three with dominant performances. Most athletic player on field anytime he steps onto it, plus raw power, advanced approach at the plate with an efficient swing. Would not surprise me to see true five-tool player grades on him, some concern about future speed and the D has room to improve. Real shot to go 1-1! |
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
THREE QUARTER SLOT 