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MIDSEASON PROSPECTS UPDATE: ALLNEW TOP 100 RANKING, PLUS RISERS AND FALLERS

PROSPECTS WE LOVE

PLUS i NEXT UP: HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL NAMES YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR 2022 AND BEYOND

i SEATTLE’S TALENT

PIPELINE FLOWS THROUGH EVERETT

i CATCH A RISING STAR: GABRIEL MORENO & FRANCISCO ALVAREZ

i AMATEUR HOUR: PLAYERS OF THE YEAR AND MORE AWARDS FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE BASEBALL

i FUTURES GAME: YOUNG STARS POINT TO BRIGHT TOMORROW

FIRST-ROUND RIGHTHANDERS GEORGE KIRBY AND EMERSON HANCOCK LOOK LIKE FUTURE FIXTURES IN THE MARINERS’ ROTATION

AUGUST 2021 | ON SALE UNTIL 09/07/21

AUGUST Leading Off

AUGUST 2021 VOLUME 41, ISSUE 08

MIDSEASON PROSPECTS UPDATE 11. Back To The Future Top prospects have been called up.

The 2021 draft is complete.

We turn our attention to 2022.

12. Kirby’s Dream World George Kirby has as much helium as any prospect and headlines a wave of power pitchers trekking to Seattle.

13. Midseason Top 100 We reshuffle the deck of our signature Top 100 Prospects ranking at the halfway point.

15. Catching On Precocious catchers Gabriel Moreno and Francisco Alvarez draw raves from scouts for their offensive upsides.

Adley Rutschman (right) and Bobby Witt Jr., the top two picks in the 2019 draft, move into two of the top three spots on our Top 100.

18. Stock Watch Three players who had moved up dramatically from their preseason station, plus two who had moved down.

19. Best Of The Best Standout performers at the Futures Game give fans a glimpse of a bright tomorrow.

08. Numbers Game We choose a midseason minor league player of the year for each of the 30 organizations

NEXT UP 22. Coming To Fruition Brooks Lee blossoms into a top draft prospect under his father’s tutelage at Cal Poly.

PLUS: Impact infielders and catchers headline the top 10 college prospects for 2022 23

MARY DECICCO/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

25. PG National Best Tools

10

The top high school prospects for 2022 who started the showcase circuit with a bang.

PLUS: Georgia dominates the early ranking of top 10 high school prospects for 2022 26

28. His Own Story Hedbert Perez may be the son of a Venezuelan baseball icon, but the Brewers prospect is forging his own identity.

3

AUGUST Leading Off AUGUST 2021 VOLUME 41, ISSUE 08

“Will Bednar recorded a 1.47 ERA across three College World Series starts, striking out 26 and allowing five hits in 18.1 innings.”

32

THE CWS MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER HELPED SECURE MISSISSIPPI STATE’S FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A DOMINATING GAME 3 START IN THE FINALS

COLUMN

52. Haul Pass

58. Cooper

Four 2021 draft classes that caught

.

32. The Final Piece

54. To Sign Or Not?

Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis was known as a recruiter. Now he will be remembered as a champion.

High school prospects must weigh the value of a college experience when deciding whether to turn pro at 18.

34. Historic Finish Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter become the first teammates to win top college player and freshman awards in same year.

High School Player of the Year Jackson Jobe does things on the field that few have seen.

MIDSEASON PROSPECTS UPDATE: ALLNEW TOP 100 RANKING, PLUS RISERS AND FALLERS

PROSPECTS WE LOVE

PLUS i NEXT UP: HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL NAMES YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR 2022 AND BEYOND

i SEATTLE’S TALENT

PIPELINE FLOWS THROUGH EVERETT

i CATCH A RISING STAR: GABRIEL MORENO & FRANCISCO ALVAREZ

i AMATEUR HOUR: PLAYERS OF THE YEAR AND MORE AWARDS FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE BASEBALL

i FUTURES GAME: YOUNG STARS POINT TO BRIGHT TOMORROW

38. Organization Reports

MAJORS

MINORS

49. The Future Is Now

50. Up To Speed

Baseball’s golden age of young talent takes center stage at the All-Star Game.

Karsten Whitson turned down life-changing money to fulfill a lifelong dream to pitch for Florida.

56. Scout Spotlight

PROSPECTS Athletics shortstop Nick Allen improved his offensive output at Double-A, while his steady glove helped earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

PLUS: Prospect reports for all 30 clubs.

06. Women In Baseball

07. Phenom To Farm

ON THE COVER

26

EXTRAS Senior data analyst Emilee Fragapane helps Dodgers players and coaches think big.

ELIJAH GREEN

36. Rare Air

Pairing the draft with the Futures Game created sensory overload for fans and those in the industry.

Quality of play in the fullseason minors has suffered from the lost 2020 season.

FIRST-ROUND RIGHTHANDERS GEORGE KIRBY AND EMERSON HANCOCK LOOK LIKE FUTURE FIXTURES IN THE MARINERS’ ROTATION

AUGUST 2021 | ON SALE UNTIL 09/07/21

A Blue Jays area scout Coulson Barbiche gets a well-rounded look at firstround pick Alek Manoah.

COVER PHOTO BY PATRICK KROHN/ FOUR SEAM IMAGES

ON DECK FOR SEPTEMBER: Best Tools winners return for the major and minor leagues after a year away. PLUS: Ranking the top college prospects of summer and looking ahead to the top incoming freshman classes.

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AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

JUSTIN TAFOYA/NCAA PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES; MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

AMATEUR AWARDS

DRAFT

Leading Off

Women In Baseball

ESTABLISHED 1981 - PO BOX 12877, DURHAM, NC 27709 - (800) 845-2726

MEET THE WOMEN WHO ARE BLAZING A TRAIL IN THE INDUSTRY. EDITOR AND PUBLISHER B.J. Schecter @bjschecter EXECUTIVE EDITORS J.J. Cooper @jjcoop36, Matt Eddy @MattEddyBA CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Don Hintze DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Mark Chiarelli @Mark_Chiarelli

Emilee Fragapane (left), with Dodgers director of performance science Megan Schroeder, takes pride in her organization’s ability to digest big data into small bites that help create a competitive advantage.

EDITORIAL SENIOR EDITOR Josh Norris @jnorris427 SENIOR WRITER Ben Badler @benbadler NATIONAL WRITERS Teddy Cahill @tedcahill, Carlos Collazo @CarlosACollazo, Kyle Glaser @KyleAGlaser ASSOCIATE EDITOR Chris Hilburn-Trenkle @ChrisTrenkle STAFF WRITER Joe Healy @JoeHealyBA CONTRIBUTING WRITER Alexis Brudnicki @baseballexis WEB EDITOR Kayla Lombardo @KaylaLombardo11 SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR Tim Newcomb @tdnewcomb PRODUCTION CREATIVE DIRECTOR James Alworth GRAPHIC DESIGNER Leah Tyner BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY MANAGER Brent Lewis MARKETING/OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Angela Lewis CUSTOMER SERVICE Melissa Sunderman WHERE TO DIRECT QUESTIONS BACK ISSUES To order, visit https//www.baseballamerica.com/back-issues/ ADVERTISING don.hintze@baseballamerica.com COLLEGES ted.cahill@baseballamerica.com DESIGN/PRODUCTION james.alworth@baseballamerica.com DRAFT carlos.collazo@baseballamerica.com HIGH SCHOOLS carlos.collazo@baseballamerica.com INDEPENDENT LEAGUES jj.cooper@baseballamerica.com INTERNATIONAL ben.badler@baseballamerica.com MAJOR LEAGUES kyle.glaser@baseballamerica.com MINOR LEAGUES/BUSINESS josh.norris@baseballamerica.com PROSPECTS kyle.glaser@baseballamerica.com REPRINTS angela.lewis@baseballamerica.com SUBSCRIPTIONS/CUSTOMER SERVICE customerservice@baseballamerica.com WEBSITE mark.chiarelli@baseballamerica.com

A true team effort is rewarded Senior data analyst Emilee Fragapane helps Dodgers players and coaches think big

by ALEXIS BRUDNICKI

When looking to keep things simple, Emilee Fragapane likens her role with the Dodgers to something out of “Moneyball.”

Of course, as a senior data analyst, she’s become accustomed to finding the easiest way to describe to others what she does and how things work, in a way they can understand. Those kinds of translations also tidily sum up one piece of her vast role of duties with the team.

With a background in econometrics and statistics, and experience in all areas of the game, Fragapane is currently in her ninth season with the Dodgers. Over that time, she has transitioned into more of a coach- and player-facing role than ever before, translating and communicating the applications of big data to answer baseball questions for the people who need to use it on the field.

“Ten years ago, when I first started in baseball, analytics was the next big thing,” Fragapane said. “It was a competitive advantage teams were just starting to look into, and at this point it’s required in a lot of ways. So the prevalence and amount of resources the team puts into analytics-type, “Moneyball”-type resources and different pathways, and using it for a competitive advantage, has increased a lot.”

As the industry has evolved its understanding and necessity for analytics, Fragapane’s learning curve veered in the opposite direction.

“I came in with an analytics background and almost feel that I’ve spent 10 years becoming a student of the 6

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

game,” the Northern California native said. “Obviously I was a pretty big baseball fan going in, but learning the ins and outs and understanding the realities on the field, what coaches have to think about, what players have to think about, that’s made me better in an analyst-type role. It’s almost the reverse learning process, how to apply analytics to what’s going on in the real world that coaches and players have to think about.”

Knowing firsthand the evolution that the industry has experienced over the last decade, Fragapane also has a unique insight into just how much the future might hold.

“The point we’re at, the types of

resources and data that we’re starting to collect, the possibilities are endless,” Fragapane said. “We are entering an era where we are dealing with truly big data, so coming up with ways to handle that is going to be a challenge that a lot of teams are going to face.

But where we’re at has an extremely high ceiling in terms of where analytics can be applied and a lot of the holes and what we can understand using the analytical tools, versus baseball and coaching and scouting tools.”

Fragapane’s work is seemingly endless, and almost every answer sparks new questions. But after getting glimpses of how the work can come to fruition on the field in a positive way, last year’s championship became the culmination of just what an entire team effort can do.

“It was incredible,” Fragapane said.

“I was lucky enough to be there at the World Series, despite everything, which I’m really grateful for. That was my ninth season and we’ve won the division every season I’ve been here, and we obviously hadn’t made it all the way, so every employee felt how special it was. After nine years, my entire career, it was really special to finally go and make it all the way.

“Just seeing it all finally happen, to feel like you were a part of something so big, even the small part I personally played, to feel like you were a part of that is an unbeatable feeling.” Q

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Leading Off

From Phenom To The Farm FORMER BALLPLAYERS REFLECT ON PRO SUCCESS AND FAILURE

TONY FARLOW/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

NO SECOND THOUGHTS Karsten Whitson turned down life-changing money to fulfill a lifelong dream

by KYLE BANDUJO

At 18 years old, Karsten Whitson was given a choice that many who haven’t walked in his shoes would consider a no-brainer.

After the righthander was drafted ninth overall by the Padres in 2010 out of Chipley (Fla.) High, the organization offered him upward of $2 million to begin his professional career.

Except it hadn’t been Whitson’s childhood dream to become a Eugene Emerald or Fort Wayne TinCap—or even a Padre. He had grown up wanting to pitch in a different jersey.

Whitson grew up the child of University of Florida fans and had long dreamed of pitching the Gators to the College World Series. He was firmly committed to play for coach Kevin O’Sullivan.

For Whitson, accepting that signing bonus from San Diego meant giving up that lifelong dream of heading to Gainesville. Negotiations between Whitson and the Padres went down nearly to the deadline.

Whitson eventually decided in favor of enrolling at Florida, turning down the lucrative bonus and opportunity to begin a pro career. He had the support of his family, but faced plenty of criticism and second-guessing regarding his decision to turn down “life-changing” money.

The decision also carried lofty expectations when it came to his time with the Gators. He was the highest drafted player in 2010 to make

Trap Toon by

PAUL TRAP

it to campus, but he was entering the fray with an already-loaded Florida squad coming off of a trip to Omaha.

Like most freshmen, Whitson took his lumps at fall ball, but by spring 2011 he had secured a role as the Gators’ Sunday starter. He finished that year by starting two games in the 2011 College World Series, fulfilling his childhood dream and making good on his decision to head to college.

For as much promise as Whitson’s first season had shown, the rest of his college tenure was much more uneven. During his sophomore year he began to have arm trouble. He pitched through pain during another trip to Omaha.

Whitson missed his entire junior year—the year he was once again eligible for the draft— with shoulder surgery, and by the time he returned to the mound as a fourth-year junior in 2014 he had gone from potential first overall pick to a pitcher struggling to contribute.

Whitson was no longer the same pitcher who had gone ninth overall. His shoulder injury necessitated that he reinvent himself on the mound. That took time—time a team trying to set a rotation for a College World Series run doesn’t usually have.

Whitson spent much of the season far-removed from his previous role as a rotation mainstay, but the one-time first-rounder had one

glimmer of promise left. In the championship game of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Whitson took the ball out of necessity for a depleted Gators staff and fired six shutout innings against Louisiana State.

Whitson signed with the Red Sox as an 11th-round pick in 2014, but arm troubles limited him to just four professional games.

Far from regretful about his college decision, Whitson instead took his experiences and enthusiasm for baseball into coaching. He is currently an assistant at the University of South Florida and dreams of getting back to the College World Series, this time as a coach. Q

Drafted ninth overall out of high school in 2010, righthander Karsten Whitson turned down a seven-figure bonus offer from the Padres so that he could pitch for the University of Florida.

BA Podcast From Phenon To The Farm Host Kyle Bandujo talks with two prominent former players each month to reminisce about their playing days and what they learned on their journey from amateur ball to the professional ranks.

Bandujo has episodes featuring Billy Butler, Eric O’Flaherty, Russ Ortiz, Will Venable and many more. Subscribe today.

paultrap@BaseballAmerica.com

7

Leading Off

Numbers Game AN ANALYTICALLY INCLINED LOOK AT THE GAME

FIRST-HALF STANDOUTS A midseason minor league player of the year for all 30 organizations

by MATT EDDY

With the Futures Game in the rear-view mirror, we took stock of minor league players of the year for all 30 organizations at midseason.

The criteria used is simply best performance by a prospect. Statistics are through

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

CHICAGO CUBS

ALEK THOMAS, OF

BRENNEN DAVIS, OF

DOUBLE-A AMARILLO Thomas adapted to Double-A to deliver a well-rounded .273/.366/.481 batting line with five home runs in 47 games. He led off for the National League team at the Futures Game.

Age: 21

DOUBLE-A TENNESSEE Before launching two home runs at the Futures Game to take MVP honors, Davis hit .287/.386/.507 with six homers and five steals in 39 games in his first taste of the upper levels. Age: 21

ATLANTA BRAVES

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

JESSE FRANKLIN, OF

JAKE BURGER, 3B

HIGH-A ROME The Braves liked Franklin’s power-speed combo at Michigan and drafted him in the third round in 2020 even though he missed the year with an injury. He hit .268/.332/.568 with 14 homers and 14 steals in 53 games. Age: 22

TRIPLE-A CHARLOTTE The 2017 first-rounder out of Missouri State returned from three lost seasons to hit .322/.368/.596 with 10 homers in 42 games in hitter-friendly Charlotte. Burger earned his first big league callup in July. Age: 25

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

CINCINNATI REDS

GRAYSON RODRIGUEZ, RHP

NICK LODOLO, LHP

DOUBLE-A BOWIE The young fireballer muscled his way into the best pitching prospect in baseball conversation with a 2.02 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and a strikeout rate of 13.2 per nine innings through 12 starts. He led all qualified minor league starters with a swinging-strike rate of 20%. Age: 21

DOUBLE-A CHATTANOOGA The 6-foot-6 southpaw laid waste to Double-A South competition in the first half, compiling a 0.84 ERA in seven starts with 46 strikeouts, six walks and no home runs allowed. Only blister issues could slow him. Age: 23

COLORADO ROCKIES

HOUSTON ASTROS

WILLIE MacIVER, C

MATTHEW BAREFOOT, OF

DOUBLE-A HARTFORD The Rockies had no obvious POY candidate, but MacIver gets the nod because he has come a long way since his University of Washington days, when he was as much a third baseman as a catcher. He hit .268/.378/.542 with 13 homers in 53 games and earned a trip to the Futures Game in Denver. Age: 24

HIGH-A ASHEVILLE A number of Astros players had stepped forward in the first half, including Jake Meyers and Joe Perez. But none had opened eyes quite like Barefoot, a 2019 sixth-rounder from Campbell. He shows an ability to lift the ball, and hit .317/.377/.593 with 13 homers in 50 games.

Age: 23

DETROIT TIGERS

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

BOSTON RED SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS

SPENCER TORKELSON, 3B/1B

NICK PRATTO, 1B

JARREN DURAN, OF

TYLER FREEMAN, SS

TRIPLE-A WORCESTER Duran began tapping into power at the alternate site last year and then in the Puerto Rican League in the offseason. That power was on display at Triple-A as he batted .276/.372/.573 with 15 homers in 45 games. Age: 24

DOUBLE-A AKRON Freeman kept doing his thing in his first taste of Double-A, hitting .327/.377/.469 to push his career minor league average to .320.

He also saw time at second base and third base as he neared Cleveland. Age: 22

DOUBLE-A ERIE It would be hard to go wrong with either Torkelson or Riley Greene, but Tork, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State, is the choice here. He overcame a slow start to hit .294/.416/.583 with 12 homers in 52 games.

Age: 21

DOUBLE-A NORTHWEST ARKANSAS Even in a system boasting Bobby Witt Jr., Pratto’s offensive excellence stood out. He hit .276/.407/.593 with 14 home runs and 41 walks in 54 games, showcasing his improved hitting approach. He and Witt moved to Triple-A after the Futures Game. Age: 22

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AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; DANIEL SHIREY/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

July 11, the day of the Futures Game and the rough midpoint of the season.

MIAMI MARLINS

MAX MEYER, RHP DOUBLE-A PENSACOLA The Marlins tabbed Meyer with the third overall pick in 2020 and watched him carve at Double-A in his pro debut. Through 11 starts he recorded a 1.67 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 27 walks in 54 innings. Age: 22

Reds lefthander Nick Lodolo shined at the Futures Game, throwing a clean inning with one strikeout. He had a dominating first half at Double-A.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

GARRETT MITCHELL, OF

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe broke out in a big way at Low-A Tampa, showing a glimpse of all five tools. The 2019 first-rounder was one of the breakout prospects of 2021.

DOUBLE-A BILOXI The 2020 first-rounder out of UCLA aced his High-A test to move to Double-A late in the first half. Overall he batted .321/.461/.536 with five homers, 12 steals and a 29-35 walk-strikeout mark. Age: 22 MINNESOTA TWINS

JOSE MIRANDA, 3B TRIPLE-A ST. PAUL Miranda could always hit. This year he added power and dominated the upper levels, batting .340/.407/.589 with 16 home runs in 59 games across Double-A and Triple-A. Age: 23 NEW YORK METS

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ, C HIGH-A BROOKLYN The Mets’ No. 1 prospect was one of the hardest-hitting teenagers in the first half.

He batted .296/.427/.547 with nine home runs in 50 games and added a bomb in the Futures Game. Age: 19 NEW YORK YANKEES

ANTHONY VOLPE, SS LOW-A TAMPA In a half-season of standout performances for Yankees prospects, it was Volpe, the 2019 first-rounder out of high school, who stood out most. He hit .302/.455/.623 with 12 home runs, 21 stolen bases and 51 walks. Age: 20 OAKLAND ATHLETICS

TYLER SODERSTROM, C/1B LOS ANGELES ANGELS

REID DETMERS, LHP DOUBLE-A ROCKET CITY The 2020 first-rounder out of Louisville pitched to a 3.60 ERA through 11 starts with a minor league-leading 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Increased fastball velocity up to 98 mph had keyed his breakout, but Detmers’ four-pitch arsenal has him on target for a spot high in the Angels’ rotation. Age: 22

LOW-A STOCKTON The A’s nabbed Soderstrom 26th overall in 2020 and got one of the steals of the draft. The lefthanded-hitting catcher batted .311/.396/.560 with nine home runs in 48 games. Age: 19

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

TAMPA BAY RAYS

JORDAN WALKER, 3B

SHANE BAZ, RHP

HIGH-A PEORIA Walker decimated Low-A competition on his way to becoming the first high school player drafted in 2020 to reach High-A. All told, he hit .326/.416/.582 with six home runs in 37 games.

Age: 19

TRIPLE-A DURHAM Few organizations cultivate pitching like the Rays, who have another ridiculously talented arm on the horizon. Baz rounded out his repertoire in the upper minors this season and logged a 2.09 ERA with 77 strikeouts and eight walks through 11 starts. Age: 22

SAN DIEGO PADRES

ROBERT HASSELL, OF

TEXAS RANGERS

LOW-A LAKE ELSINORE The eighth overall pick in 2020 stands out for his all-around game in a Padres system thinned by trades and graduations. Hassell hit .288/.371/.447 in 55 games with four homers, 20 steals and 30 walks. Age: 19

COLE WINN, RHP DOUBLE-A FRISCO The BA High School Player of the Year and Rangers first-rounder in 2018 had no trouble adapting to Double-A in the first half. He put up a 2.49 ERA in 11 starts with 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Age: 21

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

MARCO LUCIANO, SS

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

BRYSON STOTT, SS

LOW-A SAN JOSE One of the more eagerly awaited full-season debuts belonged to Luciano, who did not disappoint. He hit .262/.357/.539 in 54 games with a Low-A West-leading 14 home runs. Age: 19

GABRIEL MORENO, C

DOUBLE-A READING Stott stood out in a thin Phillies system. He quickly hit his way to Double-A and overall hit .258/.380/.453 in 53 games with nine homers and 38 walks. Age: 23

DOUBLE-A NEW HAMPSHIRE Moreno’s first half ended on June 25 with a fractured thumb, but he had been a revelation prior to that, batting .373/.441/.651 with eight home runs in 32 games. Age: 21

SEATTLE MARINERS

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

MIGUEL VARGAS, 3B

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

JULIO RODRIGUEZ, OF

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

DOUBLE-A TULSA The Cuban standout added power to his game and had already nearly doubled his previous career high for home runs. Vargas hit .298/.359/.529 with 13 home runs and 13 doubles in 59 games while advancing from High-A to Double-A. Age: 21

ROANSY CONTRERAS, RHP

DOUBLE-A ARKANSAS Rodriguez left us wanting more with the way he finished at High-A in 2019. This season, Rodriguez hit .320/.424/.553 with seven homers in 38 games while also helping the Dominican Republic qualify for the Olympics.

Age: 20

CADE CAVALLI, RHP

DOUBLE-A ALTOONA A forearm injury sidelined Contreras in July, but his first-half performance made him an up-arrow prospect. He pitched to a 2.35 ERA in nine starts with 65 strikeouts and 11 walks in 46 innings. Age: 21

DOUBLE-A HARRISBURG The 20th overall pick in 2020, Cavalli’s high90s heat was too much for High-A hitters to handle. He advanced quickly to Double-A, and through 11 total starts had a 2.47 ERA with a minor league-leading 103 strikeouts. Age: 22 9

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AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

MARY DECICCO/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES; DUSTIN BRADFORD/GETTY IMAGES; EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN #1 PROSPECT

M I D S E A S O N P R O S P E C T U P DAT E

BACK TO THE FUTURE Top prospects have been called up.

The 2021 draft is complete.

We begin to turn our attention to 2022.

A

Adley Rutschman

s the major league season heads for the home stretch, the promise of prospect season nears.

#

By this time of year, most of the top prospects

2

Julio Rodriguez

#

3

4

have already been called up. The draft is complete

and its players have signed. Even minor leaguers have had time to work through the rust of a disruptive 2020 and better reflect their true abilities.

For these reasons, we headed back to the prospect drawing board and rebuilt our Top 100 Prospects ranking from the ground up. For the ranking contained in this issue, we

Bobby Witt Jr.

considered only players who were in the minor leagues as of late July. This keeps the feature more evergreen and its focus more on lining up talent for 2022.

#

Out with the old. In with the new.

MIKE CARLSON/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

BOBBY WITT JR. #3 PROSPECT

#

1 ROBERT BECK/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

#

Spencer Torkelson

#

5

6

Alek Manoah or Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran—may be prospect-eligible as you read this, they won’t be for long.

The new information we could add to the conversation about Franco, Kelenic, Manoah or Duran pales in comparison to what we can add about the next wave of prospects who will take their places.

Come along with us as we head back to the future. The

71

Developing young catchers requires patience, but the Blue Jays’ Gabriel Moreno and the Mets’ Francisco Alvarez have rare offensive upside that could hasten the young Venezuelans’ paths to the big leagues.

JULIO RODRIGUEZ #2 PROSPECT

Change is inevitable. That includes our prospect rankings. Stock Watch gets you up to speed on five prospects who were moving upward or downward as of midseason.

Only the best of the best get invited to the Futures Game. We review which players grabbed the national spotlight in Denver at the premier showcase for pro prospects.

BEN VANHOUTEN/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

CJ Abrams

# RODGER WOOD/DIAMOND IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

The Mariners used three straight first-round picks on college pitchers. Now, High-A Everett righthanders George Kirby and Emerson Hancock are on the fast track to join Logan Gilbert in Seattle’s rotation of the future.

Marco Luciano

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midseason Top 100 Prospects ranking begins on this page. ■

INSIDE

Riley Greene

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LARRY GOREN/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

Kelenic—or even emerging talents like Blue Jays righthander

Grayson Rodriguez

Noelvi Marte

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shortstop Wander Franco or Mariners outfielder Jarred

MIKE CARLSON/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

So while preseason top 10 overall prospects such as Rays

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Gabriel Moreno

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GEORGE KIRBY, RHP MARINERS AGE: 23. BT: RR. HT: 64. WT: 215.

COLLEGE: Elon.

DRAFTED: Selected by Mariners in first round (20th overall) of 2019 draft.

PROJECTED SCOUTING GRADES FASTBALL CURVEBALL SLIDER CHANGEUP CONTROL

70 50 60 60 60

“Kirby is pretty simple,” a scout said at the time. “He fills the zone and can throw strikes

KIRBY’S DREAM WORLD George Kirby has as much helium as any prospect in baseball.

Along with Emerson Hancock, he headlines a wave of power pitchers making their way to Seattle. by

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That reputation as a control artist only strengthened in his pro debut, when Kirby spun 23 innings in the short-season Northwest League without allowing a walk. His encore performance was delayed a year by the pandemic, which led to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season and forced all development to be done either at a team’s alternate training site or

ong before they worked together,

same intriguing qualities in Kirby that were on

righthander George Kirby was on Sean

display as a high schooler.

McGrath’s radar.

“He was in Rye, N.Y., pitching

“He was athletic and super coordinated,”

via remote work or at instructional league.

Kirby was one of the prospects invited to the Mariners’ alternate site in Tacoma, and

McGrath said. “He was a strike-thrower in high

his progress began to show in big ways during

at Rye (High), and I was at Iona in New

school, and at the time (his fastball) was 88-90,

the following spring training. That’s when he

Rochelle,” McGrath said, “so I had seen him

91-92 (mph). And it was almost like he had an

unveiled a fastball that had jumped way, way up,

a handful of times throughout his high school

attachment to the strike zone at times, like an

all the way to 102 mph.

career, which is pretty cool.

unwillingness to leave it.”

“It felt great,” Kirby said. “When that hap-

“Fast-forward to the fall of 2017 and I

Even as Kirby’s stuff ticked up during three

get the opportunity to coach the guy I never

years at Elon, his attachment to the strike zone

comes out nice and easy, you’re not really trying

thought I’d be able to get at Iona.”

never wavered. He walked six batters in 14 starts

to overthrow, and it just comes out.”

pens, your arm just feels so good. Everything

The fall of 2017 is when Kirby landed at

as a junior and earned the nod as having the best

Elon, where McGrath had become the pitch-

control among college pitchers in the 2019 draft

season. The 23-year-old recorded a 2.56 ERA

ing coach. At that point, McGrath saw the

class. The Mariners drafted him 20th overall.

through eight starts with 50 strikeouts, eight

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

Kirby came out firing at High-A Everett this

PATRICK KROHN/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

George Kirby has shown precocious control dating back to his high school days in New York state. His prospect stock skyrocketed when he began to top 100mph at the Mariners’ alternate site last year. Kirby is now one of the best pitching prospects in baseball.

JOSH NORRIS

with every pitch.”

walks and one home run allowed in 38.2 innings.

TOP 100 PROSPECTS

Beyond his velocity spike, Kirby’s changeup also

THE LIST

made impressive strides. Scouts liked it as his best secondary pitch as an amateur, but a change in the way he throws the pitch—based on analytical feedback—has turned it into an even more potent

Only prospects in the minor leagues as of July 27 were considered for the midseason Top 100 Prospects ranking.

weapon.

The sheer separation in velocity between his fastball and changeup, which is usually around 10 mph, is excellent enough. But now a tweak in the

No. Player

way Kirby grips the pitch has created a version

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with deeper break.

“Just the idea of having a 10 mile per hour difference is meaningful,” Mariners pitching coordinator Max Weiner said. “When he’s able to do that and then move the ball toward the outer part of his hand, (while) being driven by the pinkie and ring finger, he’s able to generate meaningful side spin.

“So he’s pushing the ball to the side, which is creating the depth and less horsepower behind the pitch and giving him the velocity separation.”

Kirby’s breaking pitches have come forward, too.

His slider has added more sweep break, and the

outfield duo of Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic

depth of his curveball gives him another pitch with

as well as burgeoning shortstop prospect Noelvi

vertical movement. Combined, Kirby’s arsenal

Marte.

“It’s tough, and I think it’s unique because it

about just how much Kirby’s stuff had jumped— without any sacrifice in control or command—the

could change day by day,” Everett manager Louis

industry quickly had another name to add to the

Boyd said. “There’s times where his curveball just

list of high-end prospects in a system that entered

seems unhittable, and then his slider will have an

the year ranked only behind the Rays’ cornucopia

insane amount of sweep to it. And now he’s throw-

of talent.

ing changeups to righthanded hitters. It’s got to be

Multiple evaluators from rival teams have

tough as a hitter to not know what his out pitch is,

pegged Kirby as a top-of-the-rotation starter,

because he’s got four of them.

thanks to his combination of athleticism, stuff and

“When he locates the fastball at the top of the zone, it doesn’t need to be the offspeed to be an out pitch, so it’s pretty special.”

The most impressive part, however, is that none of the added stuff has come at the expense of his signature command and control.

“To George’s credit, he really evolved, and I

sion package.”

Two of the final elements that have helped Kirby elevate himself to one of the best pitching

into really quality, strategic strikes, where he’s

worked like heck to make it happen.

really being intentional about targeting locations

“Yeah, I expected it,” he said. “I stuck with my

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23

my body in the offseason, so I think it all came together.”

Kirby wasn’t the biggest name on the Everett pitching staff entering the season. That honor

himself margin for error. And I don’t think it takes

belonged to righthander Emerson Hancock, whom

too long to watch him to realize he doesn’t need all

the Mariners had drafted sixth overall out of

that room. When that skill set and that approach

Georgia in 2020.

are pretty exciting.”

Jose Barrero

weighted ball program and I did a better job with

where he has extra room to miss, and he’s giving

converges on a singular point like that, the results

15

top of the rotation with a unique power and preci-

knew a breakout season like this was possible, then

around for the sake of moving them around, he’s

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top of the zone,” one scout said. “I have him at the

“He’s really evolved his approach from bulk strikes

“That means that instead of moving pitches

Orioles Mariners Royals Tigers Tigers Giants Padres Mariners Orioles Blue Jays Mariners Rays Dodgers Mets Reds Reds Blue Jays Giants Red Sox Angels Nationals Rays Yankees Cubs Pirates

“His stuff is explosive, and beats hitters at the

prospects in baseball are confidence and drive. He

the zone.

C OF SS 1B OF SS SS SS RHP C RHP RHP C C SS LHP SS/OF C 1B LHP RHP 2B/OF OF OF SS

command.

think he would say the same thing,” Weiner said.

going to really safe spots in the zone and around

Org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

DUSTIN BRADFORD/GETTY IMAGES

strike zone.

So when word began to get around this spring

The 22-year-old Hancock entered professional ball needing to tweak his fastball to have it play

Kirby ranked as the Mariners’ No. 7 prospect

better when thrown up in the zone. Before Hancock

heading into the season, so he certainly wasn’t

injured his shoulder in July, the Mariners had liked

anonymous or lost in the shuffle. Even so, all the

the growth they had seen out of the pitcher whom

headlines in Seattle’s system went to the dynamic

Baseball America ranked as the top righthander

MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

gives him pitches he can use to all quadrants of the

Adley Rutschman Julio Rodriguez Bobby Witt Jr. Spencer Torkelson Riley Greene Marco Luciano CJ Abrams Noelvi Marte Grayson Rodriguez Gabriel Moreno George Kirby Shane Baz Keibert Ruiz Francisco Alvarez Jose Barrero Nick Lodolo Austin Martin Joey Bart Triston Casas Reid Detmers Cade Cavalli Vidal Brujan Jasson Dominguez Brennen Davis Oneil Cruz

Pos

Jasson Dominguez

MAIN: The startling thing about Mariners righthander George Kirby’s development is how capably he has added velocity without sacrificing control or command.

RIGHT TOP: The Reds’ Jose Barrero had improved his power and discipline while playing a rock-solid shortstop.

RIGHT BOTTOM: Yankees multitooled outfielder Jasson Dominguez had adapted to Low-A as an 18-year-old.

13

available in the 2020 draft.

The results were there, too. With Everett, Hancock pitched to a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings, spanning seven starts. He had struck out 25 and walked 11.

Aside from the results, the biggest goal for Hancock was learning how to deploy his fastballs with two-seam and four-seam life.

He uses the same grip on both pitches, but the ball is held differently in his hand to create one pitch that played up in the zone and another with lateral movement.

When you can get to the end of the spectrum from a northern movement standpoint on a fastball with velocity, and then move toward the east (Hancock’s arm side) with a sinking, running fastball, it’s uncommon,” Weiner said. “You don’t watch many baseball games and see people throwing riding four-seamers and sinking two-seamers, so distinguishing the pitches distinguishes him.”

Between their draft pedigree and early-career performance, Kirby and Hancock were the two biggest names on the Everett pitching staff. But the rest of the staff is not to be discounted.

In particular, 23-year-old Matt Brash has leapt forward into the upper tier of Seattle’s system. The Mariners acquired him from the Padres last July in the Austin Nola deal.

Brash is a Canadian righthander whom the Padres drafted in the fourth round in 2019 out of Niagara. Through 42.1 innings this year he had struck out 62 and walked 25. reliever Nick Rumbelow. Then has a whip-quick

scout said. “It was like holy s---. It’s easy 6 hit,

stuff that he produces on a daily basis is phe-

arm that generates upper-90s fastballs and

7 power (on the 2-8 scouting scale), and I might

nomenal,” Boyd said. “He’s someone who is,

sweepy sliders, which through nine starts had

even go 7 hit and 7 power. The at-bat quality

for sure, under the radar. And I don’t think

equated to roughly a strikeout per inning.

can be elite. He can be a .290 hitter with 30 home

it’s going to be under for much longer . . . His

And that’s just the arms.

fastball is in the upper 90s, his slider is what

When the AquaSox released their roster, it

we call the demon slider—it’s disgusting.”

The Mariners drafted three successive firstround college righthanders from 2018 to 2020. Logan Gilbert, drafted out of Stetson in 2018, reached Seattle this season. George Kirby (left) and Emerson Hancock (right) aren’t far behind.

14

runs.”

In all, Everett’s first-half team was easily

was clear that 20-year-old outfielder Julio

the best in the Seattle farm system and could

But wait, there’s more.

Rodriguez, a supremely gifted hitter and one of

stack up with upper-level clubs like the Royals’

The AquaSox rotation in the first half also

the top prospects in baseball, was the team’s

Double-A Northwest Arkansas affiliate, head-

boasted lefthander Brandon Williamson,

crown jewel. He entered the year ranked behind

lined by shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., first baseman

whose huge curveball flummoxed hitters in

only the Rays’ Wander Franco and the Orioles’

Nick Pratto and catcher MJ Melendez; and the

the High-A West until the Mariners moved

Adley Rutschman among the Top 100 Prospects.

Rays’ Triple-A Durham club, which at various

him to Double-A. By then, the Texas Christian

For two months, the only relief teams in the

points hosted some of Tampa Bay’s top talent,

product, who was taken a round after Kirby in

High-A Northwest League got from Rodriguez

including shortstop Wander Franco, second

2019, had whiffed 59 in 39 innings.

was when he left Everett to help the Dominican

baseman Vidal Brujan, righthander Luis Patiño

Republic qualify for the Olympics. Otherwise,

and outfielder Josh Lowe.

The back of the rotation also had 23-yearold righthander Levi Stoudt, who can get

he spent just more than eight weeks tormenting

swings and misses with a fastball that sits

pitchers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

between 95-98 mph and a nasty split-fin-

When he was promoted to Double-A Arkansas

“(The Everett group was) pretty special. They are recognized by multiple outlets as being one of the most talented minor league teams in

gered changeup. The Mariners note that

on June 29, Rodriguez was hitting .325/.410/.581

baseball, and I don’t think they’ve disappoint-

Stoudt has four pitches which feature 20-plus

with six home runs, 21 RBIs and five stolen bases

ed,” Boyd said.

inches of break in all four cardinal directions.

in 28 games. In the second series of the season,

There’s also 21-year-old righthander Juan Then, who was already on the Mariners’

“They’ve shown up day in and day out and put

against Tri-City, he doubled three times and

in the work that they’ve needed to get better—

slammed five home runs.

even though they already have a lot of talent—to

40-man roster and had to be reacquired after

“I put the highest grade we can put on him

turn that into usable skill. And I think that’s

Seattle traded him to the Yankees in 2017 for

aside from what we put on Hall of Famers,” one

played out a lot during our season so far.” Q

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

PATRICK KROHN/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; LAVIGNES LIVE SHOTS

“The action on his pitches is electric. The

TOP 100 PROSPECTS

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THE LIST Cont.

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GABRIEL MORENO, C BLUE JAYS AGE: 21. BT: RR. HT: 511. WT: 195.

COUNTRY: Venezuela.

ACQUIRED: Signed as international free agent

by Blue Jays in 2016.

PROJECTED SCOUTING GRADES HIT POWER RUN FIELD ARM

55 55 35 65 60

CATCHING ON QUICK Emerging young catchers Gabriel Moreno and Francisco Alvarez were gaining helium in prospect circles for their immense offensive upside

OF SS SS RHP RHP RHP LHP OF OF C 3B SS/2B 3B 3B LHP RHP C OF C OF OF RHP RHP RHP C

D-backs D-backs Red Sox Marlins Rangers Marlins Cardinals D-backs Angels Athletics Rangers Indians Cardinals Cardinals Orioles Reds Padres Padres Pirates Braves Braves Mariners Blue Jays Dodgers Dodgers

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JOSH NORRIS

rospect analysis often requires making

“What everybody missed out on last year was

predictions about an unpredictable game

just seeing some of the strides that guys made

and its unpredictable players. That sense

and, for him, improving some of the strength that

of the unknown is one reason why break-

he had.

out prospects intrigue us so much.

Every year, a player who entered the season as a

“He was already one of my favorites in the organization because of what he can do offen-

relative unknown ends up dominating as soon as

sively, but then you fast-forward a year and—and

the first pitch is thrown on Opening Day.

nobody got to see him—and it was like, ‘Yeah he’s

The Nationals’ Juan Soto was that way in 2018, when he returned from a series of injuries in the

the absolute real deal.’ ” Moreno entered the season ranked as Toronto’s

prior season to rip through Low-A, High-A and

No. 8 prospect. Internally, the Blue Jays knew his

Double-A in just 39 games on the way to big league

stock was about to explode because of the work

stardom.

he’d done behind the scenes at the team’s alter-

This year, Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno stands as one of the biggest breakouts in base.373/.441/.651 with eight home runs. He drew 14

Rutschman in the conversation for the game’s

walks against 22 strikeouts.

best young catching prospect. one scout said. “The receiving is excellent. The

an encore performance.

blocking’s really good. He can throw. The release

reporters before the season and their first question

MAIN: Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno made huge strides at the alternate training site in 2020 in front of no one. This year, his development was evident for all to see at Double-A. RIGHT TOP: Tyler Soderstrom wowed the Athletics at their alternate site last year and has just kept raking at Low-A.

“He’s already pretty much a plus defender,”

Venezuelan in 2020, this isn’t an opening act. It’s

Hunter Mense puts it this way: “I talked to some

41

Now, Moreno has quickly joined the Mets’ Francisco Alvarez and the Orioles’ Adley

Blue Jays minor league hitting coordinator

Tyler Soderstrom

#

nate training site.

ball. Through 32 games at Double-A he hit

But to those who got to watch the 21-year-old

LARRY GOREN/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

P

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

is good. Everything you want to see, he already does, and he’s 21.

“He does it all. To be honest, I do not think I

was: ‘Is there anybody we’re missing or anybody

saw him make a single mistake. I saw at least four

that might be a little bit too low?’ and my answer

games, maybe five, of him catching and I don’t

was always emphatically Gabriel Moreno.

think I saw any mistakes.”

JENNIFER STEWART/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

by

Corbin Carroll Jordan Lawlar Marcelo Mayer Sixto Sanchez Jack Leiter Max Meyer Matthew Liberatore Alek Thomas Jo Adell Tyler Soderstrom Josh Jung Tyler Freeman Jordan Walker Nolan Gorman DL Hall Hunter Greene Luis Campusano Robert Hassell Henry Davis Cristian Pache Drew Waters Emerson Hancock Nate Pearson Bobby Miller Diego Cartaya

Pos

Hunter Greene

RIGHT BOTTOM: The Reds’ Hunter Greene was throwing more strikes with his high-octane fastball, which helped his slider play up.

15

these fastballs, especially these fastballs up in

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the zone,” Mense said. “He could kind of launch the barrel high and stay quote-unquote above the baseball a bit longer than what most guys can because he grew up not being very strong.

“Because of that, he had to hit balls low because he knew that for him to get hits, he wasn’t going to be able to hit them in the air

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ, C METS

and get them over guys’ heads and get him over the fence . . . Even when he first got with us, the path was a little bit more above the ball to where

AGE: 19. BT: RR. HT: 510. WT: 233.

COUNTRY: Venezuela.

ACQUIRED: Signed as

it was like a low line drive-type of stroke. The more he worked like that, it helped when he got into games because he didn’t miss underneath those fastballs that now you see a lot of those

international free agent

guys miss underneath.”

by Mets in 2018.

Moreno still has areas to polish before he’s ready for the big leagues. In particular, the Blue

PROJECTED SCOUTING GRADES HIT POWER RUN FIELD ARM

Jays would like to see him tighten his pitch selection a little bit more in terms of deciding

55 60 30 55 60

which pitches he can impact before letting it rip.

Taking what he showed in the controlled atmosphere at the alternate site and translating it into the upper levels of the minors has made Moreno one of the season’s breakout stars.

Fellow Venezuelan catcher Francisco Alvarez that age are still growing into their bodies. But

had also elevated his prospect standing in the

Moreno’s tools, he would still be a quality

Moreno was already showing an innate ability

industry. The Mets’ preseason No. 1 prospect

candidate for a long big league career, but his

to make contact, so the Blue Jays knew they had

hit his way to High-A Brooklyn at age 19 and

work behind the plate is only half of his tal-

to work carefully to thread the needle of adding

even homered in the Futures Game, providing a

ent. He can really hit, too.

power without sacrificing any of his raw hitting

glimpse of his upside potential.

Moreno began the 2021 season as the fifth-youngest player in the Double-A

starred as a 17-year-old in the Rookie-level

during the pandemic last year, Moreno stayed in

Appalachian League. That might not sound

third-youngest on his own team, behind

Florida before the Blue Jays’ alternate training

impressive at first, but it is the path followed by

righthanders Simeon Woods Richardson and

site opened in Rochester, N.Y. There, just as he

current Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Elvis Luciano. Moreno had been an offensive

had in Low-A in 2019, Moreno made a quick,

and Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who entered

menace since Day One.

loud impression.

the year as the No. 1 overall prospect.

“The first ball that he hit was—I think it was

Alvarez spent the first three weeks of the sea-

resulted from a hit by pitch could slow

off of (Blue Jays reliever) Julian Merriweather—

son with Low-A St. Lucie but proved to be too

Moreno. For now.

and it was a line drive into left field at 104-105

much for the competition. He hit .417 with two

(mph), which he hadn’t touched when he was in

home runs and five doubles in 48 at-bats. He

Low-A in 2019,” Mense said.

met more resistance at pitcher-friendly High-A

“His approach is aggressive, but it’s good aggression,” the scout said. “It’s swinging at balls that he should be swinging at, which is

“So it was like, ‘Oh, wow. OK, so he’s already

Brooklyn but still had showcased power and a

really the mark of a good hitter . . . No matter

reached a new peak, one swing into this thing.’

strong batting eye by hitting .217/.335/.462 with

if the rest of his body gets a little bit fooled,

And then there were times where he would hit

nine homers and 22 walks through 44 games.

his hands are always back. He uses the whole

balls 109-110 And we’re like, ‘OK, this is starting

field

to come together now.’ So that’s the next piece

a jaw-dropping display at the Futures Game in

that I think we could check off.”

Denver, where he deposited balls into the center

“He just smoked balls back up the middle, and is totally content to do that. Obviously in

In today’s game, the high-spin fastball at the

Alvarez reinforced his power potential with

field bleachers during batting practice.

today’s game, number one, those guys are

top of the zone is the favorite weapon of many

rarer. Number two, they’re extremely valu-

pitchers. Most hitters struggle to get the bat on

appears primed to continue following the path

able because no one does that.”

the ball, and if they do, it’s likely going to result

tread by Guerrero and Franco.

When he got to Low-A in 2019, Moreno

in weak contact. One of the early things that

From an offensive perspective, Alvarez

“Obviously, everybody talks about him.

made an immediate impact, swatting a home

stuck out about Moreno was that he was the rare

There’s no doubt about it—he is who he is.”

run in his first game with Lansing. He fin-

hitter who wasn’t overly susceptible to that type

Mets field coordinator Kevin Boles said. “Once

ished his stint at the level with impressive

of pitch.

you see him in person, he’s actually more tal-

numbers, but the Blue Jays wanted to see more oomph behind the balls he put in play.

A 19-year-old needing to get stronger is understandable, because many players

16

Because of the travel restrictions in Venezuela

Alvarez burst on the scene in 2019, when he

Northeast League, yet he was just the

Only a late-June thumb fracture that

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez was one of the most devastating teen hitters in the minors in the first half. He homered against a veteran reliever in the Futures Game to prove the point.

ability.

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

“When we watched him, it was always one

ented than people describe . . . When you see him

of those things that, with how the game is

in person, then you realize he really has a chance

being pitched nowadays, he was going to be OK

to be a quality major league player.”

because he wasn’t going to get blown away by

Alvarez, who signed out of Venezuela for a

DUSTIN BRADFORD/GETTY IMAGES; TOM DIPACE

If standout defense were the bulk of

Mets international amateur record $2.7 million

TOP 100 PROSPECTS

in 2018, wowed evaluators in 2019 in what turned

THE LIST Cont.

out to be the Appalachian League’s last season as part of the affiliated minor leagues. He slashed .282/.337/.443 with Kingsport, adding five home runs and 16 RBIs. Alvarez made noise at the Mets’ alternate train-

No. Player

ing site in Brooklyn during the pandemic, then

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continued opening eyes at big league spring training this season. That included a viral intrasquad homer against Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

Through half a season, Alvarez had proven he was more than worth the wait. His offensive potential is as high as any player in the Mets’ system and is rivaled by few other catching prospects.

“He just has a look that’s different than a lot of players. It’s a confidence,” Boles said. “His recognition of the strike zone has improved since I’ve seen him in the last year, and it’s only going to get Alvarez also needs to polish his throwing. He

times he gets excited at the plate, and I would too if

had thrown out 16% of 49 basestealers as of late

I had that type of ability.

July. His arm is strong enough, but sometimes his

“Again, he’s just a special talent because of the strength, the bat speed, the pitch recognition and strike-zone management for such an early age.”

Alvarez has earned a reputation as an extremely

mechanics cost him both time and accuracy.

“He’s definitely got the arm strength, but being able to be consistent with his release, his throwing and just being more accurate,” Mets catching

hard worker, and has spent plenty of time already

coordinator Bob Natal said. “His blocking abili-

trying to correct his flaws.

ty—he’s moving much, much better . . . We’re still

“The season isn’t going the way I want. In the beginning of the season, I was playing really

working on some of his setups to better improve

well,” Alvarez said with the help of Brooklyn coach

One reason the Mets were eager to promote

Mariano Duncan. “Now, I’m struggling a little bit,

Alvarez from St. Lucie to Brooklyn, in addition to

but I know I’m going to get out of the struggle

his offensive excellence, centered on the auto-

because it’s a long season. I’m going to be OK.”

mated ball-strike technology introduced to the

When he departed for Denver to take part in the

wanted to make sure Alvarez could practice fram-

Brooklyn and was hitting .243/.356/.505 with seven

ing pitches for a human umpire.

rough early July, when started 2-for-22.

Hitting is only part of the equation for Alvarez.

Part of the young catcher’s minor league education

moves the ball a little bit sometimes, so we’re going to try to minimize that.”

The defensive areas to polish are expected.

Because of the pandemic and lost 2020 minor

the plate, as well as simply learning how to handle

league season, Alvarez is embarking on his first

the day-to-day aspects of running a pitching staff.

full-season assignment this year. He spent time at but this is his first time playing official games

ble of big league backstops.

above the Rookie levels.

Brooklyn or Denver, he has continued to open

him and the other catchers just talking about the

eyes and cement himself as the leader of the next

signs and how to call a game. That’s one of the

wave of homegrown Mets stars.

Alvarez have vaulted them into the upper tier of

training, and one day I’m going to be there, too, so

catching prospects. Alvarez’s natural gifts were

I learned so much from them.”

on display during all-star weekend, whereas

in daily meetings between pitchers and catchers.

MAIN: “Once you see him in person, he’s actually more talented than people describe,” Mets field coordinator Kevin Boles said of 19-yearold catcher Francisco Alvarez.

#

66

RIGHT TOP: The Mets’ Brett Baty put on an electric batting practice show at the Futures Game and has power to spare.

The hot starts in 2021 from both Moreno and

so many major league veteran players in spring

Specifically, Alvarez talked about what goes on

Brett Baty

And all season long, whether it was in St. Lucie,

McCann,” Alvarez said. “I spent a lot of time with

more important things that I learned. There were

56

the Mets’ alternate site and instructional league,

training to glean some wisdom from the Mets’ sta“I learned a lot, especially from (James)

Blue Jays Twins Pirates Brewers Pirates Mets Mets Braves Giants Giants Mets Braves Royals Royals Indians Marlins Royals Phillies Dodgers Brewers Marlins Blue Jays Padres Yankees Marlins

#

“His receiving is pretty good,” Natal said. “He

involves getting as many reps as possible behind

Alvarez got plenty of chances in big league spring

SS/3B SS/3B RHP OF 2B 3B RHP OF OF OF SS C LHP 1B 3B LHP RHP RHP 2B SS RHP SS/3B LHP SS SS

minors this season in Low-A Southeast. The Mets

Futures Game, Alvarez had played 35 games with home runs. Those numbers were depressed by a

Org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

his ability to move laterally.

DUSTIN BRADFORD/GETTY IMAGES

strength, and balance to his lower half. There’s

to switch signs while runners are on second.

Moreno’s developmental strides were first made in front of only teammates and coaches.

There, the players hash out that day’s game plans,

If they can add the final bits of polish to their

go over signs and the scouting reports for each hit-

development, then both will soon enough join the

ter. He also picked up info on other details, like how

next wave of young major league stars. Q

DANIEL SHIREY/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

better. He’s definitely got strength, upper-half

Orelvis Martinez Royce Lewis Quinn Priester Garrett Mitchell Nick Gonzales Brett Baty Kumar Rocker Michael Harris Heliot Ramos Luis Matos Ronny Mauricio Shea Langeliers Asa Lacy Nick Pratto Nolan Jones Jake Eder Jackson Kowar Mick Abel Michael Busch Brice Turang Edward Cabrera Jordan Groshans MacKenzie Gore Anthony Volpe Kahlil Watson

Pos

Jake Eder

RIGHT BOTTOM: The Marlins astutely made lefthander Jake Eder a fourth-round pick in 2020. He has zoomed to Double-A with power stuff.

17

CH S T O C K W AT

SHANE BAZ RANK: #12.

REID DETMERS

DUSTIN BRADFORD/GETTY IMAGES DANNY PARKER/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

RANK: #20.

JORDAN WALKER RANK: #38.

18

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

PRESEASON: NR.

STOCK IS HEADED: UP

3B, CARDINALS PRESEASON: NR.

STOCK IS HEADED: UP

TOM DIPACE

If one were to build a list of the toolsiest, highest-ceiling prospects in the minors, Walker should factor prominently on the list.

Few players in the minors hit the ball harder than the 19-year-old. Walker had already posted a 116 mph exit velocity and had regularly topped 110 on his hardest hits. He has shown a plus-plus arm at third base and has been clocked at 91 mph throwing across the diamond on a ground out. And he runs well, especially once he gets going. The Cardinals appear to have gotten a steal in Walker, whom they drafted 21st overall out of high school in Georgia in 2020. In addition to showing excellent tools, he has performed. He quickly hit his way out of Low-A Palm Beach to High-A Peoria. No other 2020 prep pick could say the same.

DAVID J. GRIFFIN/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY

CH S T O C K W AT

CRISTIAN PACHE RANK: #45.

OF, BRAVES PRESEASON: #7.

STOCK IS HEADED: DOWN

After playing a prominent role in the Braves’ postseason run last year, Pache was expected to be Atlanta’s replacement for Ender Inciarte in center field. Instead, Pache didn’t hit in April or May and was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett. Unlike many young, struggling hitters, Pache’s problem was not centered on chasing pitches out of the zone. He understands the strike zone well but seems indecisive in his swings on hittable pitches. He tends to foul off balls he should punish and make late swing decisions at times. His plus-plus defense provides significant value if he provides even league-average offense, and he’s just 22. So it’s wise to be patient, but Pache has not come close to showing the offensive impact he demonstrated in 2019 at Double-A Mississippi.

CH S T O C K W AT

EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS

All capsules written by J.J. Cooper. Go online to read even more Stock Watch reports.

LHP, ANGELS

Much like the Mariners’ George Kirby, a 2019 first-rounder out of Elon, Detmers is an example of what happens when a college pitcher with control and command makes velocity and stuff gains in pro ball. In 2019 and 2020 at Louisville, Detmers’ fastball sat at 90-92 mph and topped out at 94. This year in the minors, he’s sitting 93-95 mph and touching 98. Those kinds of stuff improvements have also turned his slider into a weapon. He still owns a big-breaking curveball that was his bread-and-butter in college.

Detmers has proven home run prone this season, but that’s been the only hiccup in an excellent pro debut that has seen him quickly jump from the 10th overall pick in 2020 to Triple-A in 2021.

CH S T O C K W AT

This is a minor league season like no other. Never before have the minor leagues returned after a full season without games.

As a result, we’ve seen more variability at all levels.

We take a look at five of the prospects who have made the biggest moves either forward or backward.

PRESEASON: NR.

STOCK IS HEADED: UP

At this point, noting that Baz was the third piece in a trade that saw the Rays also acquire Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow from the Pirates for Chris Archer seems like piling on. Baz’s development in the Rays system is notable in its own right. He has steadily improved his slider and his 95-99 mph fastball consistently gets above bats at the top of the zone. But Baz’s biggest improvements have come with his delivery and his control. He’s toned down the effort his delivery had early in his pro career and now spots his fastball and slider exceptionally well. His walk rate now rates among the best in the upper-level minors. Combining plus control and plus stuff has made the 22-year-old one of the best pitching prospects in baseball.

CH S T O C K W AT

CH S T O C K W AT

RHP, RAYS

MacKENZIE GORE

LHP, PADRES

RANK: #73.

PRESEASON: #10.

STOCK IS HEADED: DOWN

It is concerning that Gore’s issues at Triple-A El Paso follow delivery and stuff problems at the alternate site in 2020. Before the Padres sent him back to the Arizona complex in late June, he was pitching without a single above-average pitch. His fastball was sitting in the high 80s and touching 92 mph and was getting punished when he worked down in the strike zone. His changeup too often was telegraphed out of his hand. His curveball was a get-over offering at best, and he wasn’t really using his slider much.

Gore’s biggest problem seems to be staying in sync with his complicated delivery. His arm often struggled to catch up to his lower half. The hope is that Gore can regain the stuff, feel and control that made him one of the best pitching prospects in the game.

TOP 100 PROSPECTS

BEST BREAKING BALL

THE LIST Cont.

ROB TRINGALI/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Reds lefthander Nick Lodolo has some of the best command and control in the game, but his pure stuff is pretty filthy too. Mariners outfield prodigy Julio Rodriguez learned that lesson the hard way when the two matched up in the Futures Game.

Lodolo closed the at-bat with a 2,773 rpm slider that bore down and in and got a swinging strike three.

Other notables: Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Cardinals; Marcos Diplan, RHP, Orioles; and Reid Detmers, LHP, Angels.

No. Player 76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

81.

82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

87.

88.

89.

90.

91.

92.

93.

94.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99.

100.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAY

After a year away, the Futures Game returned in 2021 in Denver to kick off All-Star Weekend. As always, the game was packed with talented prospects from all levels and all organizations. Here are the players who stole the show at Coors Field.

BEST BATTING PRACTICE In terms of sheer raw power, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez was unmatched. The 19-year-old deposited ball after ball into the deepest parts of center field thanks to an extremely strong frame that generates power to all sectors. His best blast landed halfway up the bleachers just to the left of center.

While Alvarez’s raw power was the most impressive, one of his teammates got to his also-considerable raw juice a touch more often in BP. Mets third baseman Brett Baty, who was promoted to Double-A Binghamton after the Futures Game, shot ball after ball into the upper tiers in right field.

Other notables: Michael Harris, OF, Braves; Riley Greene, OF, Tigers; and Spencer Torkelson, 3B, Tigers.

BEST FASTBALL It’s no secret that Rays righthander Shane Baz’s fastball has a timeshare in the triple-digits. He didn’t quite crack 100 mph at the Futures Game, but he did rack up two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. First, he painted the inside corner with 99 mph gas to ring up Braves outfielder Michael Harris. Then he got Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis to swing through 98 mph.

Baz’s game matured over the course of the shutdown and has carried into this season, first with Double-A Birmingham, then with Triple-A Durham, then with the U.S. Olympic team. His changeup in particular has taken big strides, as has overall pitchability, but Baz’s calling card will always be the searing fastball he can whip out of his back pocket.

Other notables: Manuel Rodriguez, RHP, Cubs; Luis Medina, RHP, Yankees; and Cade Cavalli, RHP, Nationals

Could it be anybody but outfielder Brennen Davis? The Cubs’ top prospect hit a pair of home runs—the first multi-homer day at the Futures Game since Yusniel Diaz, then of the Dodgers, in 2018 in Washington D.C. Davis’ homers had exit velocities of 103.5 and 109 mph and went 410 and 428 feet, respectively.

His homers were part of a quintet of longballs for the National League in its domination of the American League. Francisco Alvarez followed his batting practice show by swatting a home run in his first and only at-bat of the day. He hit it against Orioles Triple-A reliever Marcos Diplan. His home run wasn’t quite as loud as his batting practice show–it went 372 feet and just snuck over the left field wall—but it was impressive nonetheless for a player coming off the bench and down two strikes in the count.

Reds shortstop Jose Barrero kicked off the scoring in the first inning with a majestic home run off of Rangers righthander Cole Winn, the AL starter.

The home run was a perfect example of the strength Barrero has added over the past few years, which has helped turn doubles—he led the Florida State with 37 in 2019—into over-the-fence power. His eight homers this year were just six shy of his career total entering the season.

Tigers outfielder Riley Greene, who had two of the AL’s five hits, also drew praise from scouts as one of the most impressive players both in batting practice and during the game. He had a nice grab in the outfield in addition to his pair of knocks.

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. drew the collar in two at-bats, but his 113 mph exit velocity registered as the hardest-hit ball of the day.

SS RHP 2B SS/3B SS SS OF LHP RHP 3B RHP RHP OF C LHP C SS LHP RHP SS RHP RHP 3B RHP RHP

Pirates Rangers Rays Orioles Yankees Nationals Rockies Giants Tigers Mets Twins Indians Rays Royals Cubs Astros Cubs D-backs Dodgers Rays Pirates Rays Dodgers Marlins Braves

79

Gunnar Henderson

#

82

MAIN: Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis won MVP honors at the Futures Game for his two-homer performance.

Davis’ homers were two of the four farthest-hit balls at the showcase.

RIGHT TOP: The Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson had shown power that will profile at third base, with an arm to match.

BEST HOMETOWN PERFORMANCE Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia’s third-inning home run off of Rangers lefthander Cole Ragans was a no-doubter from the moment leather touched lumber, and it produced the kind of sound that has a way of immediately snapping an onlooker to attention. The blast traveled 444 feet and left the bat at 103.8 mph.

—Josh Norris

Org

#

TOM PRIDDY/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

Many stars of tomorrow shone in the prospect showcase, but Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis stole the show

BEST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE

LARRY GOREN/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

Futures Game Superlatives

This Futures Game stood out more for its offense—the National League won the game 8-3— but Phillies shortstop Bryson Stott was nimble and athletic in starting a fielder’s choice off of a hard grounder to second base, and the Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman took extra bases away from Jasson Dominguez with a semi-leaping snare at third base.

Liover Peguero Cole Winn Xavier Edwards Gunnar Henderson Oswald Peraza Brady House Zac Veen Kyle Harrison Jackson Jobe Mark Vientos Jordan Balazovic Daniel Espino Josh Lowe M.J. Melendez Brailyn Marquez Korey Lee Cristian Hernandez Blake Walston Ryan Pepiot Carlos Colmenarez Roansy Contreras Taj Bradley Miguel Vargas Eury Perez Spencer Strider

Pos

Zac Veen

RIGHT BOTTOM: Rockies outfielder Zac Veen shook off a slow start at Low-A and hit his stride during the summer.

19

TERMARR JOHNSON SS Mays High, Atlanta

BROOKS LEE

BRIAN WESTERHOLT/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; BILL MITCHELL

SS Cal Poly

20

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

ONE EYE ON THE FUTURE, ALWAYS ‘Next Up’ extends the Baseball America tradition of focusing on the draft and player development

T

by

MATT EDDY

he baseball universe is not infinite, even if it seems

together. One eye on tomorrow. Players on the cusp of joining

that way sometimes.

professional baseball. Or just getting their careers underway.

From its start in 1981, Baseball America has endeavored to keep one eye on the future. That

Q Last year, during the pandemic, young Dominican shortstops Marco Luciano and Noelvi Marte shared

vision began with founding editor Allan Simpson’s laser

the Next Up spotlight. Both are now top 10 prospects

focus on the draft and player development. Early BA readers

in baseball.

consumed scouting reports for draft picks and rankings of

Q In 2019, BA focused on Arizona State slugger Spencer

minor league prospects in ways that had never been seen in

Torkelson, who went on to become the No. 1 overall

the public sphere.

pick in 2020. He now ranks as a top 10 overall pros-

As it turned out, some major league front offices at the time weren’t as well-informed as the average BA reader.

Of course, no such information gap exists today. But that

pect in baseball.

Q Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman and Texas high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. received the Next

hasn’t stopped Baseball America from staking out more

Up focus in 2018, one year before they were the first

prospect territory. Today, our analysis and rankings of the

and second overall picks in the 2019 draft. That pair

prospect universe extend to 16-year-old international ama-

now ranks . . . OK, you get the idea.

teurs, high school summer showcase standouts and USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team stars.

Our annual Next Up feature package melds the disciplines

Whatever the future holds, it’s safe to say that at least one player we feature in these pages today will rank as a top overall prospect in baseball tomorrow. Q

INSIDE

22 Brooks Lee blossoms into a top draft prospect under his father’s tutelage at Cal Poly. The shortstop added extra helium by thriving for Team USA and on the Cape this summer.

25 Scouting the best tools at PG National, the first high school showcase of the 2022 draft cycle. Georgia prep Termarr Johnson helps get things started with a bang.

28 Hedbert Perez is the son of a Venezuelan baseball icon, but the 18-year-old Brewers outfielder was forging his own identity while making his pro debut in Rookie ball.

HEDBERT PEREZ OF Brewers

PLUS

Early 2022 Draft Preview 23 Scouting reports for the top 10 college prospects, led by a quartet of hard-hitting infielders and catchers.

24 Ranking the top 50 collegians.

26 Scouting reports for the top 10 high school prospects, a ranking dominated by the state of Georgia.

27 Ranking the top 50 preps.

21

COLLEGE

COMING TO FRUITION

Cal Poly shortstop Brooks Lee handled the additional scrutiny that comes from his father being the head coach.

A big junior year and standout summer with Team USA has him wellpositioned for 2022.

Brooks Lee blossoms into a top draft prospect under his father’s tutelage at Cal Poly by

C

JOE HEALY

oaching your son at the Division I level is a difficult thing to navigate. It’s been said that the arrangement works best when the coach’s son is clearly a walk-on-type player who won’t play much. Or when the coach’s son is a superstar who no one can

deny should be a centerpiece of the team.

Given that, Cal Poly coach Larry Lee is in an advantageous situation, because his son Brooks Lee is not only the best player on the Cal Poly roster—he’s also one of the best players in the country. No one is going to cry about nepotism when Brooks hits in the middle of the order and starts at shortstop, the most prominent position on the infield every day.

“If you coach your son in college, he better be really good or you know there’s a chance you get some flack from the outside world,” Larry said.

As Brooks played at San Luis Obispo (Calif.) High and on the showcase circuit, it would become clear just how talented and advanced he was, but there were earlier hints.

By seventh grade, Brooks was catching bullpens at Cal Poly. In eighth grade, when Cal Poly was short a guy or two during scrimmages, Larry would put his son in the field at second base or shortstop.

Those opportunities were a window into the competitive nature of a young Brooks Lee and illustrated his high standards. against Division I players in some cases eight years older than he was, and he was still bothered by the mistakes he made in those scrimmages.

“I still remember everything about it,” Brooks said. “I still remember all the errors I made and how fast the ball was going.”

Now, Brooks has ridden that competitive spirit—and considerable talent—to a place among the very best prospects for the 2022 draft.

a 17th-round selection of the Blue Jays this

mutual interest. At that point, beginning his pro

year, get early interest.

career was still very much on the table.

That changed over time, as it became

Just days before the 2019 draft, Larry was on

increasingly clear that Brooks was talented

the road recruiting and called Brooks to let him

enough to play anywhere. But the attention

know that they needed to have a family meeting

from high-profile programs didn’t drive Brooks

about the situation when he returned. It was

to leave home and play elsewhere. Instead,

time for the family to make a decision.

He really burst onto the scene in 2021, hitting .342/.384/.626 with 27

being presented with other options only reaf-

Brooks remembers the meeting well.

doubles and 10 home runs. A switch-hitter, he was considered one of the

firmed that what he actually wanted to do was

“It was in my parents’ bedroom,” Brooks

best pure hitters in the 2019 high school class, and that skill set has trans-

play for his dad at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

recalled. “We tried to go over what my adviser

lated into college. He has also used sure hands, good footwork and excellent feel for the game to become a quality defensive shortstop.

“My senior year, it’s basically just like, ‘I

was saying at the time and just tried to put a

think I’m good enough to go play anywhere else

whole new perspective on how my career could

in the country, but I want to give my dad the

end up and what the possibilities were. I was

brighter. Ten home runs was an impressive number, but as he continues to

player he made and not go somewhere else,’ ”

really interested in the draft early on. I didn’t

add strength to a sturdy 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame, it’s easy to see some

Brooks said.

want to go to school. I’m not a big fan of school,

At the plate, Lee’s power has come on and allowed his star to shine even

of those 27 doubles finding their way over the fence.

“I ended up having a pretty good year average-wise and then also for

But Brooks wasn’t just good enough to play

but (if I could) take three years of school and

his college baseball anywhere. He was good

play for my dad, I’d rather do that than sign,

home runs and doubles,” Brooks said. “The doubles play into our park,

enough that MLB organizations were interested

because I know the draft will be there whenever

Baggett Stadium, because of the gaps, so a plus for me in there, but one

in making him an early-round draft pick.

the time comes for an opportunity.”

thing I didn’t really think about going through was the power. When it started happening, I was just thankful that I had it in the tank.”

Getting to this point has come after a series of pivotal decisions and moments in Brooks’ baseball life.

The first was making the decision to stay home and play for his father.

As the 2019 draft approached, Brooks was the No. 38 prospect on the BA 500 draft ranking,

at Cal Poly in the fall of 2019. Running out

and there was talk that he could go at some

a ground ball in a scrimmage that October,

point at the back of the first round.

Brooks suffered a rare hamstring injury that

The Lee family let the process play out, and

By Brooks’ own admission, he was mostly a bystander to the recruiting

Brooks participated in a handful of predraft

process early in high school as he watched his friends like Cooper Benson,

workouts with teams with which there was

22

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

Adversity hit not long after Brooks arrived

forced him to have surgery.

The original recovery timetable had Brooks set to return in April, but he was healthy

LARRY GOREN/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; BRIAN WESTERHOLT/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

Here he was fielding hotshot grounders and trying to turn double plays

enough for two pinch-hit appearances against Baylor in early March 2020, with the idea that

Texas Tech third baseman Jace Jung hit .342 with 21 home runs in 2021.

he would start in the games to follow.

But those games never happened. The college season was canceled after that point because of

4. DANIEL SUSAC, C ARIZONA

Covid-19. Just like that, something Brooks and Larry Lee had been looking forward to for years

Parada isn’t the only second-year draft-eligible catcher at the top of the class. Susac won Pacific-12 Conference Freshman of the Year honors thanks to a .335/.392/.591 season with 12 home runs and 24 doubles. He hit even better in conference and should provide big-time power at the plate and arm strength behind it.

was delayed an entire year.

But there was a silver lining. The Covid cancellation turned out to be something of a jumping-off point for where Brooks is as a player now. It allowed him to not only get fully healthy but also to train in a way that he might not have been able to otherwise.

5. PEYTON PALLETTE, RHP ARKANSAS

“It sucks that Covid happened, but it was the best for me because I knew I could redevelop my

Pallette took giant steps forward between his first and second years with Arkansas and showed a big fastball that sat in the 93-95 mph range this spring and touched 98-99. He complemented that heater with an upper-70s curveball that generated whiffs at a 44% rate and a mid-to-upper-80s changeup. With that three-pitch mix, Pallette posted a 4.02 ERA over 56 innings and 11 starts.

body and get my leg to 100% before I started a game and then kind of work on my other tools (that) I needed to get back in shape from injury,” Brooks said.

Lee’s momentum carried into the summer. After some time in the Cape Cod League to begin, Lee spent most of July with USA

6. JACOB BERRY, 3B LOUISIANA STATE

Baseball’s Collegiate National Team.

Although that group didn’t get to play its normal schedule against international competition, it still provided players with lots of opportunities against the very best players the college game has to offer in an 11-game scrimmage schedule, plus a three-game series against the team representing the U.S. in the Olympics.

After hitting .306 in the scrimmages against his teammates, Brooks shined in the final game of the series against the Olympians, going 3-for-4 and hitting a leadoff home run against

Early Draft Preview: Scouting the top 10 college prospects for 2022 Hard-hitting infielders and catchers headline a college class seeking redemption after a down 2021

Blue Jays prospect Simeon Woods Richardson.

“He understands it’s a big world out there,” Larry said of Brooks. “This summer has been beneficial for him, playing on the Cape and playing for Team USA facing elite pitching night in and night out. So all of these are just experiences that (will) help him through his journey to where he wants to go.”

If the Team USA experience is as formative as the Lee family hopes it will be, Cal Poly will have on its hands one of the most complete college players in the game in 2022 and quite likely its highest draft pick ever, a distinction currently held by catcher John Orton, who went 25th overall in 1987.

All that’s left for Lee in college is winning. A fourth-place finish in the Big West Conference last season left Brooks a little disappointed, but that just serves to fuel him heading into 2022.

“As a team, we didn’t get to where we wanted to,” Brooks said. “That’s what my main priority was, which is also another reason I went to Poly.

I want us to make a regional berth or host and have a good chance of going to Omaha because I thought we were the team to do it. So I have one

1. JACE JUNG, 3B TEXAS TECH The younger brother of Rangers 2019 first-round pick Josh Jung, Jace was a Freshman All-American after posting one of the best offensive seasons in the country. He hit .337/.462/.697 with power (21 homers) and impressive plate discipline (18% walk rate).

2. KEVIN PARADA, C GEORGIA TECH Parada was one of the highest-ranked players from the 2020 high school draft class to make it to campus and stood out for his impressive pure hitting ability in Southern California. He’s the latest standout catching prospect to come out of Georgia Tech and had a standout offensive season in 2021, hitting .318/.379/.550 with nine homers. He will be draft-eligible after just two years with the Yellow Jackets.

3. BROOKS LEE, SS CAL POLY Like Parada, Lee was known for his precocious hitting ability in high school as a member of the 2018 draft class. After missing the shortened 2020 season with a hamstring injury, he proved his bat quality this spring by hitting .342/.384/.626 with 10 homers and 27 doubles. He spent time both in the Cape Cod League and with the College National Team.

Berry will follow coach Jay Johnson from Arizona to Louisiana State in 2022. He will have a chance to prove his big power bat in the Southeastern Conference, the top competition in the country. A switch-hitter with loud raw power—his 17 homers ranked top 25 in Division I last spring—is a commodity, but he’ll need to establish his defensive profile as well.

7. HUNTER BARCO, LHP FLORIDA Barco was a huge name as an underclassman in high school and ranked as the No. 32 prospect in the 2019 draft class. He made it to Florida, where he stepped straight into the Gators’ rotation and has posted a 3.52 ERA over 102.1 innings while showcasing a solid four-pitch mix from the left side.

8. ROBERT MOORE, 2B ARKANSAS The son of Royals general manager Dayton Moore, Robert enrolled early at Arkansas and has been a starter from Day One. He has impacted the Razorbacks with quality defense at second base and showcased surprising power (16 homers) this spring, while batting .283/.384/.558.

9. CONNOR PRIELIPP, LHP ALABAMA Prielipp was well on his way to being the top player in the 2022 class before losing almost the entire 2022 season to Tommy John surgery. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound lefthander has been electric when on the mound—0.96 ERA with 47 strikeouts and seven walks—but has just 28 innings under his belt.

Prielipp’s health will make him a tough prospect to peg.

10. CADE DOUGHTY, 3B LOUISIANA STATE Doughty was a top 100 prospect in the 2019 class out of high school and has a well-rounded game. Of note is his penchant for contact and hard-hit line drives as well as the versatility to play all over the infield.

— Carlos Collazo

more year to try and get back at that.” Q 23

Daniel Susac

Rk

Player

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Jace Jung Kevin Parada Brooks Lee Daniel Susac Peyton Pallette Jacob Berry Hunter Barco Robert Moore Connor Prielipp Cade Doughty Carter Young Cayden Wallace Spencer Jones Nate Savino Peyton Graham Jared McKenzie Colby Halter Trey Faltine Landon Sims Reggie Crawford Hayden Dunhurst Gavin Cross Victor Mederos Owen Diodati Logan Tanner Chris Newell TJ McCants Ethan Long Jordan Beck Carson Whisenhunt Dylan Beavers Derek Diamond Cade Horton Henry Williams Max Rajcic Sebastian Keane Jonathan Cannon Josh Rivera Carson Palmquist Tres Gonzalez Noah Dean Jordan Sprinkle Blade Tidwell Michael Curialle Jonathan French Zachary Maxwell Brock Jones Justin Campbell Trey Dombroski Parker Messick

Pos 3B C SS C RHP 3B LHP 2B LHP 3B SS 3B LHP/1B LHP 3B OF SS SS RHP LHP/1B C OF RHP OF C OF OF 3B/RHP OF LHP OF RHP SS/RHP RHP RHP RHP RHP SS LHP OF LHP SS RHP SS C RHP OF RHP/1B LHP LHP

School Texas Tech Georgia Tech Cal Poly Arizona Arkansas Louisiana State Florida Arkansas Alabama Louisiana State Vanderbilt Arkansas Vanderbilt Virginia Oklahoma Baylor Florida Texas Mississippi State Connecticut Mississippi Virginia Tech Oklahoma State Alabama Mississippi State Virginia Mississippi Arizona State Tennessee East Carolina California Mississippi Oklahoma Duke UCLA Northeastern Georgia Florida Miami Georgia Tech Old Dominion UC Santa Barbara Tennessee UCLA Clemson Georgia Tech Stanford Oklahoma State Monmouth Florida State

Hunter Barco

State

HT

WT

B

T

Draft Age

TX GA CA AZ AR LA FL AR AL LA TN AR TN VA OK TX FL TX MS CT MS VA OK AL MS VA MS AZ TN NC CA MS OK NC CA MA GA FL FL GA VA CA TN CA SC GA CA OK NJ FL

6-0 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-0 6-4 5-9 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-7 6-3 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-5 6-0 6-3 6-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-4 6-2 5-10 6-6 6-0 6-7 6-5 6-0

200 197 205 205 175 205 205 170 205 195 180 205 225 195 171 175 195 198 215 235 220 210 215 210 220 200 190 215 215 205 206 200 211 200 200 187 216 210 190 185 185 170 200 195 225 280 203 221 235 235

L R B B R B L B L R B R L L R L L R R L B L R L R L L R R L L R R R R R R R L L L R R R R R L L R L

R R R R R R L R L R R R L L R L R R R L R L R R R L R R R L R R R R R R R R L L L R R R R R L R L L

21.8 21.0 21.4 21.2 21.2 21.2 21.6 20.3 21.5 21.3 21.5 20.9 21.2 20.5 21.5 21.2 20.9 21.5 21.5 21.6 21.8 21.4 21.1 20.9 21.7 21.2 21.1 21.2 21.2 21.7 20.9 21.5 20.9 20.8 21.0 21.7 22.0 21.8 21.7 21.8 21.4 21.4 21.1 21.1 21.7 21.5 21.3 21.4 21.3 21.7

Committed Never Never Giants 2019 (35) Never Never Never Mets 2019 (24) Never Red Sox 2019 (37) Tigers 2019 (39) Never Never Angels 2019 (31) Never Never Never Never Red Sox 2019 (39) Never Royals 2019 (37) Rockies 2019 (37) Never Never Blue Jays 2019 (29) Never Cardinals 2019 (37) Never Never Red Sox 2019 (14) Never Never D-backs 2019 (40) Never Never Never Red Sox 2019 (11) Never Padres 2019 (22) Never Dodgers 2019 (37) Never Never Never Rockies 2019 (31) Indians 2019 (30) Yankees 2019 (30) D-backs 2019 (16) Astros 2019 (18) Never Never Ages as of July 21, 2021.

24

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

BRIAN WESTERHOLT/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS; DANNY PARKER/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

TOP 50 COLLEGE PROSPECTS FOR 2022

Kevin Parada

to make as a pure hitter. Hellman worked out at shortstop and moves surprisingly well underway for his size, though long term he probably fits as a corner outfielder.

Termarr Johnson also put on an outstanding lefthanded power display during BP and delivered with a home run when the games started.

Georgia high school shortstop Termarr Johnson had the look of a top 10 overall draft pick in 2022 based on the way he played at PG National. He showcased rare pure hitting ability and also put on a power display in batting practice.

FASTEST RUNNER North Carolina outfielder Michael Gupton isn’t just an 80 runner. Scouts have consistently clocked the North Carolina State commit’s 60-yard times between 6.1 and 6.2 seconds.

A 6.3 runner is flying. A 6.2 runner is going to be among the fastest players in professional baseball. Getting into the 6.1s is another level of speed.

Gupton showed that explosive speed in the game. In this showcase setting, when a batter draws a walk, they put a runner on first base and have the batter stay at the plate to continue his at-bat so scouts can see him swing the bat.

So when Dominic Krupinski walked, Gupton went to first base to run, and everyone in the park knew what was going to happen. Gupton didn’t even wait for the first pitch to run. He just took off for second base. The righthander on the mound turned, stepped off and threw to second base, but Gupton was still safe.

BEST DEFENSIVE OUTFIELDER

HIGH SCHOOL

BEST TOOLS AT PG NATIONAL The top high school prospects for 2022 who started the showcase circuit with a bang by

T

BEN BADLER

he day after the 2021 draft ended, the first major high school showcase of the summer began.

The Perfect Game National showcase brought more than 300 of the top high school players in the country to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., for a six-day showcase from July 13-18. These were the players who showed the best tools in different categories at an event which should give a good overview of the top prep players to watch for the 2022 draft.

BEST HITTER Termarr Johnson was the star of PG National. It’s still early, but the uncommitted shortstop from Georgia has the look of a top 10 overall pick in 2022, with tools and maturity in the batter’s box well beyond his years. Johnson has phenomenal bat speed and whips the barrel through with both ferocity and fluidity. He has good bat path through the hitting zone from the left side, and while he’s only around 5-foot-9, his bat speed helps him drive the ball with some of the best raw power in the class. Johnson does have big power, but it’s his pure hitting ability

that still stands out the most. He’s a smart hitter who has an advanced approach for his age and barrel control that leads to frequent contact.

Johnson shares some similarities with Rays shortstop Wander Franco, back when he was Johnson’s age. Franco is a switch-hitter while Johnson hits lefthanded only, but the bat speed from both is about as fast as you will see at that age. They’re both high-contact hitters with big power, similar builds with thick lower halves, good hands at shortstop but questions about whether they will stick there. Both are baseball rats with high baseball IQs.

BEST POWER Dominic Hellman made sure this one wasn’t close. An Oregon commit from Washington, Hellman showed more power than any other hitter during batting practice, with swing after swing resulting in baseballs launched into the seats in left field. He’s an enormous 6-foot-6, 245 pounds with outstanding strength and a swing geared to lift the ball, resulting in raw power that’s at least plus now and projects to be an easy 70 if not better. In games, Hellman showed a lot of swing and miss, so it’s very much a power-over-hit profile with adjustments he will have

Andruw Jones won 10 Gold Gloves with the Braves as he became arguably the greatest defensive center fielder of all time. Now his son, Georgia center fielder Druw Jones, is one of the top overall players in the 2022 class and made his mark defensively at PG National. A Vanderbilt commit, Jones is a lean, athletic 6-foot-3, 180 pounds with plus-plus speed, a strong arm and showed good defensive instincts. There weren’t too many defensive highlights because a lot of players had trouble tracking fly balls in the dome, but Jones provided one with a good reaction off the bat on a shallow fly ball in front of him that he charged in on to make a sliding backhanded catch.

BEST DEFENSIVE INFIELDER At a showcase this size, shortstops get just five ground balls during the workout and don’t play that many innings at the position so that everyone can rotate in, so picking a winner here gets a little tricky. Massachusetts shortstop Ivan Arias (Vanderbilt) didn’t even take his best infield here, though he looked smooth barehanding a slow roller in the workout and has some of the best hands and defensive instincts in the class, with an arm that continues to get stronger to be able to make the play in the hole.

BEST DEFENSIVE CATCHER With two games per team and several catchers on each roster, scouts get only a small window to see catchers in games. The standout here was Michigan catcher Ike Irish, an Auburn com25

Florida prep Elijah Green has an impressive power/ speed combination, with a chance to stick in center field.

4. TRISTAN SMITH, LHP BOILING SPRINGS HS, SPARTANBURG, S.C. The top high school lefthander in the class, Smith has a fast arm and a lethal two-pitch mix, including a fastball that was in the 93-95 mph range at the Perfect Game National Showcase.

He also has one of the better breaking balls in the class. It’s a two-plane, biting power curveball in the 79-82 mph range with 2,200-2,600 rpm spin that he lands for strikes at will.

5. BRANDON BARRIERA, LHP AMERICAN HERITAGE HS, PLANTATION, FLA. Barriera isn’t the most physically imposing pitcher, but he’s got a strong three-pitch mix and solid strike throwing ability.

His fastball was in the 92-95 mph range at PG National and he throws two distinct breaking balls plus a mid-80s changeup.

6. NOLAN SCHUBART, OF ST. MARY PREP, ORCHARD LAKE, MICH. Schubart is plenty physical now with a 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame that should add plenty more muscle. He has shown the raw power and leveraged, lefthanded swing that could turn into a middle-of-the order type bat. There have been a few notable young hitters to come out of Michigan in recent years, but Schubart has a chance to top the group.

mit who had one of the strongest arms among catchers at PG National. He also was an agile mover behind the plate and made a few nice blocks in game.

BEST FASTBALL New Jersey righthander Nazier Mule is the hardest thrower in the class. At PG National, the Miami commit pitched at 94-97 mph, one week after he ran it up to 99 mph at the High School All-American Game at Coors Field.

BEST CURVEBALL You don’t typically hear veteran scouts audibly oohing and aahing behind the plate at a high school pitcher’s curveball, but that’s what happened when Caden Dana broke out his curve at PG National. Dana, a righthander from New York who attends Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, struck out all six batters he faced.

He got swings and misses on 11 of the 27 pitches he threw, with eight on his 92-94 mph fastball and three on his 75-78 mph curveball at 2,300-2,550 rpm. A Kentucky commit, Dana landed six of his nine curveballs for strikes, freezing hitters with its sharp break, depth and top-to-bottom shape from his high slot.

BEST SLIDER

Early Draft Preview: Scouting the top 10 high school prospects for 2022 The state of Georgia dominates the early ranking of prep talents, placing four in the top 10 for next year 1. ELIJAH GREEN, OF IMG ACADEMY, BRADENTON, FLA. Green is built like an NFL linebacker, which isn’t surprising considering his father Eric was an NFL tight end for 10 seasons.

Elijah has plus-plus running ability, huge raw power and a track record of hitting as an underclassman. He has a chance to stick in center field with a strong throwing arm as well. It’s an enviable collection of raw tools and physicality in one package.

2. TERMARR JOHNSON, SS HAYS HS, ATLANTA Johnson might be the best pure hitter in the 2021 high school class. He’s a shorter middle infielder who might be best at second base in the long run, but there’s lightning in his barrel. Johnson goes deep with ease in batting practice and in games, with an advanced offensive approach and refined defensive actions as well.

3. DYLAN LESKO, RHP BUFORD (GA.) HS Lesko earned the rare honor of being the Gatorade national player of the year as an underclassman, thanks to his 11-0, 0.35 season with Buford that featured 112 strikeouts in just 60 innings. Lesko has a loose and easy arm action, impressive pitching ability and an advanced three-pitch mix including feel for a changeup that is uncommon for a high school pitcher.

26

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

Jones is a strong, filled-out infielder who already looks a bit too big for shortstop, but he should have more than enough arm for third base. He also has shown impressive bat speed, loud exit velocities (including 105 mph at PG National) and an ability to spray hard line drives around the field. At the onset of the summer, Jones looks like the top Texan in the prep class.

8. DRUW JONES, OF WESLEYAN HS, NORCROSS, GA. The son of former Braves center fielder Andruw Jones, Druw is a talented center fielder in his own right. He’s a plus runner with a lanky and projectable 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame and contact ability now that should translate into more impact as he gains strength.

9. JARED JONES, C WALTON HS, MARIETTA, GA. Jones is the fourth and final top 10 prospect in a very strong year for Georgia preps. He’s an immensely physical catcher who has posted exit velocities in excess of 100 mph.

Jones shows standout raw power to all fields and should be an impact righthanded bat, even if he has to move off catcher given his extra-large, 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame.

10. JACKSON FERRIS, LHP IMG ACADEMY, BRADENTON, FLA. Ferris moved from Mount Airy, N.C., to Florida to team up with Elijah Green, the top prospect in the prep class. But given Ferris’ arm talent from the left side, it’s safe to say scouts would have followed him anywhere. He showed impressive feel to spot a mid-90s fastball to both sides of the plate, and the pitch plays up thanks to some funk in his delivery. As a result, he gets tons of whiffs up in the zone. Ferris has thrown an upper-70s curveball with solid depth and a mid-80s changeup that he used to strike out six straight batters at PG National.

— Carlos Collazo

Illinois lefthander Noah Schultz is an intensely uncomfortable at-bat for lefthanded hitters. The Vanderbilt commit looks like Randy Johnson at 6-foot9, 220 pounds with a low three-quarters arm slot. He attacks hitters with a high-spin fastball that sat at 90-92 mph in his two innings and the physical projection for him to eventually throw in the mid 90s or better. Schultz also threw a nasty slider at 73-75 mph, another pitch with tight rotation (2,800-3,000 rpm), deep break across the strike zone and from an angle that can be a nightmare for hitters.

BEST CHANGEUP Georgia righthander Dylan Lesko (Vanderbilt) threw strikes with a 93-96 mph fastball, then got off-balance swings when he mixed in his 82-84 mph changeup.

Lesko’s changeup has good action and separation off his fastball, and he has supreme confidence in that pitch, at one point throwing four straight changeups to start an at-bat against a lefthanded hitter.

BEST POWER/SPEED THREAT When Luis Robert was a teenager still in Cuba, he stood out among his peers for his physicality, athleticism and high-level performance in the Cuban junior national leagues. Robert had some swing-and-miss risk, but he always hit well with a combination of power and speed.

Elijah Green has some similarities. He’s a man among boys at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, with raw power that ranks among the best in the class. The son of NFL Pro Bowl tight end Eric Green, Elijah is also one of the fastest players in the country. A Miami commit from Florida at IMG Academy, Green dominated the summer circuit last year, though he did show more swing and miss this spring, but the upside to be a dynamic power/speed threat who could play center field and hit in the middle of a lineup makes him the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick next year. Outfielders Michael Gupton, Gavin Turley, Justin Crawford and Druw Jones also showed promising power/speed potential. Q

MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; DANIEL SHIREY/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES; MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

7. JAYSON JONES, 3B BRASWELL HS, LITTLE ELM, TEXAS

TOP 50 HIGH SCHOOL PROSPECTS FOR 2022

Dylan Lesko

Tristan Smith

Rk

Player

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Elijah Green Termarr Johnson Dylan Lesko Tristan Smith Brandon Barriera Nolan Schubart Jayson Jones Druw Jones Jared Jones Jackson Ferris Ian Ritchie Jr. Sal Stewart Ryan Clifford Cole Young Tucker Toman Noah Schultz Jacob Miller Nazier Mule Andrew Dutkanych Riley Stanford Hayden Murphy Brock Porter Jackson Holliday Malcolm Moore Kaden Martin Julius Sanchez Tommy Specht Mikey Romero Eli Jerzembeck Tyler Gough Luke Heyman Jace LaViolette Elgin Bennett Paxton Kling Korbyn Dickerson Gavin Kilen Roman Anthony Justin Crawford Andrew Fischer Michael Gupton Jordan Taylor Colby Shelton Tucker Biven Cutter Coffey Michael Kennedy Dominic Hellman Joe Allen Mason Swinney Ryan Kennedy Caden Dana

Pos OF SS RHP LHP LHP OF 3B OF C LHP RHP 3B OF SS 3B LHP RHP RHP/SS RHP RHP/OF RHP/SS RHP SS C OF RHP OF SS RHP RHP C OF OF OF OF SS OF OF 3B OF OF SS SS RHP/SS LHP SS RHP SS/2B RHP RHP

School IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. Mays HS, Atlanta Buford (Ga.) HS Boiling Springs HS, Spartanburg, S.C. American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla. St. Mary Prep, Orchard Lake, Mich.

Braswell HS, Little Elm, Texas Wesleyan HS, Norcross, Ga. Walton HS, Marietta, Ga. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. Bainbridge HS, Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Westminster Christian HS, Miami Pro5 Baseball Academy, Apex, N.C. North Allegheny HS, Wexford, Pa. Hammond HS, Columbia, S.C. Oswego (Ill.) East HS Liberty Union HS, Baltimore, Ohio Passaic County Tech HS, Wayne, N.J. Brebeuf Jesuit Prep, Indianapolis Buford (Ga.) HS Tiftarea Academy, Chula, Ga. St. Mary Prep, Orchard Lake, Mich.

Stillwater (Okla.) HS McClatchy HS, Sacramento McDonough (Ga.) HS La Salle-Peru HS, LaSalle, Ill. Wahlert HS, Dubuque, Iowa Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS Providence HS, Charlotte, N.C. JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Lake Brantley HS, Altamonte Springs, Fla. Tompkins HS, Katy, Texas Woodward Academy, College Park, Ga. Central HS, Martinsburg, Pa. Trinity HS, Louisville Milton (Wisc.) HS Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla. Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas Wall (N.J.) Township HS Rolesville (N.C.) HS St. John’s Country Day HS, Orange Park, Fla. Bloomingdale HS, Valrico, Fla. New Albany (Ind.) HS Liberty HS, Brentwood, Calif.

Troy (N.Y.) HS Jackson HS, Mill Creek, Wash.

Winnacunnet HS, Hampton, N.H. Phil Campbell (Ala.) HS Colgan HS, Manassas, Va. Don Bosco Prep HS, Ramsey, N.J.

Nolan Schubart

State

HT

WT

B

T

Draft age

FL GA GA SC FL MI TX GA GA FL WA FL NC PA SC IL OH NJ IN GA GA MI OK CA GA IL IA CA NC CA FL TX GA PA KY WI FL NV NJ NC FL FL IN CA NY WA NH AL VA NJ

6-3 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-9 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-5 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-3 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-6 6-4 6-2 6-5 6-5

225 175 195 200 170 210 190 180 230 190 185 215 215 180 187 220 160 205 205 225 185 200 180 210 210 205 190 175 175 200 205 220 181 195 182 175 195 175 190 190 192 190 200 195 205 225 215 185 205 225

R L R R L L R R R L R R L L B L R R R R R R L L L R L L R B R L L R R L L L L R R L R R L R R R R L

R R R L L R R R R L R R L R R L R R R R R R R R L R R R R R R L L R R R R R R R R R R R L R R R R R

18.6 18.1 18.9 19.1 18.4 18.2 18.9 18.6 19.0 18.5 19.1 18.6 19.0 19.0 18.7 18.9 18.9 17.7 19.0 19.5 18.9 19.1 18.6 19.0 18.3 18.7 18.1 18.5 19.1 18.9 19.0 18.6 18.0 19.1 18.7 18.3 18.2 18.5 18.1 18.7 19.8 19.6 18.4 18.2 17.6 18.8 18.7 18.9 18.3 18.6

Committed Miami — Vanderbilt Clemson Vanderbilt Michigan Arkansas Vanderbilt Louisiana State Mississippi UCLA Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Duke Louisiana State Vanderbilt Louisville Miami Vanderbilt Georgia Tech Auburn Clemson Oklahoma State Stanford Miami Illinois Kentucky Louisiana State South Carolina Oregon State Florida Louisiana State Illinois — Louisville Louisville Mississippi — Duke North Carolina State Florida State Clemson Louisville — Louisiana State Oregon Michigan Alabama Virginia Tech Kentucky Ages as of July 21, 2021.

27

Brewers outfielder Hedbert Perez bears his father’s family name, but he is a much different player than Robert Perez, a big league outfielder in the 1990s. Hedbert was showing off his sweet lefthanded swing in Rookie complex leagues.

His youngest son, Hedbert Perez, may not

“Any time a young player gets to appear in a

CREATING HIS OWN STORY

ever be as popular as his dad, who has a street

spring training game and makes a play like that

named after him in Venezuela.

in windy conditions, it catches your attention,”

The Brewers’ Hedbert Perez may be the son of a Venezuelan baseball icon, but the 18-year-old outfielder is forging his own identity

a bigger impact on the major leagues than his

by

W

WALTER VILLA

hen former major league outfielder Robert Perez rides

But there is a decent chance that Hedbert, an outfielder who is just 18 years old and one of the Brewers’ top prospects, may one day make old man.

“Hedbert has something I didn’t teach him,”

Brewers international scouting director Mike Groopman said.

“It was a great moment for Hedbert. Everyone in our front office enjoyed that moment.”

There were other moments in his brief time at major league camp, including the time he

Robert Perez said. “He is a natural lefty with a

struck out on three straight curveballs from the

whip swing. The ball jumps off his bat. He was

Dodgers’ Trevor Bauer, the National League’s

born with that.”

reigning Cy Young Award winner.

Perez signed for $700,000 in 2019 and was

But in his first 10 games this year in the

his bicycle through the streets of his native Venezuela, he

just 17 last year when assigned to Milwaukee’s

Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Perez

doesn’t get far before he is interrupted.

alternate training site, where he competed

again quickened the pulses of Brewers develop-

against some of the organization’s top pros-

ment folks, batting .342 with two homers and

pects, including lefthanders Ethan Small,

four doubles.

“It’s like I’m the mayor,” Perez said in Spanish.

“Everyone wants to say ‘hello.’ ” There have been better Venezuelan baseball players than Perez, with Ronald Acuña Jr., Miguel Cabrera and Felix Hernandez being but three prominent examples.

But perhaps no one is more beloved than Perez, who incredibly played

Antoine Kelly and Aaron Ashby. Perez was the youngest player at the site.

This year, Perez turned heads in spring training. While playing right field, he raced toward

David Tufo, who has coached Perez in Arizona since March, talks about the prospect’s intangibles before even getting to his physical tools.

“He is mature for his age,” Tufo said. “He

27 years in the Venezuelan League, all of those winters for Lara, before

the corner before making a diving, backhanded

is fully bilingual, which helps him bridge the

retiring in 2015 at age 45.

grab.

gap (between English and Spanish speakers). It

28

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

BILL MITCHELL; TOM DIPACE

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

helps make him a natural leader.

“Hedbert is also more receptive than most to seek extra help from coaches and older players.”

skills to go with work ethic, dedication and passion, it’s impressive. Hedbert has demonstrated that early on in his career.”

Because of his father’s big league back-

Perez said that was particularly true last year,

ground, Hedbert is likely ahead of schedule,

when he bent the ear of six-time all-star out-

and that’s partly why scouts can dream on his

fielder Ryan Braun, who at age 36 was at the

upside.

alternate site on a rehab assignment.

“At one point, (Braun) asked me how old I

“He has an advantage because he has grown up in clubhouses and dugouts, and that

am,” Perez said. “When I told him, he said, ‘Oh

has helped him acclimate to pro baseball,”

my gosh. I’m so old.’ ”

Groopman said.

R

Marlins righthander Eury Perez was a sensation with Low-A Jupiter. He was the only 18-year-old to pitch even 20 innings in a full-season league in the first half.

“Without minor league baseball last year, it obert Perez wore No. 51 in Venezuela,

created a unique opportunity for Hedbert to be

and he wanted that same number

around elite prospects in A-ball and all the way

when he signed with Orix in Japan in

up to players with significant major league ser-

1999. That’s when he discovered that

vice time.

his new superstar teammate, Ichiro Suzuki, already had that number.

But after Perez retired, Street 51 in his hometown changed its name. It is now called Robert Perez Calle 51.

Perez signed with the Blue Jays in 1989 and made his big league debut at age 25 in 1994.

Besides playing games in Canada, Venezuela and the U.S., he also played for pro squads in Japan, South Korea and Italy.

Perez was never a full-time starter in the U.S. majors, but he played parts of six seasons for the Blue Jays, Mariners, Expos, Yankees and Brewers, hitting .254/.271/.344 in 497 at-bats.

“I’m proud of what he accomplished,” Hedbert said. “I’m proud of being his son.”

That pride shows through the most in Venezuela, where Robert Perez, now 52, still holds the Venezuelan League records for most doubles (222), home runs (125) and RBIs (738).

“I remember as a kid going to his games in Venezuela,” Hedbert said. “It was awesome to hear a full stadium chanting your dad’s name, cheering for him.”

Often, Perez would return from a major league season and dive right into baseball in Venezuela.

“Even if I had a minor injury, I would play,” Perez said. “I loved to play.”

Perez said his nicknames in Venezuela include “La Pared Negra” and “El Hombre Historia.”

The first nickname translates to “The Black

“Hedbert saw how older guys prepare, and he took full advantage.”

P

erez has solid tools across the board, including impressive power for his age.

Speed is likely his No. 1 asset.

good plate discipline for his age.

In addition, Perez has the arm to play right field and the speed for center. The Brewers believe he will be a center fielder in the long term.

“It’s good that Hedbert plays all over the outfield,” Groopman said, “so he can experience different reads and routes from varied angles, whether it’s in center or on a corner.”

As for Perez, he said: “My dream is to play center field in the majors.”

Offensively, Perez hits to all fields, according to Tufo, with the most authority coming with his drives to right and center.

Hedbert has also had to adjust to increased velocity from opposing pitchers.

“Last year (at the alternate site) was the first time I faced 98, 99 (mph),” Hedbert said. “I think I did very well.”

Hedbert’s name is a combination of the letters in the names of his mother Yulhed and father Robert. He has an older brother Robert Jr. who is a 21-year-old first baseman in the Mariners organization.

But it wasn’t always a sure thing that Hedbert would follow his father and brother into base-

everything in the outfield. The second nick-

ball.

name translates to “The History Man,” which

“I don’t think my father said, ‘You have to

he earned due to his impact on the Venezuelan

play baseball’. I just loved the sport,” Hedbert

League’s record book.

said. “I grew up watching Ken Griffey Jr. I also rooted for the Boston Red Sox and David Ortiz.”

ferent. Robert is righthanded. Hedbert is a lefty.

Robert Perez said that once he saw his son

Robert played at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. Hedbert

was serious about baseball, there were certain

has grown to 5-foot-11, 195 pounds.

rules.

“Hedbert’s father is a legend in Venezuelan

“He has to respect the game,” Robert Perez

baseball,” Groopman said. “But it’s important

said. “He has to love the jersey he is playing for,

for Hedbert to create his own story.

and he has to take it seriously because now this

“Any time a player has his combination of

International free agents who signed in 2019 had to wait nearly two years to make their pro debuts

He has a quick, compact swing and

Wall” and was given to him because he caught

Robert and Hedbert Perez are similar but dif-

Worth the wait

The international signing class of 2019 was affected more than any subset of players by the pandemic. With rare exceptions, international free agents from that signing class made their official pro debuts in the Rookie-level complex leagues this summer, nearly two years after signing.

International amateurs who signed in the summer of 2019 got to participate in instructional league that fall and informal Tricky League games afterward. But those players were largely on their own in 2020, at least in between minor league spring training and instructional league in the fall.

Few IFAs who signed in 2019 were invited to alternate training sites in 2020. What’s more, many Venezuelans were stranded at spring complexes because their home country closed its borders.

That means that scouts’ looks at 2019 IFAs this season were primarily their first in-game looks. These players are now 18 years old and just beginning their pro careers in earnest, primarily in the Rookie-level Arizona (ACL) and Florida (FCL) complex leagues.

Early standouts from the 2019 signing class in the complex leagues included known prospects such as Brewers outfielder Hedbert Perez, who is featured on Page 28, and shortstops Adael Amador (Rockies), Aeverson Arteaga (Giants), Reggie Preciado (Cubs), Jose Salas (Marlins) and Arol Vera (Angels).

Other touted prospects such as Dodgers outfielder Luis Rodriguez, Royals outfielder Erick Peña and Rangers shortstop Maximo Acosta had gotten off to more modest starts.

In light of the long layoff between signing and debut, not to mention the leap in competition level, it was impressive to see that a small number of 2019 IFAs had reached Low-A. The most acclaimed member of that group was Yankees’ top prospect Jasson Dominguez, the Dominican center fielder who spent roughly two weeks in the FCL before playing in the Futures Game. He moved quickly to Low-A after the game.

The top performer was the Marlins’ Eury Perez, a 6-foot-8 righthander with impressive stuff and feel for an 18-year-old. He had struck out 60 in 43 innings at Low-A while logging a 2.09 ERA. Athletics shortstop Robert Puason opened the season in LowA, while Mets outfielder Alex Ramirez joined him there in June.

Both players had struggled to get a handle on their strikeout rates, though Ramirez has an exit velocity well above the league average.

—Matt Eddy

is his profession.” Q 29

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

COLLEGE

HIGH SCHOOL

The biggest names and loudest performances in college and high school baseball in 2021

i COLLEGE

Vanderbilt sews up two awards in one season, but it is a Mississippi State coach who makes history i HIGH

SCHOOL

Our Player of the Year does things on the diamond that are seldom seen i ALL-AMERICA

TEAMS

AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .

We kick off award season with our top amateur honors A pair of righthanders claimed our top amateur awards, with Vanderbilt’s Kumar Rocker (left) and Oklahoma City prep Jackson Jobe winning Player of the Year honors in college and high school

30

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

JAMIE SCHWABEROW/NCAA PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES; SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES; JAMIE SCHWABEROW/NCAA PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES; ADAM CREECH/LOUISVILLE ATHLETICS; EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS; BRIAN ROTHMULLER/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES

Standouts from around the diamond in both college and high school

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

THE LIST COLLEGE

Player of the Year

Coach of the Year

Freshman of the Year

All-America Teams

Kumar Rocker

Chris Lemonis

Jack Leiter

No. 1 overall draft pick Henry Davis of Louisville is

Vanderbilt

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

one of the headliners of the college first team

HIGH SCHOOL

Player of the Year

Team of the Year

All-America Teams

Jackson Jobe

Madison (Miss.) Central High

SoCal first-team All-America shortstop Marcelo Mayer

Heritage Hall HS,

surprisingly fell to the Red Sox at No. 4 overall

Oklahoma City

31

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

One of college baseball’s premier programs, Mississippi State had not won a national title until this year. In just this third year as head coach, Chris Lemonis got the Bulldogs over the hump.

CO L L E G E COAC H O F T H E Y E A R

FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE Chris Lemonis earned a reputation as a recruiter, but after winning a national title at Mississippi State, he will be remembered as a champion

M

ississippi State is one of the biggest programs in college

CAHILL

team sport in Mississippi State history.

Nearly a month later, Lemonis said the

baseball. It’s the alma mater

national championship remained a sur-

of Thunder and Lightning—

real feeling.

Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro—as

“When you have it sitting over your

well as Jake Mangum, the Southeastern

heads like that (facing elimination in

Conference’s hit king.

Games 2 and 3 of the finals), I told them,

Longtime Mississippi State coach Ron

‘You have to do something special,’ ”

Polk is known as the Godfather of the

Lemonis said. “Having to face Kumar

SEC for the way he brought the show of

Rocker in the last game, that’s about as

big-time baseball to the conference. Dudy

tough as it gets.”

Noble Field is an iconic venue and the

The path to a national championship

home of the largest on-campus crowds in

is never easy, and Mississippi State had

The Citadel, his alma mater, as an assis-

also been a key throughout his career.

the college baseball history.

plenty of challenges along the way. It

tant coach in 1995. He spent a decade

Mississippi State has had a first-round

was swept at home early in the season by

there before joining Dan McDonnell, his

pick in all three of his seasons in

always missing, however, was a national

Arkansas in a marquee matchup pitting

college teammate, in Louisville in 2006.

Starkville—lefthander Ethan Small in

championship.

No. 1 versus No. 2.

Lemonis helped build the Cardinals into a

2019, second baseman Justin Foscue in

national power.

2020 and righthander Will Bednar in

The one thing Mississippi State was

From the time Chris Lemonis was

The Bulldogs lost a home series to last-

hired as head coach following the 2018

place Missouri on the second-to-last

season—when the Bulldogs made a

weekend of the regular season, costing

Coach of the Year honors with Louisville

Cinderella run to the final four of the

them a shot at the conference title. Two

pitching coach Roger Williams. Two years

College World Series under interim head

weeks later, Mississippi State was swept

later, Lemonis became a head coach

getting good players to play well—that’s

coach Gary Henderson—he has never

out of the SEC Tournament, hit with

for the first time when he was hired by

hard, especially in our league,” Lemonis

run from the program’s championship

back-to-back embarrassing losses. In the

Indiana. He led the Hoosiers to regionals

said. “Look at Foscue, Jordan Westburg,

expectations.

NCAA Tournament, they faced four elim-

in three of his four seasons before he was

Tanner Allen. It’s one thing having great

ination games and won them all.

hired at Mississippi State.

players, but having them have great years

This year, in his third season at the helm, Lemonis and the Bulldogs made

Mississippi State’s run to the national

In 2013, Lemonis shared Assistant

Throughout his career, Lemonis made

2021—all of whom made big jumps in their draft years.

“Even though you have good players,

is another thing.”

good on them. Mississippi State fended

championship was a testament to the

a name for himself in recruiting. He

off Texas in the bracket final to reach

culture Lemonis fostered in Starkville and

brought Brendan McKay to Louisville

to the Bulldogs, building relationships

the College World Series championship

the team he built.

and convinced future big leaguers like

and a culture that helped them play with

Dallas McPherson and Britt Reames to go

confidence and resilience even after

series against Vanderbilt. After losing

After a historic season, Lemonis is

Lemonis also quickly endeared himself

Game 1 in the best-of-three series, the

Baseball America’s College Coach of the

to a military college in The Citadel. His

tough losses and in pressure-packed sit-

Bulldogs stormed back to twice rout the

Year. Lemonis, 51, is the fourth man to

ability on the recruiting trail was one of

uations.

Commodores, 13-2 and 9-0, to win the

win both Coach of the Year and Assistant

the traits that helped him get the job at

national championship.

Coach of the Year, joining Tim Corbin,

Mississippi State.

It was not only the baseball program’s first national title, but also the first for a 32

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

Brian O’Connor and Dave Serrano.

Lemonis began his coaching career at

But Lemonis is much more than a recruiter. Player development has

“Coach Lem is unbelievable, man,” said outfielder Tanner Allen, the SEC player of the year in 2021. “He’s a player’s coach. I tell people all the time, ‘That

JUSTIN TAFOYA/NCAA PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES; SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES

by TEDDY

Mississippi State won its first championship in convincing fashion by defeating defending-champion Vanderbilt by a combined score of 22-2 in Games 2 and 3.

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

In Demand MLB teams turn to Mississippi State players in increasing numbers

Not only are they good at baseball, but I

‘Let’s get this one tonight.’ There wasn’t

enjoy them. They’re all pretty easygoing

any joking. He felt it.”

guys.”

Lemonis and his coaching staff might

guy is somebody you want to play for.’ He

Lemonis has been able to harness all that energy around the program to lead

be easygoing, but the job is anything but.

the Bulldogs to greater heights than they

With such a large fan base and elite facil-

had ever reached. He did so in just his

ities come great expectations—and a lot

third season at the program’s helm after

of responsibilities beyond the diamond.

a remarkable start to his career

In Lemonis’ words, the job is big, but also

in Starkville.

fun.

It’s been an impressive rise for

knows when to be serious and he knows

Adding to the size of the job are the

Lemonis, but also something that those

when to be loose. To be honest with you,

shoes Lemonis had to fill. Polk is one of

around him have always believed would

when we’re loose and he’s loose, it just

the most beloved characters in college

come to fruition.

clicks.”

baseball and also at Mississippi State.

Not only does Lemonis mesh well with

Pat McMahon built on Polk’s success

After only one year, Mangum had seen enough to predict greatness for the

his players, but he has built a strong

during his tenure in Starkville. John

program under his head coach. During

cohesion with his coaching staff. Kyle

Cohen led Mississippi State, his alma

Mangum’s news conference after the

Cheesebrough, now Mississippi State’s

mater, to a runner-up finish at the 2013

Bulldogs were eliminated in the College

volunteer assistant coach, came with

College World Series and is now athletic

World Series in 2019, the last game of his

Lemonis from Indiana and previously

director. Cohen and Polk, who lives down

career, he had to fight back tears while

worked with him at Louisville.

the street from Lemonis, are frequent

talking about Lemonis.

Recruiting coordinator Jake Gautreau was a holdover from the previous staff

visitors at practice.

While their collective legacies could

“Thank you for everything,” Mangum said. “You’re going to bring the first

at Mississippi State and is one of the top

weigh heavily on Lemonis, he said they

national championship to this baseball

assistant coaches in the sport. Pitching

all have been eager cheerleaders of the

program. You are. And it’s going to be

coach Scott Foxhall was someone

program. Cohen was there to pick him

awesome. I can’t wait to see it.”

Lemonis had respected from afar while

up after the tough losses throughout

competing against him as both a player

the season. McMahon was sending him

Mangum’s prediction come true. Now,

and coach.

messages during the postseason run, and

with that national title in hand, what

Polk was the last person Lemonis saw

Mangum saw as a player is clear for

support staff, the coaching staff has

before leaving for the ballpark for the

everyone to see.

gelled into one of the best in the nation.

decisive third game of the CWS finals.

Together, along with the Bulldogs’

“I get too much credit,” Lemonis said.

“I feel like we have an unbelievable staff.

“Usually, he’s giving me a hard time,” Lemonis said. “He stopped me and said,

It only took Lemonis two years to make

Lemonis has taken Mississippi State to the next level with a bright future ahead. Q

Baseball is king at Mississippi State, which is rare in the Southeastern Conference.

Now, the Bulldogs are not only kings but also champions after winning the 2021 College World Series. Most Outstanding Player Will Bednar recorded a 1.47 ERA across three CWS starts, while striking out 26 and allowing five hits in 18.1 innings. The Giants drafted him 14th overall in July.

The Mississippi State program that rose to prominence in the early 1980s thanks to the exploits of Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro—combined with the timeliness to offer programming options to a fledgling ESPN—finally won it all in its 12th trip to Omaha.

Interest in Bulldogs players by major league clubs has intensified in the past four decades, with more attention being paid in the past 10 draft classes. In that time, a total of 10 Mississippi State players have been drafted with a top 50 overall pick. The table below lists every Mississippi State player drafted top 50 overall since 2012.

Year

Player (Overall pick)

2021 2020

RHP Will Bednar (14) 2B Justin Foscue (14), SS Jordan Westburg (30) RHP JT Ginn (52) LHP Ethan Small (28) None OF Brent Rooker (35) RHP Dakota Hudson (34) None LHP Jacob Lindgren (55) OF Hunter Renfroe (13) RHP Chris Stratton (20)

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012

That is to say nothing of 2021 MLB all-stars Brandon Woodruff and Adam Frazier or closer Kendall Graveman, all three alums in the midst of what could be career years.

—Matt Eddy 33

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

C O L L E G E P L AY E R & F R E S H M A N O F T H E Y E A R

HISTORIC FINISH Vanderbilt’s dynamic duo of Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are the first teammates to win our College Player and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season

by

anderbilt righthanders Kumar

As lofty as the expectations were,

Rocker and Jack Leiter came

Rocker and Leiter largely lived up to

into the 2021 season regarded

them. Rocker went 14-4, 2.73 in 122

as the two best college pros-

innings. Leiter went 11-4, 2.13 in 110

pects in the country.

innings. The pair tied for the national

Both could have been first-round picks

lead in strikeouts with 179. Both were

out of high school—Rocker in 2018,

first-team All-Americans, making them

Commodores fell one win shy of repeat-

28-10, 2.89 with 321 strikeouts and 68

Leiter in 2019—but opted to instead

the first rotation-mates to earn that

ing as national champions after winning

walks in 236.2 innings.

to play for the Commodores. As they

honor in the same year since Rice’s Jeff

it all in 2019. While neither Rocker nor

entered their draft year, both had a

Niemann and Wade Townsend in 2003.

Leiter ended up as the No. 1 overall pick

nearly as impressive in his first full sea-

—the Pirates instead selected Louisville

son in college. After throwing just 15.2

catcher Henry Davis—Leiter went second

innings in 2020 before the season was

to the Rangers and Rocker went 10th to

cancelled, he excelled in the Vanderbilt

the Mets. That made them the first rota-

rotation this spring. He made waves

tion-mates to be selected in the top 10

March 20 when he no-hit South Carolina

picks since UCLA’s Gerrit Cole and Trevor

and then built a hitless inning streak that

Bauer in 2011.

reached 20 and spanned three starts.

chance to be chosen with the first overall pick.

i FIVE

College World Series finals, where the

FACTS ABOUT ROCKER AND LEITER

For the first time ever, one team has swept Baseball America’s Player and Freshman of the Year awards. One program had previously won two of BA’s three individual college awards (Player, Freshman and Coach) in the same season four times, but in all previous cases it involved a Coach of the Year. Rocker and Leiter are the first teammates to collect individual awards in the same season from Baseball America.

1

Rocker was named Freshman of the Year in 2019 after helping Vanderbilt to the

2

34

Rocker and Leiter led Vanderbilt to the

national championship and winning College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors. He is the fifth player in the 40-year history of BA’s awards to win both Freshman and Player of the Year honors, joining Louisville’s Brendan McKay (2015, 2017), Rice’s Anthony Rendon (2009, 2010), Texas’ Brooks Kieschnick (1991, 1993) and Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura (1986, 1987).

Rocker is the second 3 Vanderbilt player to be named Player of the Year, joining David Price (2007). Rocker and

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

Leiter’s 179 strikeouts apiece in 2021 rank second in school history, trailing only Price’s 194 in 2007.

Leiter is the third Vanderbilt player to be named Freshman of the Year, joining Rocker (2019) and Pedro Alvarez (2006).

4

Rocker and Leiter are the first pair of teammates since Louisiana State’s Brett Laxton (1993) and Todd Walker (1992) to win back-to-back Freshman of the Year awards. No program has ever had back-to-back POY winners.

5

No other player in college baseball

Leiter, a second-year freshman, was

Leiter and all members of the 2020

this year combined the level of success,

freshman class were eligible for this

premium prospect status and impact as

year’s Freshman of the Year award

Rocker and Leiter. For those reasons,

because they played only about a quarter

Rocker is the Baseball America Player of

of the 2020 season. If it had been an inju-

the Year and Leiter is the Freshman of

ry and not a pandemic that had ended

the Year.

their season at the same point, they

Rocker turned in an impressive third

would have been eligible for a redshirt

season of college baseball. In addition to

and therefore still considered freshmen

matching Leiter for the most strikeouts,

the following year. Baseball America

his 14 wins were the most in the nation.

applied the same standard for the 2021

In three seasons on campus, he went

season.

SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES

V

TEDDY CAHILL

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

2021 College All-Americans Baseball America has selected a College All-America Team every year since 1981, missing only 2020 because the season was canceled by the pandemic. The 2021 team was selected by the BA staff after super regionals.

FIRST TEAM Pos C 1B 2B 3B SS OF OF OF DH SP SP SP SP RP RP UT

Player Henry Davis Niko Kavadas Connor Norby Hunter Wells Trey Sweeney Tanner Allen Colton Cowser Aaron Zavala Mat Nelson Jack Leiter Doug Nikhazy Kumar Rocker Gavin Williams Kevin Kopps Landon Sims Paul Skenes

College Louisville Notre Dame East Carolina Louisiana Tech Eastern Illinois Mississippi State Sam Houston State Oregon Florida State Vanderbilt Mississippi Vanderbilt East Carolina Arkansas Mississippi State Air Force

Drafted (Rd) Pirates (1) Red Sox (11) Orioles (2) Not drafted Yankees (1) Marlins (4) Orioles (1) Rangers (2) Reds (1s) Rangers (1) Indians (2) Mets (1) Indians (1) Padres (3) Not eligible Not eligible

SECOND TEAM thing right. I love that young man.”

Corbin said the key for Leiter to reach his lofty level was the consistency he brings to everything he does day in and day out.

“Consistency to what he’s doing— Following the College World Series,

he’s the same every day,” Corbin said.

Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin was asked

“Whether it’s academically, socially

what he will most remember about

or athletically, he’s low-maintenance,

coaching Rocker. He nearly broke down

mature, gets to the facility, and it’s full-

in tears while describing what it has

on go. He’s wired to compete, too, every

meant.

single day.

“He’s just a one-in-a-million kid,”

“He just works at what he’s doing. He’s

Corbin said. “His fibers are so real and so

got a strong passion for what he’s doing.

pure. He just loves team. He’s connected

High care-level kid. I think regardless

to competition. He’s connected to his

of how he was spoken about, he’s just

teammates in such a way that (he’s) just

thrown himself into the group. He loves

the ultimate college pitcher, ultimate

competing for the team. He’s very pro-

college teammate. The ultimate college

tective of the team.”

baseball player. He’ll go down as one of

Leiter comes from a baseball family.

the very best we’ve had at Vanderbilt.

His father Al pitched for 19 seasons in

“I don’t like to categorize the kids

the major leagues and was a two-time

because I don’t want to slight anyone,

all-star and 1997 World Series champion

but, my gosh, this kid—he’s meant so

with the Marlins. His uncle Mark pitched

much to our program. He’s meant a lot

11 seasons in the major leagues. His cous-

to college baseball. He’s meant a lot to

in Mark Jr. pitched in the major leagues

the SEC.

for two seasons.

“He’s the best reflection of his parents.

That’s high praise. He’s just done every-

Naturally, Leiter said he learned a lot from his father. Q

LEFT: Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin regards righthander Kumar Rocker as the “ultimate college baseball player” and said, “He’ll go down as one of the very best we’ve had at Vanderbilt.”

RIGHT: The Rangers drafted Jack Leiter No. 2 overall in July and are getting a “low-maintenance” righthander who could pitch at the front of their rotation one day.

“Consistency to what he’s doing—he’s the same every day,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said.

Pos C 1B 2B 3B SS OF OF OF DH SP SP SP SP RP RP UT

Player College Daniel Susac Arizona Ethan Long Arizona State Jace Jung Texas Tech Tyler Locklear Virginia Commonwealth Brooks Lee Cal Poly Kyler Fedko Connecticut Quincy Hamilton Wright State Brock Jones Stanford Jacob Berry Arizona Rodney Boone UC Santa Barbara Geremy Guerrero Indiana State Ty Madden Texas Andrew Taylor Central Michigan Sean Hunley Tennessee Carson Palmquist Miami Spencer Schwellenbach Nebraska

Drafted (Rd) Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Twins (12) Astros (5) Not eligible Not eligible Indians (8) Not drafted Tigers (1s) Not eligible Rays (19) Not eligible Braves (2)

THIRD TEAM Pos C 1B 2B 3B SS OF OF OF DH SP SP SP SP RP RP UT

Player Hunter Goodman Liam McGill Jackson Glenn Jake Rucker Benjamin Cowles Kyle Battle Jonny Butler Sal Frelick Wes Clarke Andrew Abbott Brendan Beck Landon Marceaux Matt Mikulski Taylor Broadway Nick Jones Justin Campbell

College Memphis Bryant Dallas Baptist Tennessee Maryland Old Dominion North Carolina State Boston College South Carolina Virginia Stanford Louisiana State Fordham Mississippi Georgia Southern Oklahoma State

Drafted (Rd) Rockies (4) Braves (9) Pirates (5) Twins (7) Yankees (10) Not drafted Athletics (14) Brewers (1) Brewers (10) Reds (2) Yankees (2) Angels (3) Giants (2) White Sox (6) Angels (8) Not eligible 35

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

Jackson Jobe began to blossom on the mound during the 2020 showcase circuit. He put everything together this season as the top pitcher and middle-of-the-order shortstop for Oklahoma state champions Heritage Hall High.

H I G H S C H O O L P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

RARE AIR Whether hitting or pitching, Jackson Jobe does things on the field that few have seen

W

ALEXIS BRUDNICKI

herever Jackson Jobe went

Early this year, Jobe called himself a

this year, excitement fol-

“late bloomer.” Not only did he add 12

lowed.

inches and a lot of strength and size to

As the centerpiece for

his 6-foot-2 frame over the last five

Heritage Hall High, the 18-year-old

years, but he came into pitching much

helped lead his Oklahoma City team to

later than most of his peers.

playoffs, then to regionals and finally

In 2021, everything came together.

to a state championship. Jobe had an

“I’m starting to bloom a little bit,”

incredible regular season, then somehow

Jobe said. “It all came out of nowhere in

found another gear in the final stretch.

the summer, and then I saw my poten-

What Jobe considered nervous energy,

guy who’s going to be really special at

his head coach found to be a palpable

whatever level he achieves. It really put

excitement.

him into an atmosphere of a player who I

“There was something different about

haven’t seen at the high school level.”

As the Chargers’ starting shortstop,

tial. And I worked really hard and had a

the kid toward the end of the year when

As he continues to move forward

Jobe hit .469/.592/.927 in the heart of the

good year this year, but I still have a lot

we were going into the playoffs, region-

beyond Heritage Hall, the High School

lineup with seven home runs and 13 sto-

more room to grow as well.”

als and hitting the state tournament,”

Player of the Year understands that even

Semore said. “Not to say he didn’t have

foregoing his commitment to Mississippi

len bases in 32 games. On the mound, he

That’s the thing that should have

went 9-0 with a 0.14 ERA and three com-

Tigers fans thrilled. Not only does Jobe

it turned on before, but there was anoth-

will certainly not mean even the briefest

plete games over 51.2 innings. He also

have an upper-90s fastball, a big league-

er gear I didn’t know he had. It was so

of pauses in furthering his education.

struck out 122 and walked just five.

ready slider, a future plus changeup, a

exciting to watch.”

Those numbers led him not only to

potentially above-average curveball and

“I’m excited to be able to learn more

Jobe was an extraordinary player to be

about the game and continue maturing

be named his team’s MVP, and then to

command to complement the package,

around in high school, and yet everything

as a person,” Jobe said. “This year I’ve

become the third overall pick in the 2021

he has much more left in the tank.

he did seemed as though it was business

learned a lot about not only pitching, but

The conversations surrounding Jobe

as usual. He made the unfathomable

myself, and being able to come home

formance was also enough to help him

and his future completely shifted ahead

believable, and he elevated the high

after each game and being able to learn

win the Baseball America High School

of this season. After the shortened 2020

school game to new heights, bringing

something from it.

Player of the Year award.

season, his breakout summer on the

everyone in his orbit along for the ride.

“Baseball’s more fun than anything

“We knew he was going to be the guy

else I do, so I’m enjoying the ride and

draft, selected by the Tigers, but the per-

“He obviously brings a lot of eyes

mound during the showcase circuit made

and attention to our program, and we

him someone to keep an eye on. But if

from the first pitch he made this sea-

we’ll see what happens. I’m looking for-

love having those special players come

Jobe was in a pressure cooker, he only

son,” Semore said. “But in the regional

ward to meeting new people and learning

through who help us succeed and put

showed it by continually heating up all

tournament going into the state tour-

new things about the game, because I

championship banners on the wall and

season and coming out of it with a mas-

nament, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen

don’t think (learning) ever ends.”

trophies in the cases,” Heritage Hall head

terpiece playoff performance.

a high school kid just pick up and abso-

coach Jordan Semore said. “That’s some-

“I had a lot more to prove this spring,”

“I love the game and I love being able

lutely, completely, succeed in everything

to get on the field every day,” he said.

thing you don’t find often, and Jackson

Jobe said. “So my first few starts were

he did. When he was at the plate, he was

“I love working. I love playing. I love

was one of those guys who came in and

pretty nerve-wracking, but as it came

hitting 450-foot bombs. He was putting

throwing. I love practicing. I love doing

completely turned things around for us.

down to it, I got more used to it. I wasn’t

us in a position to run-rule teams that

it all.

“He was a guy we could really build

really worried about the people in the

were very good, quality teams in the

around and put him in the middle of the

stands. I was more worried about the

state of Oklahoma. When he pitched the

waking up at 6:00 a.m. isn’t fun, and

lineup and let him do his thing, and with

game.

ball, the other team knew it was going to

there are days you’d rather go back to

be difficult to win the ballgame.

bed like everybody else, but that’s the

the (pitching) progression he had from

“Towards the end of the year, the

“Obviously there are some days where

junior to senior year, everything fell into

nerves were coming from the position

place and was a special year for us.”

we were in, whether it was regionals or

ment to the game, on and off the field.

and know that if you skip a day, there’s

Drafted as a pitcher, the young

the state tournament . . . But that’s what

And that moment in the regional tour-

someone out there who is not skipping

righthander’s focus only began to shift

makes it fun, and then obviously winning

nament, to me, transcended him from

that day. Things like that get me out of

primarily to the mound last summer.

makes it even more fun.”

a really great high school player to a

bed.” Q

36

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

“Everything he did, he brought excite-

mental side of it. You push through

EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS; COURTESY OF MADISON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

by

HIGH SCHOOL TEAM OF THE YEAR

Hard Work Rewarded Madison Central High leans on a teamfirst, competitive approach to claim the Mississippi State championship The stakes seemed higher to Patrick Robey this season.

As the head coach at Madison Central High in Mississippi, Robey believes coaching staffs around the country will understand and agree with him.

But it wasn’t the games that counted for more.

It was the time.

Before experiencing the loss of last season to the coronavirus pandemic, it had become easy to take the regular routine of spring and summer baseball for granted. Practices were a given.

Motivational speeches from coaches were expected. The roller coaster ride of a championship run was often the most significant emotional toll to be paid.

Heading into this year knowing his team would be reunited with a chance to return to some normalcy on the diamond, albeit missing several players who didn’t get the sendoff their team felt they deserved, Robey’s focus diverged from his usual preseason mindset. No longer was the game about the competition. It became about gratitude.

“I couldn’t have cared less if we won or lost a game,” Robey said. “I missed my guys. I missed the relationships, I missed the talks, I missed the bus rides, I missed my guys. That was the hardest thing for me. For the players, it was very tough.

Every coach knows what I felt and what we felt.”

While that sentiment was shared by many ahead of the beginning of this season, Robey and his players earned an entirely different set of emotions by the end of the year, winning Mississippi’s highest classification (6A) championship after finishing 34-2 and being named the Baseball America High School Team of the Year.

“It’s pretty remarkable,” Robey said of the honor.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s a credit to having years of success, and then to these young men who accomplished the goal this year. It’s a credit to

them and their families for a lot of sacrifice and hard work.”

The state title was Robey’s second with Madison Central in his fifth season and sixth year with the school. The Jaguars went undefeated in league play, and outscored opponents 422-64.

The squad was led by draft prospects Braden Montgomery and Hunter Hines, but received contributions from across the roster.

“We were very talented, and you’ve got to be to finish No. 1 and win a state championship,” Robey said. “But it goes a lot further than that. We had a group of very selfless kids who loved each other and didn’t care who got the credit. They just wanted to win. You take a talented team with a team-first attitude and families who care about the team, that culminates into a very successful year.

“Offensively, we had some guys who could hit for power, some guys who could run, a lot of senior leaders who had a lot of at-bats under their belts and were all tough outs. There were three or four juniors in that group who were very key contributors. We had a group of guys who really enjoyed playing the game, they enjoyed being around each other, they didn’t like to lose, whether it was checkers, ping pong, or baseball, so that was a pretty good combination.”

Maybe it was the missed season. It might have been the result of an abundance of time apart.

Perhaps it was the same feeling of gratitude felt by their head coach. But there’s one word that primarily comes to mind for Robey when he thinks about the team he fielded this year.

“Lovable,” he said. “They love each other, they truly did. I really believe God rewards faith, sacrifice and obedience, and those guys were not afraid to sacrifice for each other. They knew their roles and they accepted their roles. They knew they couldn’t all be starting shortstop, they couldn’t all hit third. But those guys have played baseball together for a long time, and whether it was ping-pong or baseball, they wanted to compete hard.”

Though Robey can’t expect the same level of camaraderie, he believes the same success that led him and his squad to become Team of the Year has a chance to be repeated because of the competitive spirit he’s seen pass through his doors time and time again.

The culture, he believes, will stand the test of time.

“We have a winning culture and a successful school,” he said. “They want to win in the classroom, on the athletic field, on the basketball court, so the competitive nature is in our kids. Are we going to win a state championship every single year? Absolutely not. But our kids know they have to work hard to maintain the level of success we’ve had at Madison Central. We’ve got some really talented players coming back (and) we’ll have a chance to make a good run next year too.”

—Alexis Brudnicki

COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

Madison Central High coach Patrick Robey said of his Mississippi state champions: “We had a group of very selfless kids who loved each other and didn’t care who got the credit. They just wanted to win.”

2021 High School All-Americans Baseball America selected these All-America teams after the conclusion of the high school season.

FIRST TEAM Pos C CI CI MI MI OF OF OF DH SP SP SP SP SP

Player Harry Ford Brady House Wes Kath Jordan Lawlar Marcelo Mayer Daylen Lile Braden Montgomery Will Taylor Peyton Stovall Bubba Chandler Jackson Jobe Frank Mozzicato Andrew Painter Hagen Smith

High School North Cobb Winder-Barrow Desert Mountain Dallas Jesuit Eastlake Trinity Madison Central Dutch Fork Haughton North Oconee Heritage Hall East Catholic Calvary Christian Bullard

State GA GA AZ TX CA KY MS SC LA GA OK CT FL TX

Drafted (Rd) Mariners (1) Nationals (1) White Sox (2) D-backs (1) Red Sox (1) Nationals (2) Not drafted Rangers (19) Not drafted Pirates (3) Tigers (1) Royals (1) Phillies (1) Not drafted

Player High School State Joe Mack Williamsville East NY Izaac Pacheco Friendswood TX Colson Montgomery Southridge IN Kahlil Watson Wake Forest NC Carson Williams Torrey Pines CA Benny Montgomery Red Land PA Joshua Baez Dexter Southfield MA Jay Allen Carroll Catholic FL Cam Butler Big Valley Christian CA Anthony Solometo Bishop Eustace NJ Chase Petty Mainland Regional NJ Thatcher Hurd Mira Costa CA Joshua Hartle Reagan NC Ben Kudrna Blue Valley Southwest KS

Drafted (Rd) Marlins (1s) Tigers (2) White Sox (1) Marlins (1) Rays (1) Rockies (1) Cardinals (2) Reds (1) White Sox (15) Pirates (2) Twins (1) Not drafted Not drafted Royals (2)

SECOND TEAM Pos C CI CI MI MI OF OF OF DH SP SP SP SP SP

THIRD TEAM Pos C CI CI MI MI OF OF OF DH SP SP SP SP SP

Player Carter Jensen Jacob Walsh Mason Guerra Maxwell Muncy Noah Miller Lonnie White Tyler Whitaker Nick McLain James Triantos Maddux Bruns Chase Burns Coleman Willis Dylan Lesko Jackson Baumeister

High School Park Hill Desert Oasis Westview Thousand Oaks Ozaukee Malvern Bishop Gorman Beckman Madison UMS-Wright Beech Houston County Buford Bolles

State MO NV OR CA WI PA NV CA VA AL TN GA GA FL

Drafted (Rd) Royals (3) Not drafted Not drafted Athletics (1) Twins (1s) Pirates (2s) Astros (3) Not drafted Cubs (2) Dodgers (1) Padres (20) Not drafted Underclassman Not drafted 37

American League O Dillon Dingler’s athleticism helps the catcher Ʒŋþ ŶƆøøĆŶŶ ĩŋ ĥĩŶ ŮŲŔ þĆõƆſ ěŔŲ ſĥĆ ªĩĝĆŲŶ PAGE 40 O ŮÛĩŲ Ŕě ěŔŲňĆŲ ƆõƆŲŋ ĩŋƷĆŀþĆŲŶ ſĆÛň ƆŮ ÛĝÛĩŋ ĩŋ ſĥĆ ªƛĩŋŶ ŔŲĝÛŋĩƪÛſĩŔŋ PAGE 41 O ªĥĆ ŀƆĆ cÛơŶͽ ÛňÛþ ªÛơŀŔŲ ƛĆŋſ þŔƛŋ ƆŋþĆŲ ſŔ ſĆŶſ ĥĩŶ Ŷƛĩŋĝ Ûŋþ Ûþþ þĆěĆŋŶĩƚĆ ƚĆŲŶÛſĩŀĩſơ PAGE 42

Athletics shortstop Nick Allen improved his offensive output at Double-A this season, while his steady glove helped earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

PAGE 41

O ªĥĆ ĆþŶͽ ŀĆĹŔ hŔŮĆƪ ÛŮŮŀĩĆŶ ŀĆŶŶŔŋŶ ĥĆ ŀĆÛŲŋĆþ ĩŋ õĩĝ ŀĆÛĝƆĆ øÛňŮ PAGE 44 O ªĥĆ ŔøļĩĆŶͽ ŮŀÛŋ ſŔ ňÛļĆ ÆĩŀŀĩĆ qÛøTƚĆŲ Û øÛſøĥĆŲ ŮÛơŶ ŔƱ ƛĩſĥ õŲĆÛļſĥŲŔƆĝĥ ŶĆÛŶŔŋ PAGE 45

TOM DIPACE; TOM PRIDDY/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

O EŔŲňĆŲ 'ĩƚĩŶĩŔŋ TT ŀĆěſĥÛŋþĆŲ 1ſĥÛŋ 1ŀŀĩŔſſ ŶĥĩŋĆŶ ěŔŲ ſĥĆ ÛþŲĆŶ PAGE 47

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Australian lefthander Alexander Wells could only watch as Orioles pitching prospects took turns impressing the front office and manager Brandon Hyde at big league spring training.

Wells injured his oblique and didn’t throw in a Grapefruit League game. So the 24-year-old began the season in the Triple-A Norfolk rotation, where he ran up a 9.88 ERA in 13.2 innings in May. The first month at Triple-A was a struggle. The lack of a healthy spring training had followed a 2020 season without minor league baseball and Wells’ exclusion from the summer and fall camps. He stayed in Australia and worked out, throwing with twin brother Lachlan Wells, a pitcher in the Twins organization.

Wells rebounded in June by striking out 19 in 18.1 innings and recording a 2.45 ERA. That performance helped earn him his first callup on June 26. He pitched two scoreless innings in a blowout loss to the Blue Jays.

For the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Wells, success is predicated on precision, not power.

He doesn’t throw hard. He just throws strikes, with a career minor league walk rate of 1.4 per nine innings.

“This is a guy who flies a little bit under the radar in our system, but his minor league success has been crazy so far. He’s dominated,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said.

The Orioles signed Wells internationally in 2015 and added him to the 40-man roster following the 2020 season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year at Double-A Bowie in 2019.

“I think that the reason we were determined to protect him this time around is we view him as a potential starting pitcher,” Elias said. “That’s a valuable asset.”

—ROCH KUBATKO

BOSTON RED SOX Scouts who saw righthander Brayan Bello with Low-A Greenville in 2019 saw a pitcher with intriguing stuff but uncertain projection.

Bello’s lean, 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame suggested projection for his repertoire, which then featured a low-90s fastball, solid changeup and fringy slider.

Bello finished strong that season, recording a 3.00 ERA with 59 strikeouts and nine walks in 54 innings. At the least, he looked like a promising reliever with back-end starting potential if his stuff took a jump.

A few instructional league appearances in the fall of 2020 hinted at progress. The 2021 minor league season has served as

a sort of new unveiling as the 22-year-old climbed to Double-A Portland.

Bello added strength and filled out during the shutdown, resulting in a velocity bump that had him sitting at 94-95 mph with his fastball. In a late-June outing, he sat 95-96 mph and topped out at 98.

“He’s grown into his body and his stuff has gotten a lot better,” Red Sox pitching coordinator Ralph Treuel said. “He’s getting more swings and misses with the fastball. A lot of it has to do with the added velocity.”

Those velocity gains have also helped Bello’s changeup play up.

With greater separation from his fastball and improved movement, Bello’s changeup became a regular swing-and-miss offering, helping him dominate in his first 11 starts of 2021 at Greenville, now the organization’s High-A affiliate, and Portland. His slider was less consistent but still flashed plus.

Bello, who signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2017, went 5-0, 3.27 with 77 strikeouts and 16 walks through 55 innings this season.

One rival evaluator raved about his “electric” mix and pegged him as having the ceiling of a No. 3 starter, suggesting the Red Sox should view the righthander as just short of untradeable.

—ALEX SPEIER

CHICAGO WHITE SOX Armed with a big fastball when he joined the White Sox in 2018 as a third-round pick out of Mississippi State, Konnor Pilkington has put in long hours trying to develop other pitches.

His curveball and slider are still works in progress, but the 23-year-old lefthander’s changeup has become quite a weapon.

“I’ve been using my changeup a lot,” Pilkington said. “I get a lot of swings and misses with it and I’ve been getting a lot of weak contact.”

Through the first three months of the season at Double-A Birmingham, Pilkington recorded a 3.48 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 21 walks in 62 innings.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “My arm, my body, everything’s feeling good, so I’m pretty happy.”

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Pilkington will be even happier if his curveball and slider become as effective as his fastball and changeup.

“I’m working on them every day,” Pilkington said. “If I can get my breaking balls up to that level, that would be three or four good pitches I could roll out there.”

Pilkington was trying to get back up to speed after the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season. He was not invited to Chicago’s alternate training site but the year

Red Sox righthander Brayan Bello looks like a different pitcher, thanks to enhanced velocity and feel for his changeup.

wasn’t a total loss.

“I dealt with it fine,” Pilkington said. “At the beginning, they told us to stay ready, be ready. I kept my routine, kept throwing and working out. Halfway through the summer it was kind of obvious we weren’t going to have a season, but I stayed on top of my game.”

Refining his changeup was the his biggest accomplishment,.

“I’ve already thrown it in every count this year,” he said. “I feel like I can locate that pitch almost, if not better, than my fastball.

Righty or lefty, it doesn’t matter. I can throw it in there and get the hitter thinking about other stuff.”

Now producing at Double-A after spending 2019 at two Class A levels, Pilkington was tracking toward the major leagues.

—SCOT GREGOR

CLEVELAND INDIANS The Indians’ 2017 international signing class looms prominently in the organization’s future.

Outfielder George Valera, shortstop Brayan Rocchio and second baseman Aaron Bracho all ranked as top prospects.

Shortstop Jose Tena hit .319 in his first two Rookie-level seasons and jumped to High-A this year.

The next player to emerge from that class is burly corner infielder Jhonkensy Noel, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound masher who,

according to Indians vice president of player development James Harris “hits the ball harder than almost anyone in our system.”

Signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Noel more than held his own in his first two years in Rookie ball, hitting .263 with 16 home runs in the Dominican Summer and Arizona leagues.

This year at Low-A Lynchburg, the 19-year-old Noel hit the ground running, hitting .347/.368/.639 in 17 games. He had nearly as many extra-base hits (11) as strikeouts (13).

Hand and ankle injuries had slowed Noel’s ascent, but he returned to Lynchburg on July 20 after nearly two months away.

The righthanded-hitting Noel had split his time between first base and third base.

Regardless of where he plays, Noel hits.

“He’s played primarily first base, but we are increasing his time at third base,” Harris said.

Noel’s physicality makes him an intimidating figure at the plate. “He has shown plus power and is an agile defender,” Harris said.

The free-swinging Noel is not patient.

While he had kept his strikeout rate in check, he likes to swing the bat and had drawn just two walks and seen roughly three pitches per plate appearance as a result.

The Indians cannot argue about the results on contact, especially in what is shaping up as a breakthrough season for Noel.

—JIM INGRAHAM

39

Organization Reports

DETROIT TIGERS

—EMILY WALDON

HOUSTON ASTROS Korey Lee has adapted throughout his entire time with the Astros.

He joined an organization without any legitimate catching depth as somewhat of a surprise first-round pick in 2019 from California. A pandemic prevented him from playing his first full professional season until now.

The time between contained copious changes. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound backstop 40

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

—BILL MITCHELL

Royals outfielder Darryl Collins, a 19-year-old from the Netherlands, showed growth in his first taste of full-season ball.

shortened his arm slot on throws from behind the plate. He now catches on one knee. His batting stance no longer has the long stride and movement it did in college.

“The biggest thing that’s impressed me is his ability to make adjustments so quickly,” Astros assistant general manager Pete Putila said on a team radio broadcast.

The changes are paying dividends.

The 22-year-old earned a promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi in June after dominating High-A Asheville. Lee’s first 119 at-bats at Double-A featured eight home runs. He posted a .899 OPS in his first 62 games across both levels. Lee took 25 walks while striking out just 38 times.

Lee even started twice at third base for Double-A in his first 12 games. During his first outing, Lee leapt to snare a line drive hit well over his head, displaying the athleticism many in the organization rave about.

His ability to play a corner-infield position creates versatility the Astros crave.

But it’s clear that Lee’s future lies behind the plate. His pop times have registered as low as 1.7 seconds on throws to second base while working on a one-knee catching stance.

“Just to take a little bit of the load off and he’s actually shown the ability to get off some pretty quick pop times from there,” Putila said.

Lee threw out three of the first seven Double-A basestealers.

The Astros’ major league catching duo of Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro is locked up through 2022. Garrett Stubbs

remains the third catcher on the 40-man roster. The situation allows Lee time to season in Double-A and, if history is any indication, make more adjustments.

—CHANDLER ROME

KANSAS CITY ROYALS Low-A Columbia outfielder Darryl Collins stands out for his advanced hitting ability and plate discipline for a 19-year-old in his first taste of full-season ball.

What also differentiates Collins from his teammates is that he is from the Netherlands, one of just a handful of players in affiliated baseball from that nation.

Credit his upbringing as the primary contributor for his prescient feel to hit. Raised in a close baseball family, the 6-foot-2, 185pound Collins credits his father, uncle and grandfather for teaching him the right way to play the game. His grandfather spent 60 years as a Dutch baseball star and later a coach.

Collins’ precocious ability attracted Nick Leto, the Royals’ manager of Arizona operations, who scouted Collins first at workouts in Rotterdam and later when the outfielder was playing in the Dutch major league.

The Royals were quick to sign Collins in August 2018 after seeing how he handled himself as a teen playing against older competition. The physical lefthanded hitter made his pro debut with a strong season in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2019,

LOS ANGELES ANGELS As the pitcher lifts his front leg before pushing off the mound, Orlando Martinez lifts his front leg in the batter’s box. The 23-year-old outfielder’s leg kick virtually mirrors that of the opposing pitcher in height and stride.

It’s a timing mechanism that bears a striking resemblance to Angels first baseman Jared Walsh, who rose from 39th-round pick out of Georgia in 2015 to become one of baseball’s most productive hitters, but it’s also one that can be extremely difficult to repeat.

“It takes work to make moves like that repeatable,” Angels minor league field coordinator Chad Tracy said. “Everyone is after repeatable because that’s what leads to consistency. Walshy had to condense some of his stuff last year to make it shorter and more repeatable.”

The lefthanded-hitting Martinez, who played for Cuba’s 18U national team in 2016 and signed with the Angels for $250,000 in 2017, seems to have found a more comfortable setup and stance, and a more aggressive approach has led to more swings on balls in hittable areas of the strike zone.

Martinez hit three home runs and a double and drove in six runs in his fourth game of the season for Double-A Rocket City, and through 63 games he was hitting .248/.297/.440 with 11 home runs.

The biggest blemish on his 2021 statistical line was his high strikeout (81) and low walk (17) totals.

“The aggressiveness has led to more pullside (contact) in the air, and he has juice

TOM PRIDDY/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

Over the last 27 years of his career, Ohio State head baseball coach Greg Beals has become an expert talent evaluator.

Now and then, a player who comes and goes through Columbus finds a way to set himself apart.

When Beals was first introduced to catcher Dillon Dingler during the start of the recruitment process, Dingler immediately made an impression.

“It started with the ability to play the game, and Dillon obviously has the ability to play the game,” Beals said. “But then as I got to meet and know him and his family, I quickly learned that this kid’s got something special.

“For lack of better terms, he’s got some ‘it’ factor.”

The 22-year-old Dingler’s athleticism was no secret.

At Jackson High in Massillon, Ohio, Dingler won a basketball state championship, a baseball state title and was named the football player of the year in his area.

Dingler entered Ohio State behind junior backstop Jacob Barnwell, but as Beals expected, Dingler’s athleticism once again came into the picture.

“We got about a third of the way into our (2018) season, and we’re like, ‘We’re trying to split time with these two guys,’ “ Beals said.

“These were two of our best players, and we’re trying to put the nine best guys out on the field as (much as) possible.

“Dillon played the back half of his freshman year in center field for us. His athleticism allowed me to put the nine best guys on the field that we could.”

Following his selection as the Tigers’ 2020 second-rounder, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Dingler’s impact on both sides of the pall has set in quickly. To Beals, it’s no surprise.

“I think that the Tigers fans are going to be really excited about just the competitor, the guy that he is,” Beals said. “He’s got some tools obviously with the power—he’s got some top-end major league skills—but you’re going to get a great competitor, a locker room guy.”

batting .320/401/.436 in 48 games.

Collins continued to impress in 2021 by batting .255/.371/.371 with four home runs, 30 walks and 37 strikeouts through 57 games in Low-A East.

Earlier in Collins’ pro career, observers questioned whether he would develop the power needed to hold down a regular corner outfield position.

Observers noticed the power starting to emerge in minor league spring training games this year. According to a National League scout, Collins is developing physically and has added loft to his swing. With the bat-to-ball skills already in place, that ability to elevate balls should eventually lead to balls going over the fence.

What also stands out with Collins is his outstanding makeup, another trait he developed from his strong family support.

“These kids (in the Collins family) learned how to play,” Leto said. “They play to win.

They go into games to make an impact for the team.”

AMERICAN LEAGUE

over there,” Tracy said.

“It has also led to some additional chase and miss at times. Finding the happy medium between being aggressive, but also hunting in specific areas of the zone, is his next challenge.”

Martinez, who can play all three outfield spots, is an average runner, but he gets great jumps off the bat and runs efficient routes, which allow him to get to more balls in the gaps.

He projected more as an extra outfielder entering this season, but if he continues to hit for more power and make more consistent contact, he could develop into a starter.

—MIKE DIGIOVANNA

MINNESOTA TWINS Will Holland and Edouard Julien once helped power Auburn to the College World Series.

It’s probably a long shot to expect the former Tigers to one day get the Twins to the major league version—but it looks a lot more possible now than it did a year ago.

Holland, a shortstop drafted by the Twins in the fourth round in 2019, has rebounded from a frustrating debut season and a year idled by Covid to improve his body, his defense and especially his plate discipline.

Julien, a second baseman and third baseman at Auburn, joined the organization in the 18th round of the same draft, didn’t make his professional debut until May. They opened the season as teammates once more at Low-A Fort Myers and were proving that the lost season was a setback but not an expiration. They were doing that by taking consistently good at-bats.

“Will has some pop in his bat, but he’s learned that it’s hard to show it if you’re swinging at pitchers’ pitches,” Twins director of player development Alex Hassan said.

“Eddie just has a natural eye for the strike zone. That helped him settle in quickly.”

That’s no exaggeration. Julien charged into the Low-A Southeast lead in walks—50 in his first 47 games—and on-base percentage at .490. Those numbers earned the 23-year-old a promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids in late June.

“When he gets his pitch, he doesn’t miss many,” Hassan said.

Holland, 24, can’t say the same, but the Twins see progress. He flashed power potential with seven homers in 36 games at Rookie-level Elizabethton in 2019, but he hit just .192.

“He didn’t have the best pro debut, which he would acknowledge,” Hassan said.

“But the tools are all there. His defense is there. He came in in good shape and has been much more disciplined as a hitter.”

An nagging elbow injury interrupted

Former Louisiana State shortstop Josh Smith captivated the Yankees with his production, leadership and work ethic.

Holland’s season for a month, but he looked restored upon returning, hitting .292 with a homer and five doubles in a seven-game stretch in late June.

“We’ve always believed in him,” Hassan said. “He’s starting to show why.”

—PHIL MILLER

NEW YORK YANKEES When Yankees coaches and evaluators talk about the best leaders in the farm system, a few names consistently come up.

Shortstop Josh Smith is one of them.

“Super mature,” hitting coordinator Dillon Lawson said. “Not an overly loud leader. Speaks when he needs to and definitely leads by example . . . Just about any of the coaches offer his name up as being in that top three to five leaders from a position player standpoint.”

The Yankees hope his teammates follow the 23-year-old Smith’s lead in terms of on-field production, too.

Smith had been one of the most impressive infielders in the organization, hitting .324/.448/.641 with nine home runs and 17 stolen bases through 39 games between Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley.

The Yankees drafted the 5-foot-10, 172pound Smith in the second round in 2019 out of Louisiana State.

Lawson credits Smith’s work ethic and his focus on improving what he already does best—making consistent hard contact—for

his early success and quick promotion after starting the season on the injured list with a hand injury.

“It’s been about running with his strengths and not trying to turn him into something he isn’t,” Lawson said. “He’s a guy who plays great defense at a premier position. He’s a guy who, at minimum, you know what you’re going to get out of him every day at the plate.

“Now, this year, he’s stepped it up even further.”

This season, Smith—a lefthanded hitter—has started to notch exit velocities as high as 107 mph.

A big part of his play has been an increased attention to detail. Since he wasn’t invited to the alternate training site in 2020, Smith had to work out on his own.

Now, he’s back with Yankees instructors who are giving him constant feedback, even between swings in the batting cage. Smith eats it up.

“It’s something to be very excited about, especially with how he squares the ball up so consistently that now his top-end exit velocity is climbing,” Lawson said.

—BRENDAN KUTY

OAKLAND ATHLETICS The advice has always been simple.

Coaches kept telling shortstop Nick Allen to keep the ball low and not waste at-bats on fly balls.

The 5-foot-8, 166-pound Allen is a graceful shortstop whose future will be determined by his ability to reach base, not crush home runs. This year, Allen seems to have found that path.

“He spent time in the big league camp during spring training,” Athletics farm director Ed Sprague said. “(Hitting coach) Darren Bush and (manager) Bob Melvin talked to him and reiterated what we had told him.”

Allen, a 2017 third-rounder from The Parker School in San Diego, moved to Double-A Midland this season and became a line-drive machine. Through 50 games the 22-year-old had hit .319/.374/.471 with six home runs.

The improvement also earned him a spot on the United States Olympic team competing for gold in Tokyo.

Allen already had a reputation as a premier defensive shortstop when the A’s drafted him in 2017. His defense has only improved the last three years, and Sprague believes Allen ranks as a 70 defender on the 20-80 scouting scale, with a plus arm to complement his talents. He is quick and nimble, with good hands.

The question has always been how Allen’s bat would develop. The A’s would like to see him emerge as a David Fletchertype hitter who torments opponents with gap-to-gap line drives.

Allen is still learning. The A’s want him to be more selective and draw more walks. He is also spending a good deal of time playing second base so he will be ready at either position if there is an immediate need.

The A’s have three shortstops at Midland, with Jeremy Eierman and Logan Davidson also on the roster. All three are learning multiple positions.

With above-average speed, Allen can also be an asset on the bases. He has been attempting to steal more at Midland.

With a year of development lost to the pandemic, Allen still has more to learn. His progress thus far has been encouraging.

—CASEY TEFERTILLER

SEATTLE MARINERS Levi Stoudt was stunned to learn the soreness in his arm that he felt at the end of his junior season at Lehigh was really a Grade 2 ulnar collateral ligament strain and the result of chronic tears over time.

He considered rehab, but the 23-yearold righthander now sees that electing for Tommy John surgery, which was what he also felt the Mariners wanted him to pursue just after they drafted him in the third round in 2019, was the best choice he could have made.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Stoudt has 41

Organization Reports

—TJ COTTERILL

TAMPA BAY RAYS The Rays make a lot of trades.

And they always make an effort, even in the smallest of deals, to hunt for upside.

Consider the November 2019 trade in which they dealt lefthander Cristopher Sanchez, who had pitched only one game above Class A, to the Phillies rather than protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

The return was a lanky Australian third baseman who in two pro seasons hadn’t gotten out of Rookie ball.

Today, Curtis Mead is a 20-year-old prospect who already has advanced from Low-A Charleston to High-A Bowling Green this season.

Through 64 games, Mead had hit .342/.394/.549 with nine home runs.

“In the time that Curtis has been in our organization, he’s impressed our staff with 42

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

the dirt, but even in spring training this year, his first appearance at big league camp, he seemed to struggle ranging to balls.

He has improved his footwork under Round Rock manager Kenny Holmberg, who doubles as the minor league infield coordinator.

“You look at year in, year out, month in month out, he just produces, gets the job done,” Daniels said. “And the areas that we’ve challenged, he’s continued to work on. He’s really self-driven.”

—JEFF WILSON

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Triple-A first baseman Curtis Terry impressed the Rangers with his drive and his dedication to being a good teammate.

his ability to impact the baseball,’’ Rays vice president of player development Carlos Rodriguez said.

“We’ve enjoyed watching him carry that into full-season competition. He’s got a good feel for hitting and can recognize spin early. As a result, he hits the ball hard and puts it in play often . . .

“We’d love to see him maintain the same type of impact while continuing to improve his plate discipline as he faces higher-level pitching.’’

And consider the January 2020 trade in which Tampa Bay dealt Austin Pruitt to the Astros.

The return included a large-framed righthander who had pitched one season in the short-season New York-Penn League.

Today, Peyton Battenfield is a hard-throwing starter who already worked his way from Bowling Green to Double-A Montgomery. Through 67.1 innings he had recorded a 2.14 ERA while striking out 95 and walking just 12.

“Peyton has attacked hitters efficiently with his four-pitch mix and has very much been in control on the mound this year,’’ Rodriguez said. “His changeup, cutter and curveball got better over the first month and a half.

“One of our goals is to see him further his understanding of how his pitches work together against upper-level hitters. He improved in this area while in Bowling Green and it’s been promising to see him continue making strides in Montgomery.”

—MARC TOPKIN

TEXAS RANGERS The list of candidates for the best Rangers minor leaguer in the first half was a short one. Not because the organization lacked talent, but because their best player would be a unanimous selection.

First baseman Curtis Terry has been that good, and he was knocking on the door for his major league debut.

Drafted in the 13th round in 2015 out of Archer High in Lawrenceville, Ga., Terry hit for the cycle June 18 for Triple-A Round Rock to reinforce the Rangers’ thinking that he would be in the majors this summer.

That call came on July 23.

“One, he is killing at the plate,” Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said. “He’s gotten better defensively. Just overall, from the professionalism and maturity standpoint, he’s probably grown as much as anybody in the system.”

To that end, Terry has started to call others in the Rangers’ system just to check up on them and maybe give them some encouragement. He’s doing that on his own, not because a coach or executive thought it might be a good idea.

Terry, 24, was fitting that in around the work he was doing at the plate, but especially on defense.

Terry’s righthanded bat has always been there, as it was in 2019 when the Rangers selected him as the organization’s minor league player of the year.

It is his defense that has held him back.

Terry is regarded as a good picker of balls in

During instructional league last fall, Blue Jays director of minor league operations Charlie Wilson made Samad Taylor an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“I was asked if I wanted to play winter ball,” the 22-year-old second baseman said.

“I told them, ‘Hey, if you guys want me to play, then I’ll play.’ And he asked if I wanted to go to Australia, and I was all in on it.”

A 25-game in the Australian Baseball League followed, an opportunity Taylor used as a springboard to a breakout season at Double-A New Hampshire.

Taylor split the lost summer of 2020 between his home in Sioux Falls, S.D., and with his parents in Corona, Calif. He worked out on his own at times or with his cousins Elijah Greene and Isaiah Greene, who play for the Angels and Indians organizations, respectively.

Australia offered a chance for Taylor to test the progress of changes to his swing, as well as getting some reps in the outfield. It gave him a lot more, too.

“Probably one of the best experiences I’ve had in life,” Taylor said. “Just seeing a whole different country during the pandemic was obviously pretty eye-opening, how they controlled everything. We were here in quarantine, being locked down and once I got out to Australia, everything was open” Taylor brought the progress he made in Australia to spring training and has since narrowed his stance before going back to a stride he had previously abandoned.

“I’m staying more stacked on my back side to drive the ball and have more consistent results, in a way,” he said. “So I feel like I’ve been in a pretty good position.”

Through 55 games, he hit .300/.387/.537 with 12 home runs, already a career high, and 18 stolen bases, all while bouncing between second base, third base, left field and center field.

“There’s a lot of season left,” Taylor said.

“As quickly as you can go up in baseball is as quick as you can go down, so I’m just keeping positive and doing the stuff I’m doing.”

—SHI DAVIDI

EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS

since thrown his first professional outings at High-A Everett, which through July included a 3.09 ERA to go with 61 strikeouts and 29 walks in 58.1 innings.

This strong start came after Stoudt’s instructional league foray that had the organization buzzing.

“Levi Stoudt was the talk of (instructional) league, which was great for him,” Mariners farm director Andy McKay said.

“He’s fully recovered now, and he was exceptional in Peoria.”

Then, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto this spring was asked about underthe-radar prospects to keep an eye on.

“The most under-the-radar prospect would be Levi Stoudt,” Dipoto said. “He was outstanding down in the Arizona instructional league. He jumped out. Levi’s stuff was in the mid 90s with two polished breaking balls.”

Those breaking balls are Stoudt’s split-changeup and slider, though the slider has more slurve characteristics than that of a true slider. He’s worked on getting separation between his slider and curveball and now feels confident he can use four pitches.

If Stoudt gets to the big leagues, it will be because of that changeup—with its dive and run—to go with a fastball that has touched 97 mph.

After entering Lehigh as someone who pitched to contact, he’s since dialed in to better pitch sequencing and has significantly increased his strikeout rate. He fanned a season-high 10 batters while allowing one run in five innings in a June 2 start against Hillsboro.

“You can’t say enough about him coming back from Tommy John surgery,” Dipoto said. “He was as impressive as any starting pitcher in Peoria.”

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Organization Reports

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

—NICK PIECORO

ATLANTA BRAVES Outfielder Jesse Franklin has put himself on the watch list for next emerging Braves prospect.

Atlanta drafted Franklin in the third round in 2020 out of Michigan. After a slow start to his first full season, the 22-year-old began to rake at High-A Rome.

In 22 June games, Franklin hit 44

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

NL Cut 2 Goes Here Here and Here

—PATRICK MOONEY The Braves believed in outfielder Jesse Franklin’s power-speed potential despite a lost junior year at Michigan in 2020.

.338/.412/.757 with eight homers, five doubles, a triple and six stolen bases in six tries.

Franklin was the only position player the Braves selected in the truncated draft last year. A Seattle native, he opted against signing with his hometown Mariners when drafted in 2017, instead heading to Ann Arbor.

Franklin was sensational in his first season with the Wolverines, hitting .327/.379/.588. His slash line dipped in his sophomore campaign, though he showed growing power for a Wolverines team that advanced to the College World Series finals.

Franklin missed his final collegiate season after breaking his collarbone in a skiing accident in January 2020.

Talent evaluators lauded Franklin for his talent and work ethic. The Braves raved about his potential power-speed combination.

“We like the makeup, the strength, the body, the swing,” Braves vice president of scouting Dana Brown said after the draft.

“He’ll grow into some power. I saw it moreso in batting practice, so he’s got some raw power.

“Because of the swing and the way it looks, we feel like he’ll be able to get into a lot of that power.”

Now, Franklin has started putting it together, giving the Braves another ascending position player in a system looking for individuals to break out.

“From the alternate (training) site last summer in Gwinnett to spring training and the regular season this year, Jesse

has impressed with his work ethic,” Braves assistant GM of player development Ben Sestanovich said.

“His combination of power and contact skills is very exciting. To see both skills showing up in games this year is especially encouraging for a player who missed an entire year of game action last year.”

—GABE BURNS

CHICAGO CUBS The Cubs believe Brennen Davis can hit for average and power and play center field in the big leagues. It’s going to take time for the 21-year-old to reach Wrigley Field, but perhaps not as long as initially projected.

Cubs assistant major league hitting coach Chris Valaika has the unique perspective of someone who grew up in a baseball family and played in the big leagues fairly recently. He also has insights into the organization’s reports on Davis.

Valaika’s ascension as a coach overlapped with Davis’ rise as a prospect. Valaika was promoted to the Cubs’ minor league hitting coordinator role in 2019, which was Davis’ second year in pro ball after Chicago drafted him in the second round in 2018 from Basha High in Gilbert, Ariz.

“He’s starting to figure out who he is,” Valaika said of Davis. “He knows he can hit the ball the other way. He’s starting to open up the pull side. All that comes from playing instead of us just telling him.

CINCINNATI REDS When Alejo Lopez began the 2021 season he was a career. 297 hitter who had found success at the Rookie and Class A levels.

The 25-year-old second baseman had little trouble adapting to Double-A this season. He hit .362/.437/.448 in 25 games for Chattanooga before being promoted to Triple-A Louisville.

“Hitting is just something I’ve always done well,” said Lopez, the Reds’ 27th-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Phoenix.

“I’ve always felt comfortable at the plate.”

The switch-hitter continued his outstanding season at Triple-A that quickly turned into a callup to Cincinnati on June 28.

On top of hitting for a high average, Lopez was also showing a much better approach at the plate and piling up extrabase hits. His previous high for doubles in a season was 17, which he tallied in 2019 at High-A Daytona in 124 games.

In 2021, Lopez surpassed that total in his 43rd game of the season.

Spending time in big league spring training this year was beneficial for Lopez.

“There’s a lot of things that are important in this game that you learn from people talking about them, and then you get to experience them on the field.”

Being around big leaguers isn’t the only thing that helped Lopez take a step forward.

“There were a lot of meetings that had to do with the swing, and we got to learn a lot

BRIAN WESTERHOLT/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS

The Diamondbacks were quietly and cautiously encouraged by what they saw out of righthander Brandon Pfaadt last fall during instructional league.

A fifth-round pick from Bellarmine in 2020, Pfaadt was strong and physical. He had fastball velocity and the makings of a well-rounded repertoire. And he threw strikes.

It turns out the brief look was a glimpse of things to come. Pfaadt was two months into his first full pro season and had quickly emerged as a pitcher capable of shooting up prospect lists by the end of the year.

“His stuff is really good and his execution is really good,” D-backs assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye said. “He’s definitely more polished than I was expecting in the fifth round.”

After logging a 3.12 ERA with 57 strikeouts and just seven walks in 40.1 innings for Low-A Visalia, Pfaadt was promoted in mid June to High-A Hillsboro, where he notched quality starts in each of his first two outings.

Pfaadt was averaging a shade over 93 mph with his fastball, a pitch that Visalia pitching coach Barry Enright said has carry when it’s up in the zone and cutting action when he keeps it down.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Pfaadt has other characteristics that separate him, as well. His slider and changeup have the potential to be above-average pitches, while his curveball continues to develop.

And not only does he also have good command and an aggressive mentality, he earns praise for his pitchability and willingness to learn. For that, Pfaadt credits the coaches he’s had over the years, including Bellarmine coach Larry Owens, a former pitching coach in the White Sox organization.

The 22-year-old split time in college between starting and relieving, and he points to a successful stint in the Cape Cod League after his sophomore season for helping him realize he could succeed against better competition.

“I think that gave me a little confidence boost at the time,” he said. “That was definitely a turning point for me mentally.”

“There wasn’t a ton of, ‘This is X, Y and Z that we need to do with him.’ The tools were through the roof, so let’s see what this kid can do.”

Davis is listed at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and learning as he goes at Double-A Tennessee. At a time when the Cubs had so many prospects on the injured list, Davis was performing and accumulating experience that couldn’t be replicated last year without a minor league season.

Valaika, who also worked closely with Davis last year at the alternate training site, expects that time in South Bend to accelerate Davis’ ability to prepare, make adjustments in the batter’s box and handle the mental side of the game.

“For somebody who hasn’t had a ton of at-bats under his belt, shrinking those windows and being able to close holes that these veteran pitchers can continue to expose, it’s really going to help his development,” Valaika said.

“When he starts seeing an issue or something’s going on, it’s playing that catand-mouse game and closing those holes sooner.”

NATIONAL LEAGUE

about what the Reds are trying to do on the field right now,” Lopez said.

Being around big leaguers, learning from coaches and having more experience all have helped him improve in 2021.

“I just know how to hit better now,” Lopez said. “I know situations better. I know my swing better. I know myself as a player better. I’ve developed to be who I am today.

“I know why the ball carries, why my swing works the way it works. When you start understanding these things, then you can give yourself the chance to add power to it because now you know how to truly hit.”

time in the minors with the Yankees, first as a pitcher from 2006-11 and then as a pitching coach.

Norton got his first look at Cabrera on June 19, when the 6-foot-5, 217-pound righthander made his Pensacola debut.

“He came in hot,” Norton said. “His first pitch was 100 (mph).”

Limited to 65 pitches after starting the year with a shoulder injury, Cabrera got in 4.1 innings, striking out seven and allowing just one walk and one earned run.

Cabrera has a slider that ranks behind his fastball as his second-best pitch, but Cabrera has also made strides with his changeup.

As of late June, Cabrera had logged 296 minor league innings since signing with the Marlins for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. Since signing, Cabrera has risen from under the radar to a Top 100 Prospect.

Cabrera was promoted to Triple-A on July 13. If all goes well, he could be in the majors by year’s end.

“All he needs is innings,” Norton said. “He is the total package.”

—DOUG GRAY

COLORADO ROCKIES In his final season at Washington in 2018, Willie MacIver was limited to 41 games by a broken hamate bone. Most were at third base, one was at catcher.

But when the Rockies drafted MacIver in the ninth round that year, their intent was that he would catch.

That plan paid off at High-A Spokane this season. After 46 games, MacIver was hitting .286/.395/.542 with 10 homers, leading to a promotion to Double-A Hartford.

It’s been a big leap forward for MacIver from 2019, when he hit. 252/.319/.421 in 117 games at Low-A Asheville with 13 home runs.

Rockies farm director Chris Forbes, who said MacIver’s power is intriguing and has upside, added he has been able to make adjustments at the plate quicker.

“I think he’s got a lot more conviction in his plan,” Forbes said. “When you’re kind of a young hitter and getting into pro ball, I think the last thing that seems to come with some of these kids is their plan. And what really separates these great hitters (from the rest)—it ends up being plan and approach.”

The 24-year-old MacIver walked 7.1% of the time in 2019, a figure that climbed to 12.4% this season at High-A. MacIver has also “worked unbelievably hard on his defense,” Forbes said. The result is improved receiving, blocking, throwing, arm strength and game-calling.

Then there is the way the 6-foot-2, 205pound MacIver is able to relate to whoever he is catching.

“The energy’s infectious, the positivity is really infectious,” Forbes said. “That innate ability to really stay locked in and be emotionally invested in the guy on the mound where (he has) the confidence to throw to him—you can’t put a scout grade on it.

“He is a bag of intangibles. It’s how you would write up a report. He’s a guy to keep an eye on.”

—JACK ETKIN

—WALTER VILLA Dodgers third baseman Miguel Vargas reached Double-A Tulsa and already had set a career high for home runs in 2021.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS When your father is on a postage stamp in your home country, that is a lot to live up to.

So third baseman Miguel Vargas certainly has the bloodlines. His father Lazaro Vargas is a baseball legend in Cuba, where he played 22 years for the Havana Industriales in Serie Nacional, the country’s top league, and was a member of two gold medal-winning Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996.

Miguel was on the same path when he played for Cuba’s top international teams as a teenager. But the father-son duo defected to the United States after Miguel turned 16. In 2017, almost two years later, Miguel signed with the Dodgers for $300,000.

Since then, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Miguel Vargas has done nothing but hit at every level.

Now 21, Vargas earned a promotion to Double-A Tulsa in June. His first taste of the upper minors did not slow him down.

Counting his time at High-A Great Lakes, he had hit .301/.367/.517 through 73 games.

Vargas had already more than doubled his career high with 15 home runs.

“It’s come maybe even quicker than we could have expected,” Dodgers farm director Will Rhymes said. “We thought eventually he would have good power. But the fact that he’s putting it all together so quickly this year has been impressive.”

Vargas was not at the alternate training site in 2020, but it was hardly a wasted year

for him. He continued working out with fellow Cuban and Dodgers prospect Omar Estevez in Miami with Dodgers front office consultants Placido Polanco and Raul Ibañez checking in on him.

“It hasn’t looked that difficult for him.

He’s kind of stepped right in,” Rhymes said of Vargas handling the promotion to Double-A this year. “He’s making it seem real smooth and easy . . .

“The fact that he has stepped in and performed is an indication of the type of hitter he is.”

—BILL PLUNKETT

MIAMI MARLINS The Marlins have a seemingly never-ending stream of young starting pitchers.

Today it is 25-year-olds Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez and brilliant 23-year-old rookie Trevor Rogers leading the charge.

Tomorrow it could be hard-throwing 23-year-old righthander Edward Cabrera.

While Sixto Sanchez and Max Meyer receive more prospect fanfare, Cabrera offers plenty of upside, according to his Double-A Pensacola pitching coach Tim Norton.

“He’s got a lot of horsepower,” Norton said of Cabrera. “He just needs a bit more fastball command, especially to his glove side.”

Norton is in his first year with the Marlins organization. Previously, he spent a long

MILWAUKEE BREWERS Just because the coronavirus pandemic shut down the minor leagues in 2020 didn’t mean that Korry Howell had any intention of putting his baseball career on hold.

The outfielder took part in the organization’s winter program in Phoenix after the 2019 season, then stayed in constant communication with staffers regarding his workouts and program from home during the 2020 shutdown.

The 22-year-old Howell even played in 20 games for Joliet of the independent City of Champions Cup last season.

“That allowed him to see live pitching and get some ABs,” Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan said. “When he got to spring training this year, he was locked in from the start.

“He was noticeably hitting the ball hard, while retaining the same athleticism that initially caught the eyes of our scouts.”

A 12th-round pick in 2018 as a shortstop from Kirkwood (Iowa) JC, Howell opened this season at High-A Wisconsin and immediately took off.

In the month of May, Howell batted .326/.422/.616 with six home runs, showing much more pop than he had in the past. He stole nine bases in 10 tries.

“He showed up out of the draft with a tremendous frame and athleticism, and he has worked hard to get stronger,” Flanagan said.

“He’s been hitting the ball much harder 45

Organization Reports

—TOM HAUDRICOURT

NEW YORK METS Tylor Megill had pitched only one game above High-A when this season began, but injuries to the Mets’ rotation necessitated fast-tracking the 25-year-old righthander to the major leagues.

An eighth-round pick out of Arizona in 2018, Megill had logged a 3.35 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 40.1 innings in eight starts for Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse when he got the call to the Mets.

His major league debut came on June 23, when he held the Braves to two runs over 4.1 innings. He carried a 3.77 ERA through three starts with 19 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

It was Megill’s professional approach that caught the attention of his new teammates.

“He is kind of like a slow heartbeat guy,” Mets catcher James McCann said. “Even warming up for his first big league start, there was no panic, no stressing on his part.

“He’s got an almost too-cool-for-school type attitude, but then he gets on the mound and competes. It’s not a lazy thing.

It’s just a slow heartbeat. There is no situation too big for him.”

Megill’s early contributions were a boost to a Mets rotation that lost Joey Lucchesi to Tommy John surgery and was awaiting potential returns from the injury list by Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco.

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Megill, whose older brother Trevor pitches for the Cubs, throws a 94-95 mph fastball and complements it with a slider and changeup.

“The fastball kind of jumps on people,” Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said.

“It’s a big body and kind of a slow delivery, so it kind of seems lethargic, maybe. It jumps on people.”

Megill pitched mostly out of the bullpen at Arizona, then in his only full pro season in 2019 he pitched at three levels and recorded a 3.52 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 71.2 innings.

“He continues to hone his craft and worked hard to put him in this position to be successful,” Hefner said.

—MIKE PUMA

46

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

The Pirates’ Endy Rodriguez is a potential long-term solution at catcher after being acquired in an offseason trade.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Seeing the same team over and over during a six-game series can become tedious for some players, but catcher Abrahan Gutierrez was making the most of the 2021 minor league format.

Team officials have seen significant growth in the 21-year-old Venezuelan, who opened with two strong months on both sides of the ball at Low-A Clearwater.

“His ability to read hitters and make adjustments throughout a six-game series stands out,” Phillies farm director Josh Bonifay said.

“He’s really maturing on that side of the game, building relationships with our pitchers, watching the opponent throughout the week, making constant adjustments, just like major league teams have to do when they see the same opponent over and over.

“He also does a really good job studying opposing pitchers over the course of a series and that’s helped his at-bats. With this schedule, you could be struggling on Tuesday and red hot by Saturday.

“You’ve got to watch and pay attention and he does that very well. His instincts and baseball savvy are impressive.”

Gutierrez was one of 13 former Braves prospects set free when Atlanta was punished for breaking international signing rules from 2015 to 2017.

He initially signed with Atlanta for $3.53 million. The Phillies landed him in December 2017 for $550,000.

Phillies officials have noticed improved

commitment from Gutierrez. The 6-foot-2, 214-pound catcher has “leaned out,” Bonifay said, and that’s helped his whole game.

“You can’t ask for a better person,” Bonifay said. “He shows up ready to work every day and he’s a true leader behind the plate. Good bat-to-ball skills, good arm, excellent receiver. He’s really coming into his own.”

In his first 48 games this season, Gutierrez hit .285 with five homers. He had more walks (36) than strikeouts (29).

Phillies officials feel good about the state of catching in their system with Rafael Marchan at Triple-A, Logan O’Hoppe at High-A and Gutierrez gaining notice in Low-A Southeast.

—JIM SALISBURY

PITTSBURGH PIRATES When the Pirates acquired Endy Rodriguez from the Mets—as part of the three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Joey Lucchesi to the Mets—they boosted catching depth in the minors that once was almost non-existent.

That equation changed when the Pirates drafted Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the first overall pick this year.

Still, the 21-year-old Rodriguez is athletic and has the skills to play almost anywhere on the field, including second base and the outfield. That will provide plenty of fallback options if he can’t stick at catcher.

But that’s not something the Pirates are thinking about right now, not with Rodriguez’s skills behind the plate.

“He moves really well laterally,” Pirates farm director John Baker said. “He throws really well, he receives well. It’s the added element, being engaged with the pitcher, playing the game to win, learning from mistakes in the past, being thoughtful about what signs he puts down.”

That added interaction with his pitchers is where Rodriguez stands out.

“He has all of the physical skills, but the attitude, the engagement with the pitching staff, and his ability to be a verbal leader . . .”

Baker said. “You want someone who plays quarterback on the field.”

Baker, a former catcher across seven years in the majors, noted that Rodriguez does a good job of framing pitches for his pitchers.

He plays for Bradenton of the Low-A Southeast, a league with automated balls and strikes, but Rodriguez’s framing can still provide a benefit because he gets instant feedback and a confidence boost from a well-received pitch.

Rodriguez, who signed with the Mets out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, also was making noise with his bat. Through 63 games, the switch-hitter had batted .277/.359/.458 with seven home runs. He features a smooth swing and some power potential from a skinny frame and a good ability to get on base.

While the addition of Davis fortified the Pirates’ weak catching corps, the gap between Rodriguez and other catchers in the system was wide.

—TIM WILLIAMS

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS After measuring his swing against the ballpark he hopes to call home and dropping a few baseballs over the wall during batting practice at Busch Stadium, Joshua Baez put a timetable on his return.

“I’m just glad to be here,” he said. “I’m really passionate about the sport. I would love to be (back) here within two to three years.”

The Cardinals would welcome another swift-rising hitter.

After years of excelling at drafting and developing pitchers while searching and shopping for hitters, the Cardinals are quietly percolating with optimism about the hitters acquired in recent drafts.

Slugger Nolan Gorman leads the group after his promotion to Triple-A, while 2020 draft picks Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson have already moved up a level from their debuts in 2021.

Walker, 19, has already established him-

MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES; BILL MITCHELL

than in the past and has become a very dynamic player with a speed-power combination.”

Put it all together, and there’s a lot to like in the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Howell’s game.

He was finally slowed in early June by an ankle sprain but was back in action after missing 10 games.

Through 59 games, he was hitting .256/.367/.502 with 12 homers and 18 steals, making him one of the organization’s most pleasant surprises.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

self as one of the top teen hitting prospects in baseball.

Baez, drafted in the second round this year, is the latest young, strapping and high-upside hitter the Cardinals believe they can nurture in their updated development environment.

The Cardinals adjusted bonuses elsewhere to go over-slot with a $2.25 million offer to Baez that lured the Boston-area high school product from a commitment to Vanderbilt.

The 18-year-old Baez was one of the youngest players available in the draft. He attracted scouts to Dexter Southfield School with his 100 mph exit velocity. He also touched 97 mph as a pitcher.

Baez considers himself a center fielder, and the Cardinals believe that at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he could advance as a middle-order corner outfielder.

Baez, who spent some of his youth in the Dominican Republic before moving back to the U.S., is attempting to be the first Boston high schooler to be drafted and reach the majors since righthander Manny Delcarmen was drafted in 2000 and debuted for the Red Sox in 2005.

“There is a looseness to him that resembles the Dominican ballplayers who are signed young versus, let’s say, the travel-ball environment that some stateside players have,” Cardinals assistant general manager Randy Flores said. “There’s a naturalness to him that’s really fun to see.”

And see rise.

—DERRICK GOOLD

SAN DIEGO PADRES Coming out of Division II Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee, Ethan Elliott received a modest $10,000 signing bonus.

Even he admits it would have been difficult to expect much more.

After all, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound lefthander wasn’t on any radars until a standout effort in an exhibition game against Team USA in a summer wood bat league.

His fastball topped out at 91 mph. He was happy his phone rang at all, let alone getting picked in the 10th round in 2019.

“I can’t say I was expecting to go anywhere,” Elliott said. “I mean for a senior sign, you’re just hoping for an opportunity. You don’t really care what round it is.”

On the other side of a season lost to the coronavirus pandemic, the 24-year-old is making the most of his opportunity.

He was named the High-A Central pitcher of the month in May. In 12 starts for Fort Wayne he recorded a 3.10 ERA to go with 71 strikeouts and 13 walks in 58 innings.

That effort included an immaculate inning to close his first start of the season

“I was like, ‘Oh, wow. Maybe I am going to be a pitcher again,’ ” Wright said.

Wright struck out 64 hitters in 34.1 innings in 2019, and the Giants selected him in the 12th round that year.

Haines said Wright’s delivery and pitch repertoire resemble that of Giants rookie Sammy Long, who struck out 16 hitters in his first 15 big league innings.

—STEVE KRONER

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Giants lefthander Chris Wright played both ways in college, but no more after striking out nearly half of batters faced.

and striking out 13 without a single walk over six shutout innings of one-hit ball in his third start.

He moved to Double-A San Antonio on July 14.

Elliott has always possessed strong command, walking just 73 batters while setting Lincoln Memorial’s strikeout record with 402 in 358.1 innings.

He put up a 38-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 35.2 innings at short-season Tri-City in 2019 before working out on his own during the pandemic.

He showed enough at instructional league last fall to receive his first invitation to big league camp.

The slider he’s continuing to hone under the tutelage of Fort Wayne pitching coach Jimmy Jones was a talking point while sharing a clubhouse with the likes of Blake Snell.

“With all the veteran guys we’ve got on this team, it was really cool just to watch and see how these guys operated on a daily basis,” Elliott said.

—JEFF SANDERS

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS Because of the pandemic-forced shutdown of the minor leagues last year, lefthander Chris Wright spent much of 2020 working at Hop’s Athletic Facility in his native Rhode Island.

“We really broke down everything that

I do,” Wright said. “Not necessarily going from the ground up, but definitely refining almost every part of my delivery, my pitches and whatnot.

“I came into this season really thinking I was going to . . . try to show everybody what I’ve got.”

The 22-year-old Wright quickly showed the ability to strike out hitters in bunches.

After racking up 17 strikeouts in eight innings over six appearances with Low-A San Jose, Wright earned a promotion to High-A Eugene.

In his first outing there on May 28, Wright faced eight Spokane hitters. He walked one and fanned the other seven.

Through 22 appearances, Wright had a combined 51 strikeouts in 28 innings for the two Class A teams and had converted 10 save opportunities.

Giants farm director Kyle Haines said Wright throws a low-90s fastball that plays up “because of the extra life on it” and “a double-plus curveball.”

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Wright has added a cutter and a changeup to his pitch mix as well.

He was a first baseman and pitcher at Bryant, but because of his struggles on the mound (9.45 ERA) as a freshman in 2017 and because the Bulldogs lacked infield depth in 2018, he made just three pitching appearances as a sophomore.

His career arc changed after his 2018 performance in the Cape Cod League. He hit .187 in 75 at-bats but struck out 21 batters in 11.2 innings on the mound.

Joan Adon’s new curveball helped him earn a spot on the Nationals’ 40-man roster, and it could keep him in a starting role.

Adon, a 22-year-old righthander signed from the Dominican Republic in 2016, pitched between five and six innings in each of his first nine starts for High-A Wilmington.

He posted an 11-strikeout game and crossed the 100-pitch threshold thanks to his late-breaking curveball which gave him a new dimension.

“It’s just a continuation of what he was able to do last year in spring training and at the alternate site,” Blue Rocks pitching coach Justin Lord said. “The command and consistency of his breaking ball have really been key for him.”

The 6-foot-2, 242-pound Adon reached Low-A in 2019, then he impressed further at last summer’s alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va. In November, he was added to the 40-man roster.

“He maintains his plus velocity in the 94-96 (mph) range but also can reach the upper 90s band when he needs it,” Nationals farm director Mark Scialabba said.

“His changeup continues to be a consistent offering, and he has the ability to use it for a ground ball or a swing and miss.”

Johnny DiPuglia, the Nationals’ assistant general manager and vice president of international operations, said he clocked Adon’s fastball at 96 mph in the sixth inning of a recent game with Wilmington.

Through 62 innings this season, Adon had recorded a 5.95 ERA with 68 strikeouts and 26 walks.

“Justin Lord has done a really good job with him,” DiPuglia said. “I thought he might become a reliever, but with this breaking ball he has now, I think he can start.”

Lord said Adon is reaping the benefits of taking what he does in drills to the bullpen and then taking that knowledge into games.

“He’s solidifying his delivery where it can be repetitive and consistent,” Lord said.

“When you have a good foundation there, you have better command and better stuff.

He’s a strong kid with a good arm.

“The stuff’s always been there, and he’s evolving as a pitcher.”

—LACY LUSK

47

MAJORS i

Baseball’s golden age of young talent takes center stage at the All-Star Game PAGE 49

MINORS i

Quality of play in the full-season leagues has suffered from the lost 2020 season PAGE 50

DRAFT i

Four draft classes that caught our attention for their upside potential PAGE 52

JUSTIN BERL/GETTY IMAGES; DANIEL SHIREY/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

The Pirates chose Louisville catcher Henry Davis, a consensus top-five talent, with the No. 1 overall pick.

Pittsburgh then scooped up three other first round-caliber prospects before the fourth round.

48

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

American League MVP frontrunners and firsttime all-stars Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shined at the game in Coors Field.

Jackson, 25, and Rod Carew, 25, represented the youthful next wave.

Soto, Tatis and Guerrero are all 22, younger than all but one player in that historic game— AL starter Vida Blue.

While it is early to declare any of the

MVP award. Ohtani, less than 24 hours after

young stars in the game today as locks for

competing in the Home Run Derby and hitting

Cooperstown, the collection of talent on display

six home runs of 500 or more feet, pitched a

at Coors Field this year was uniquely talented in

scoreless first inning and touched 100 mph to

the game’s long history.

pick up the win.

It’s easy to lean on hyperbole when discussing greatness, but there is nothing hyperbolic about what today’s young stars have achieved.

Ohtani has redefined what is possible in Major League Baseball with his unprecedented

There is no need to wait 50 years to appreciate that we, in 2021, are living in baseball’s golden age for young talent.

“Those guys who are out there doing their thing,” Bryant said, “it’s really special for the game.” Q

two-way stardom. Soto owns the highest OPS by a teenager in MLB history and is the youngest NL player to ever win a batting title.

Guerrero, in addition to making All-Star Game history, has a chance to win the Triple Crown at 22 years old, the same age as many of the players just drafted this year. Tatis’ 28 MAJORS

THE FUTURE IS NOW Baseball’s golden age of young talent takes center stage at the All-Star Game by

F

KYLE GLASER

home runs before the all-star break are the most ever by a shortstop—more than Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks or any of the great shortstop sluggers who came before.

And to think, there could have been even more talent on the field in Denver. Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Carlos Correa and Ronald Acuña Jr. were all selected but did not participate because of injuries.

ifty years ago, the greatest All-Star Game ever played took place in Detroit.

The 1971 All-Star Game featured 20 future Hall of Fame players, including Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Reggie Jackson and Roberto

Clemente. Both managers, Sparky Anderson and Earl Weaver, would be enshrined in Cooperstown as well.

Aaron, Clemente, Jackson, Johnny Bench, Frank Robinson and Harmon Killebrew all homered in the game, with Jackson’s legendary shot to right

“Baseball is certainly trending in the right direction with all the talent,” AL manager Kevin Cash said. “It’s coming from many countries and we should feel special.

“We should all be—I know I am—very excited about the talent that we have and the youth That youthful talent made its presence felt at Coors Field. Guerrero lined a 111 mph shot

pitched two scoreless innings. So did Jim Palmer. The field was so loaded

up the middle that just missed Max Scherzer’s

with stars that Pete Rose didn’t even get an at-bat. Tom Seaver and Steve

head in the first inning before Adam Frazier

Carlton never got a chance to take the mound.

picked it up for a groundout. Guerrero came back in his second at-bat and launched his

have been many other All-Star Games featuring otherworldly collections

gargantuan home run to the back rows of the

of talent, but none has matched 20 future Hall of Famers.

bleachers in left-center field, the longest home

At the same time, it’s not hard to imagine 50 years from now, in the year 2071, looking back at the collection of young talent that came together at Coors Field in 2021 and holding it in similar reverence.

Baseball is in a golden age for young talent, and it all came together on

run in an All-Star Game since at least 2015, the beginning of the Statcast era.

With the blast, Guerrero joined his Hall of Fame father Vladimir Sr. in becoming one of

the same field for the first time in Denver. It was the first All-Star Game

just three father-son duos to each homer in

for Fernando Tatis Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto.

the All-Star Game, along with Bobby and Barry

Same for Rafael Devers, Bo Bichette, Trea Turner, Matt Olson and Corbin

Bonds and Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.

Burnes. All are in their early to mid 20s.

And that’s to say nothing of the more veteran all-stars on the field: Kris

AMERICAN LEAGUE Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox* Matt Barnes, RP, Red Sox Chris Bassitt, RHP, Athletics* Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Red Sox Adolis Garcia, OF, Rangers Kyle Gibson, RHP, Rangers Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Blue Jays Yusei Kikuchi, LHP, Mariners Cedric Mullins, OF, Orioles Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels Matt Olson, 1B, Athletics Carlos Rodon, LHP, White Sox Marcus Semien, 2B, Blue Jays Gregory Soto, RP, Tigers Jared Walsh, 1B, Angels Joey Wendle, 3B/SS, Rays* Mike Zunino, C, Rays

that is coming into this game.”

field banking off a light tower on the roof of Tiger Stadium. Juan Marichal

It is not fair to put such expectations on 2021 class of all-stars. There

FIRST-TIME ALL-STARS IN 2021

The youth is what separates this group from those that came before it. In that legendary 1971

Bryant, Aaron Judge, Xander Bogaerts, Jose Ramirez, Manny Machado and

All-Star Game, Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Frank

Ozzie Albies—all yet to turn 30.

Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey,

Guerrero hit a 468-foot home run and drove in two runs to win MVP

Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock, Al Kaline, Ron

honors and lead the American League to an 5-2 win against the National

Santo, Luis Aparicio were all in their 30s and

League. He became the youngest player to ever win the All-Star Game

on the back half of their careers. Bench, 23,

NATIONAL LEAGUE Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers Nick Castellanos, OF, Reds Jake Cronenworth, 2B, Padres Eduardo Escobar, 3B, D-backs Adam Frazier, 2B, Pirates Kevin Gausman, RHP, Giants German Marquez, RHP, Rockies Omar Narvaez, C, Brewers* Freddy Peralta, RHP, Brewers* Alex Reyes, RP, Cardinals Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pirates Trevor Rogers, LHP, Marlins Kyle Schwarber, OF, Nationals Juan Soto, OF, Nationals Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, Padres Chris Taylor, UT, Dodgers Trea Turner, SS, Nationals Taijuan Walker, RHP, Mets* Zack Wheeler, RHP, Phillies Jesse Winker, OF, Reds

* Named as replacement for a player who did not attend

49

Departments

MINORS

UP TO SPEED? Quality of play in the full-season minor leagues had suffered from the lost 2020 season by

A

KYLE GLASER

fter more than 18 months without official games, minor leaguers were understandably rusty heading into the 2021 season. Scouts, coaches and executives throughout the game expected there would be a decline in the quality of play in the minors this year,

simply because players needed time to get back up to game speed in com-

The introduction of automated ball-strike technology in the Low-A Southeast League led to a less forgiving strike zone for inexperienced pitchers. Time of game in that league had expanded by more than 30 minutes compared with 2019.

petitive environments.

Even in that context, the caliber of play in the minor leagues this season has been the subject of harsh criticism from evaluators across the country through the midway point of the season. By both visual and measurable accounts, the overall quality of play in the minors has dropped drastically in 2021.

“It’s god-awful,” one pro scout told Baseball America early in the season. “Tons of strikeouts, bad at-bats, bad defense. Sloppy play in general and lots of plodding games. It’s hard to watch.”

At nearly every full-season level, pitchers were throwing fewer strikes, batters were swinging and missing more and fielders were failing to turn balls into outs at previously unseen rates.

Through July 11, the walk rate across the four full-season levels rose from 9.1% in 2019 to 10.6% in 2021, with an increase at each level. The strikeout rate rose from 23.2% to 25.9%, again with an increase at each level. The cumulative fielding percentage, meanwhile, dropped from .976 “Where you really see the difference is the

Double-A. Instead, they’ve dipped heavily into

increased—meaning fielders were failing to convert more balls in play into

pitching,” one longtime NL executive said.

the minor league free agent pool or signed play-

outs even when they weren’t charged with errors.

“Between injury callups and taxi squads, every

ers out of partner leagues, which were formerly

Triple-A team is down four or five pitchers,

known as independent leagues. While many of

longtime scouts and executives can remember, and a sense that the gap

and they’re being replaced by guys who really

those players lack prospect status, they tend to

between the majors and minors has widened.

should still be at Double-A.”

be more experienced and play cleaner baseball.

The cumulative effect is a level of play in the minors that is the lowest

“It’s ugly baseball,” one longtime National League executive said. “It’s like, ‘What are we doing?’ ” Here is a look at how the quality of play has changed at each of the four

The Angels’ Double-A affiliate at Rocket City

DOUBLE-A Double-A is the one full-season level where

is a prime example. Eleven of the 33 players on their active roster or injured list—a full

full-season levels in 2021. All scouts and executives were granted ano-

evaluators said they don’t feel the quality of

one-third of the team—were signed as a minor

nymity in order to speak freely.

play has dropped significantly, though that may

league free agent or purchased from a partner

be a case of everything being relative. Walks

league before or during this season. Many were

were up a little more than 1%, strikeouts had

26 or older and no longer viable candidates to

increased nearly 2.5% and fielding percentages

reach the major leagues, but they were experi-

iber of play at Triple-A was the same as usual. But with the sharp increase

dropped nearly 4% from 2019 to 2021, but even

enced enough to execute the basics. The result

in the number of injuries in the majors early in the season—USA Today

those fairly significant changes pale in compar-

is that Double-A is comparable to what it once

found a 160% increase in the number of soft tissue injuries through the

ison to their counterparts in the Class A levels.

was in the eyes of many evaluators, even if the

TRIPLE-A When the season began, the overall sense among evaluators was the cal-

first two months of the season compared to the first two months of 2019—

“I can’t say I’ve noticed too much of a differ-

the talent level at Triple-A thinned rapidly as players were called up en

ence at (Double-A),” one American League pro

masse.

scouting director said.

Additionally, major league teams continue to carry taxi squads on the

considered to be the largest in the minors, and

players who would normally be at Triple-A are often instead traveling with

teams have largely eschewed rushing players

the major league team.

from the lower levels just to fill roster spots at

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

“Double-A is, I dunno,” said another executive. “It’s fine. It’s not great, but it’s fine.”

The jump from High-A to Double-A is widely

road as part of health and safety protocols this season, meaning up to five

50

talent level wasn’t quite as high.

HIGH-A The decline in the quality of play in the minors is most apparent at the Class A levels.

MIKE JANES/FOUR SEAM IMAGES

to .973, with a decrease at each level. Batting average on balls in play

High-A is generally the level where top college players are assigned for their first full season, while high school and international players gener-

LOW-A

The automated strike zone has been an issue.

Low-A is where the biggest decline in the

If they’re using the major league strike zone in

ally spend at least one season in the Rookie levels and another at Low-A

quality of baseball this year could be found.

Low-A, it would be a very foreseeable problem.

before reporting to High-A.

Due to the canceled 2020 minor league season,

The zones are traditionally bigger at those lev-

many players who normally would have begun

els, as they should be, to get a game in in less

younger players never got their season in Low-A. Instead, they jumped

their careers in the Rookie levels were instead

than four hours.”

straight to High-A with only a handful of Rookie-level games—played

beginning their careers in Low-A.

The canceled 2020 minor league season instead meant many of those

more than a year and a half ago—on their resumes.

The lack of experience had shown prominently at High-A, with players struggling to execute basic fundamentals.

“You used to go to a High-A game and it was crisp,” said a special assistant with an NL club. “Guys throw strikes, hit the ball, catch the ball, throw it to first. Now you’re seeing a lot more throwing to the wrong

On top of that lack of experience, Major

More walks, longer at-bats and more time between balls in play has meant less engaged

League Baseball introduced some of the most

fielders, which in turn has yielded such poor

disruptive minor league rules changes at the

defense.

lowest levels, namely introducing automated ball-strike technology in Low-A Southeast.

Pitchers are generally still working on basics

The fielding percentage across all Low-A leagues in 2019 was .972. It was .966 this year.

“I think the pace has a lot to do with it,” the

bases, not being able to execute rundowns. I was at this (High-A) series

like fastball command at Low-A. In the past,

NL special assistant said. “We’re always work-

and they couldn’t catch a fly ball. Both teams. There were multiple balls

umpires generally gave the pitchers some lee-

ing on the pace of play. These pitchers, their

over three games that were just dropping. Guys missing popups. It was just

way to keep games moving. Now, largely due to

stuff is so good, and they can’t throw strikes

awful baseball.”

ABS being used in Low-A Southeast, walks at

and then it’s ball three and then it’s three foul

the level were up 2.5% from 2019. MLB ended

balls and a ground ball. The infielders aren’t in

were up nearly 2%, strikeouts were up more than 3% and fielding per-

up modifying the ABS strike zone in July by

rhythm. Everybody is hunting a strikeout. That

centages were down more than 4%.

lowering the top of it and widening it.

to me is the culprit of this whole thing.”

The gap is yawning between High-A now compared to even 2019. Walks

With the changes, the time of game in each of the three High-A leagues

“Especially in Florida, it’s been a real s---

Batters struggled even when pitchers threw

was more than three hours. As recently as 2018, none of the three High-A

show,” another AL pro scouting director said.

strikes. The strikeout rate in the Low-A leagues

leagues had an average game time longer than two hours, 56 minutes.

“Long games, not a lot of strikes thrown . . .

was 23.7% in 2019. In 2021, it was 26.9%. Q

51

Departments

Texas righthander Ty Madden ranked 12th on the BA draft board as the fourth-best pitcher available, yet he fell to the Tigers at No. 32 overall, at least in part because of concern about his fastball metrics.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION Four draft classes that caught our attention for their upside potential by

T

CARLOS COLLAZO

he draft was held in July for the first time, this year piggybacking with the Futures Game on the Sunday heading into the all-star break.

While it will take years to accurately assess how each team fared in the 2021 draft, it’s never too early to get excited about a few teams that stood out

to us right away.

CINCINNATI REDS First pick: 17th overall Bonus pool: $11,905,700 (fourth highest) Perhaps it’s unsurprising for a team with as many high picks as the Reds, who chose 17th, 30th, 35th and 53rd, to make the list of standout draft classes. Still, we loved seeing the up-the-middle bats the Reds drafted early and 52

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

felt they got several notable values later.

UCLA shortstop Matt McLain (first round) was among the top college position players in a class without much inventory of that demographic. Between him and North Carolina State shortstop Jose Torres (third round), the Reds came away with two of just four college shortstops who ranked among the top 100 draft

prospects.

In McLain, the Reds have a potentially plus hitter with plus speed and arm strength to go with it, while Torres was routinely cited as the best defensive shortstop in the class.

The Reds also scooped up three of the highest-rising players in this year’s class, between Florida State catcher Mat Nelson (first supplemental), Virginia lefthander Andrew Abbott (second) and North Carolina outfielder Justice Thompson (sixth).

With Nelson, the Reds have a catcher who pairs impressive defensive tools with a bat that took a massive jump in the power department.

Abbott showed a real three-pitch mix and proved he could start or relieve. Thompson had the tool set to go among the top 100 picks, as did righthanders fifth-rounder Thomas Farr of South Carolina and seventh-rounder Kevin Abel of Oregon State.

It was a college-heavy class for Cincinnati this year, but its lone high school prospect—outfielder Jay Allen of Fort Pierce, Fla.—is a dynamic, multi-sport athlete who showed impressive hitting ability this spring and has a chance to

play all three outfield positions, with sparkplugcaliber speed.

MIAMI MARLINS First pick: 16th overall Bonus pool: $9,949,800 (11th highest) The Marlins getting North Carolina high school shortstop Kahlil Watson—the No. 6 player in the class and, tool for tool, one of the most exciting players to be found—with the 16th pick was perhaps the steal of Day One. The Marlins didn’t stop there.

They grabbed another first-round talent in New York high school catcher Joe Mack at No. 31 in the supplemental first round and then stockpiled several bat-first college position players through six rounds.

Boston College shortstop Cody Morissette (second round) has a pure, fluid swing from the left side, and while he was drafted as a shortstop he might fit best at either second base or third base in the long run. Still, his bat is exciting and he could tap into more power as he gains strength.

Outfielders Tanner Allen (fourth round)

EDDIE KELLY/PROLOOK PHOTOS

DRAFT

of Mississippi State and Brady Allen (fifth) of South Carolina were two of the better performers in the Southeastern Conference this spring, with Tanner leading the conference in batting (.383) and Brady bringing above-average power to the table with 13 home runs. Neither is super toolsy, but each Allen brings a potent bat and could hit enough to profile on a corner.

The Marlins’ third-round pick, Florida high school shortstop Jordan McCants, has everyday potential thanks to standout glove work, plus running ability, bat-to-ball skills and solid zone recognition in the box.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES First pick: first overall Bonus pool: $14,394,000 (highest) It will shock no one to learn that we like how the team with the highest draft position and highest bonus pool did on draft day.

The Pirates immediately busted our final mock draft by making Louisville catcher Henry Davis the first overall pick. We appreciated that Pittsburgh landed one of the top five players in the class and then selected three additional

players who were legitimate first-round talents with their picks through the third round.

While Davis wasn’t one of the players who was frequently mentioned as the top player in the class, it’s worth reiterating that the 2021 class never had a consensus top player. Davis was solidly inside the top five talents and the clear-cut top college position player in the class.

He might not have the most upside, but his combination of bat-to-ball skill and impact was rare in the college crop this year.

After taking Davis first overall, the Pirates landed a trio with exceptional upside in New Jersey high school lefthander Anthony Solometo (second round), Pennsylvania high school outfielder Lonnie White (second supplemental) and Georgia high school righthander Bubba Chandler (third).

Solometo has a funky arm action that creates uncomfortable at-bats but advanced control of a fastball that gets into the mid 90s and a slider that flashes plus. White is an explosive athlete and strong hitter who could grow into plus power, with a chance to play center field or provide above-average defense in an outfield

corner. Many scouts viewed Chandler as the most athletic player in the class. He has a pair of pitches that get 70-grade projections in his fastball and curveball. He will focus on refining his repertoire after playing both ways in high school while also starring as a quarterback in football.

DETROIT TIGERS First pick: third overall Bonus pool: $14,253,800 (second highest) While the Angels, Dodgers, Giants and Indians went heavy on pitchers in the 2021 draft, it was the Tigers who got perhaps the most pitching upside by drafting the third- and fourth-best pitchers in the class.

Pitch for pitch, Oklahoma high school righthander Jackson Jobe, drafted third overall, has the most talented arm in the class.

While the demographic is inherently risky, Jobe was viewed as the most talented high school righthander since Hunter Greene in 2017— and was drafted accordingly.

When Texas righthander Ty Madden, the No. 4 arm in the class, inexplicably fell out of the

first round, Detroit was there to scoop him up at No. 32 overall in the supplemental first round.

The reason for Madden’s fall centers on pitch characteristics that tend to be undervalued in today’s game, specifically the hard contact he allows on fastballs at the top of the zone.

Madden has a power arm with a plus fastball/ slider combination and the control and frame to be a workhorse starter.

Alabama righthander Dylan Smith (third round) has a fast arm and a lean frame that suggests more stuff to come as he fills out. He has the natural strike-throwing ability to stick in a rotation.

South Carolina-Upstate righthander Jordan Marks (eighth) is a legitimate plus control pitcher who sits in the low 90s but has touched 97-98 mph this spring. It’s easy to see him taking a big step forward if his velocity continues to tick up.

The Tigers sandwiched Texas high school shortstop Izaac Pacheco (second) between all the pitching talent. He has big raw power from the left side and a chance for above-average defense at the hot corner. ■

53

Departments

DRAFT

TO SIGN OR NOT TO SIGN High school prospects must weigh the value of a college experience when determining whether to sign on the dotted line

by KYLE

I

A.J. Vanegas turned down the Padres’ $1.8 million bonus offer out of high school in 2010 so that the Bay Area native could pitch for Stanford, where friends and family often were in attendance. He signed for a fraction of that after four years in college but values his experience on campus over the money.

BANDUJO

n the waning hours of Aug. 15, 2010, A.J. Vanegas spent the day before his 18th birthday as one might imagine any recent college-bound high school graduate might. He hung out with family and talked about what the future might bring.

For the Stanford-bound Vanegas, however, that future involved deciding

if he would accept a $1.8 million bonus offer from the Padres as the organization sought to buy him out of pitching for his father’s alma mater.

“It was always kind of lurking, that decision,” said Vanegas, San Diego’s seventh-round pick out of Redwood Christian High in San Lorenzo, Calif.

“It kept building up and building up as we were getting closer and closer.

It was interesting, that whole summer.”

From an outsider’s perspective, it can seem so surprising that every year top high school baseball prospects like Vanegas decline signing bonuses that can stretch to seven figures in favor of heading to college.

Each year, high school prospects must weigh financial, educational and personal priorities to decide how much they truly value their college experience. It’s often a group decision for the player, involving his parents, an

“I was really excited about the college expe-

advisor, and other friends or family. Being a big leaguer is the long-term

rience—for me it was valuable to go to college,”

money not being there the next time they’re

goal, but year after year top draft prospects bypass beginning their pro

said Wolff. “It comes down to you personally

draft eligible, but most 18-year-old athletes

careers after factoring a variety of reasons.

putting your value on an education.”

getting draft attention are brimming with

College also has the comfort factor—players

ed bonus pools and penalties for exceeding those pools, the debate over

are used to living at home, going to school,

whether or not to sign typically happens during or before the draft.

playing baseball.

Prior to 2012, teams could put dollar figures on the table for draft picks

Coaches also sell themselves. The relationship

self-confidence.

“I thought I was going to go to San Diego, be in the rotation, go for three years, get a bigger bonus, get drafted higher, and everything would

no matter the round or slot value. This ensured coveted prospects had to

between coaches and their players fostered over

turn down an offer in-hand before heading to campus, as the Padres did

the recruiting process plays as large a role in

when attempting to pay a firmly committed Vanegas like a first-rounder.

getting players to campus as the school itself.

Sox in the second round of the 2007 draft, cur-

That bond sold 2008 grad Austin Stadler on

rent Tennessee-Martin assistant coach Hunter

D-backs in 2006, relayed the best advice given to him by a coach during

valuing his Wake Forest commitment strongly

Morris thought those same lines.

the draft process.

enough that he fell to the 40th round of that

Kendal Volz, who chose attending Baylor over a six-figure offer from the

“He said, ‘You just need to decide what dollar figure is worth taking away your college experience,’ ” Volz said.

That college experience is the first decision prospects make—in most

year’s draft.

“You fall in love with the coaching stuff that

be good,” Wolff said.

As an Auburn commit selected by the Red

“I believe(d) wholeheartedly that I can go to Auburn for three years, improve on my game, be that much closer to playing in the big

recruits you—pro ball doesn’t do that,” Stadler

leagues,” Morris said. “And if I do what I’m

cases, these players have been committed and looking forward to playing

said. “The relationship you build in college

supposed to do I’m going to get my shot in pro-

for their college of choice for at least a year before the draft.

with your coaching staff is pretty damn cool . . .

fessional baseball.”

With that commitment comes the dream of competing for conference championships or making it to the College World Series and creating a

You’re treated more like family.”

On the surface, signing for hundreds of thou-

The obvious and most enticing incentive for

sands of dollars at 18 years old can be deemed

prospects to pass up college is the draft signing

too good to pass up. However, when you look

Drafted by the Padres the same year as Vanegas with the ninth overall

bonus—what could be considered “life-chang-

past the big round number that gets announced

pick, righthander Karsten Whitson turned down an offer north of $2 mil-

ing money.” While finances differ depending on

when a player signs, the financial aspect for

lion to honor his commitment to Florida. His desire to play in Omaha and

the socioeconomic background of the player in

draft picks can be more nuanced.

fulfill a childhood dream was that strong.

question, a dollar figure that could stretch into

lifelong bond with teammates.

Attending college itself often becomes a goal for these prospects long before the thought of playing professional baseball occurs. For current Giants farmhand Sam Wolff, who chose college over a six-figure offer from the Angels, making it to campus provided benefits beyond baseball.

54

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

Despite being a recent high school gradu-

the millions can tempt even the strongest of

ate, the drafted player doesn’t start at zero

college commitments.

when it comes to financial leverage, as former

It also provides the most pressure on players, because money offered now might not be there

minor league pitcher-turned-financial advisor Jonathan Perrin points out when discussing

BILL MITCHELL

Under the current draft rules, implemented in 2012, which incorporat-

down the road. Prospects know the risk of the

how a player should calculate the dollar figure that it’d take to convince

certified MLBPA player agent and former minor

play High-A-ish baseball for four years, ups

them to forgo college.

leaguer himself, the decision should focus on

and downs a lot, but I got to compete with a lot

more than the dollar amount they’re agreeing

of people,” said Stadler. “I wouldn’t take that

to.

back, at all.”

“You start with the value of your college scholarship,” Perrin said.

“From there, you have to look at the time-value of having a college degree versus not having a college degree—hundreds of thousands of dollars over your working career.”

“This decision should never be made solely

Whitson took his Gators to Omaha, but arm

for money,” Iskenderian said. “I tell guys all the

injuries led to him signing for $100,000 and

time, ‘As soon as you sign on the dotted line,

throwing all of four professional innings, but

sign might be putting college on hold, but they’ll get an instant education

it is your job now, and you are valued based on

the current South Florida assistant coach car-

on taxes, because even on the lower end, bonuses will be owing 15-20%

performance.’ ”

ries zero regrets.

The value of the bonus itself is a little misleading. High schoolers who

to Uncle Sam, with bonuses in the upper six to seven figures coming in at closer to 30%.

Gauging readiness to make baseball their job is what it comes down to for these prospects—

As for the term bonus, when taken into account with the low monthly salaries of seasonal minor league paychecks, the bonus works more as a

and it’s a tough job.

“Can’t wake up every day going, ‘What if?’ ” Whitson said. “Own it, and live life.”

It’s not always as simple to not wonder what

There’s a reason that when the Padres

might have been. Vanegas was torn about the

salary advance than an amount lumped onto an ongoing living wage. For

attempted to woo Vanegas they flew him out to

decision. Injuries led to an up and down college

some, that payout delivered at age 18 could be the last money they ever

Petco Park. To get Vanegas to pass on Stanford,

career, and while he got a Stanford degree and

make in baseball—chances for a post-career nest egg are less likely if a

the Padres needed to sell him on the end goal,

did eventually pitch in the minors, the internal

player has been living exclusively off their bonus for four to seven years.

not life in the minors. The minor leagues carry

debate stayed with him long after deadline day.

To incentivize leaving behind a college scholarship, players who signed

a not unfair stigma of long bus rides, crammed

“It weighed on me,” Vanegas said. “The

and negotiated participation in MLB’s Continuing Education Program

apartments and baseball being about develop-

whole time you were playing, if you would do

(CEP), have available funds during or shortly after the conclusion of their

ment over winning.

bad . . . you would always wonder to yourself,

career to pay for tuition and living expenses at an accredited institution.

There are perks to signing beyond money.

‘Was this the right decision? Did I screw up?’ ”

That’s a great perk, especially for players without a full scholarship, but

It is all baseball, all the time, and in the same

Vanegas’ eventual decision to decline that

it might not work out as smoothly for many players after their playing

way that the pro ball lifestyle can be a difficult

$1.8 million offer resonates with many of his

careers, especially signees with no college credits to their name.

adjustment, life on campus and in the class-

peers who made the same choice.

According to the CEP guide, all payments made are “treated for federal tax purposes as taxable ‘wages.’ This means that all CEP payments are

room might not be for everyone.

“I remember telling my parents, ‘I just want

Of the players who agreed to an interview for

to be a normal kid. I want to do what my friends

subject to income and employment tax withholding at the time of pay-

this story, only Wolff remains in professional

are doing, and go to college,’ ” Vanegas said.

ment.” Effectively, the payments operate as less than a full scholarship.

baseball. None reached the major leagues, and

“Some of (my) best friends were made in col-

only Volz received a higher bonus out of college

lege . . . My family is from the South Bay. They

tial seven-year minor league contract, working on a college degree from

than his high school offer. After multiple inju-

got to come to all my games. To me, that actu-

scratch in your mid-to-late 20s can be a less appealing proposition, espe-

ries during his time at Wake Forest, Stadler’s

ally has more value than money could offer.”

cially for retiring players with families to support. The time value it takes

high school draft selection turned out to be his

to get a degree might not be something those players can afford, even with

only chance to play pro baseball. Still, he cher-

were asked what monetary value they would

CEP payments available.

ishes his time competing in the Atlantic Coast

place on their college experience, the most

Conference and Cape Cod League.

common response was:

Furthermore, for many players who forgo college and play out their ini-

Admittedly, the higher the dollar amount, the seemingly more difficult it can be to turn down for any draft prospect. Per George Iskenderian, a

“When I look back on everything, I got to

MJ MELENDEZ ROYALS

THE

When the players interviewed for this story

“Priceless.” Q

Melendez was the Royals’ second-round selection in the 2017 draft, out of high school in Florida. He’s long been a promising prospect, but in 2019 he scuffled and finished with one of the worst seasons in the minor leagues. He’s emerged from the lost 2020 season a changed man, and through July 27 was tied for the minor league lead in home runs. His skills behind the plate should allow him to stick at catcher, too.

AWARD The Captain’s Catcher’s Award recognizes the defensive qualities of minor league catchers.Inspired by the catching skills and character of Jason Varitek, this award is only about catching and who plays the position to the fullest. The best catchers are detail oriented and driven to improve their performance behind the plate.

Leadership,dedication, the ability to call a game, blocking, receiving, and making plays are the primary qualities sought after—with the ultimate goal of protecting home.

KYLE COOPER/MLB VIA GETTY IMAGES

2021 CAPTAIN’S CATCHER’S AWARD WATCH LIST

#MFRA

Player, Team

PCT

G

E

PB

SBA

CS

PCT

MJ Melendez, Kansas City Gabriel Moreno, Toronto Korey Lee, Houston Dillon Dingler, Detroit Francisco Alvarez, New York (NL) Tyler Soderstrom, Oakland Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Joey Bart, San Francisco Diego Cartaya, Los Angeles (NL) Luis Campusano, San Diego

.984 1.000 .989 1.000 .978 .985 .994 .991 .997 .981

43 27 45 48 36 38 46 41 31 50

7 0 5 0 8 6 3 4 1 8

3 0 10 6 7 15 2 5 11 5

47 32 42 47 52 70 39 30 35 46

15 14 18 15 10 15 13 9 7 11

.326 .438 .429 .319 .192 .214 .333 .300 .200 .239

MOVE FORWARD RISE ABOVE™ E 55

Scout Spotlight SCOUTS IN THEIR OWN WORDS. THE PLAYERS. THE JOURNEY. THE STATE OF THE GAME.

The Blue Jays were equally impressed with West Virginia righthander Alek Manoah’s physical talents and mental makeup in the lead up to the 2019 draft.

Blue Jays area scout gets a well-rounded look

by KYLE GLASER

office. He sold tickets, wore the mascot uniform, pulled the tarp or did whatever else needed to be done. He steadily worked his way up and became an area scout for the Blue Jays, where he scouted and signed first-round righthander

Alek Manoah out of West Virginia in 2019. Barbiche recently joined the Baseball America podcast to discuss his path through baseball and what he saw in Manoah in college.

You can listen to the full podcast on BaseballAmerica.com.

BA: You scouted and signed Alek Manoah in 2019. What was it like for you seeing someone who you drafted that high get to the majors this quickly and have immediate success?

CB: It’s been a thrill, and I mean that more so for Alek than anything else. Just to see him, a guy who as an organization we believe in so much—and personally, part of what drove our interest in him, in addition to stuff, (was) the person. Seeing him get there, it’s just been awesome to see.

BA: When did you first see Manoah and when did he jump on your radar as a potential draft pick?

CB: The memory that sticks out to me was the spring of 2018 when he was pitching in relief. I believe it was against Oklahoma State, where he came in . . . and he was bad. He survived the save, but it was one of those heart-attack saves where he threw maybe 30-31 pitches and there were a lot more balls and strikes . . .

(Next fall) we were (at West Virginia) for a scout day. They were supposed to be playing Marshall and it ended up getting rained out.

But you look down to the bullpen down in right field and it was drizzling, but Alek was out there throwing a bullpen. His delivery was a lot more simplified and under control. It was just a bullpen, but I came away like, ‘Man, this guy looks way different than what I saw in the spring.’ So

56

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

then in week one against Kennesaw State in the spring he didn’t stop what he was doing. It was plus command to both sides of the plate. Put them away with his slider and his fastball. It was really impressive.

BA: At one point in the five starts you saw him that year did you say, “This is a first-rounder”?

CB: The first one. Against Kennesaw State, I put a first-round number on him and called him a big leaguer.

BA: A big part of this is not just scouting what these guys can do physically. You get to know these guys mentally. What were your interactions with Alek and just kind of getting to know him during this process?

CB: The first time I met him face to face was in our scout meetings in the fall of 2018, before his draft spring. I think every team was there over a two or three day period in Morgantown to meet with not just him but other draft-eligible West Virginia guys. He probably met with 10 to 12 other teams and I had him last. I think it was between 9 and 10 p.m., and at the end of that—and he’s been kind of on the stage all day—he had 100% focus, interest in the conversation and he was so engaged. It was just impressive. The things that we talked about had good substance and it just left you really believing in him as a person. Q

We celebrate the scouts who signed this year’s major league debuts, with this installment covering the period from June 16 to July 15.

Player, Pos Kyle Muller, LHP Tayler Saucedo, LHP Matt Manning, RHP Matt Vierling, OF Zach Reks, OF Jake Cousins, RHP Domingo Acevedo, RHP Connor Wong, C Mason Thompson, RHP Miguel Sanchez, RHP Lars Nootbaar, OF Wander Franco, SS Vinny Nittoli, RHP Tylor Megill, RHP Mickey Jannis, RHP Joe Barlow, RHP Alexander Wells, LHP Konner Wade, RHP Max Kranick, RHP Justin Garza, RHP Emmanuel Rivera, 3B Alejo Lopez, 2B Gavin Sheets, 1B Thomas Szapucki, LHP Ryan Hartman, LHP Taylor Gushue, RHP Aaron Ashby, LHP Spenser Watkins, RHP Jake Burger, 3B Nick Allgeyer, LHP Andrew Wantz, RHP Jake Reed, RHP Stuart Fairchild, OF Vidal Brujan, OF/2B Reiss Knehr, RHP Darien Nuñez, LHP Jakson Reetz, C Jacob Wilson, 2B Cal Raleigh, C

Team

Date

Braves Blue Jays Tigers Phillies Dodgers Brewers Athletics Red Sox Padres Brewers Cardinals Rays Mariners Mets Orioles Rangers Orioles Orioles Pirates Indians Royals Reds White Sox Mets Astros Cubs Brewers Orioles White Sox Blue Jays Angels Dodgers D-backs Rays Padres Dodgers Nationals Athletics Mariners

June 16 June 17 June 17 June 19 June 21 June 21 June 21 June 22 June 22 June 22 June 22 June 22 June 23 June 23 June 23 June 24 June 26 June 26 June 27 June 27 June 28 June 28 June 29 June 30 June 30 June 30 June 30 July 2 July 2 July 2 July 4 July 6 July 6 July 7 July 9 July 9 July 10 July 10 July 11

Signing Scout(s) Nate Dion Nate Murrie Scott Cerny Justin Morgenstern Marty Lamb Tyler Wilt (Nationals) Esteban Castillo (Yankees) Clint Bowers (Dodgers) Matt Schaffner Julio de la Cruz Michael Garciaparra Danny Santana Jay Catalano Brian Reid Robbie Moen (Rays) Josh Simpson Brett Ward/Mike Snyder Chris Forbes (Rockies) Dan Radcliff Jason Smith Johnny Ramos Dan Cholowsky Abe Fernandez Cesar Aranguren Bobby St. Pierre Darren Mazeroski (Pirates) Drew Anderson Ryan Johnson (Tigers) Clay Overcash Wes Penick Chris McAlpin Trevor Brown (Twins) Perry Smith (Reds) Danny Santana Jake Koenig signed out of Cuba Ed Gustafson Jay Catalano (Cardinals) Rob Mummau

DOUGLAS P DEFELICE/GETTY IMAGES; FOCUS ON SPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES

C

oulson Barbiche began his baseball career working in a minor league front

MLB debuts with their signing scouts

FOR THE RECORD

Obituaries

RALPH TAYLOR, who played baseball at Alabama State in the 1950s and later served as a scout for the Astros and Braves, died July 5. He was 89.

DARWIN CRAWFORD, who served as head coach for Stephen F. Austin in the 1980s, died June 23. He was 65.

DICK TIDROW, a righthander who pitched in the majors for 13 seasons with the Indians, Yankees, Cubs, Mets and White Sox from 1972-84 before serving as a scout for the Yankees and Giants and working in the Giants’ front office, died July 10 in Lee’s Summit, Mo. He was 74.

Tidrow posted a 100-94, 3.68 mark in his career over 620 appearances and 138 starts.

As the Giants’ director of player personnel, Tidrow teamed with general manager Brian Sabean to shape the organization’s pitching staff that included Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and others who pushed San Francisco to World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

TOM CROSSLEY, who pitched in the minor leagues in 1948, ’49 and ’51, died Feb. 21 in Palatka, Fla. He was 92.

TED WIEAND, a righthander who pitched in six games for the Reds over two seasons in 1958 and 1960, died July 7 in Allentown, Pa. He was 88. Q

DICK BAYS, a lefthander who pitched in the minor leagues from 1954-59, died June 29 in Wheelersburg, Ohio. He was 85.

MORRY BLUMMER, who played in the minor leagues in 1950, died June 23.

Righthander Dick Tidrow won 100 games and two World Series championships over 13 seasons spent primarily with the Yankees. He had a long, successful post-playing career as an executive for the Giants and helped craft the organization’s dominant pitching staffs of the 2010s.

ART DITMAR, a righthander who pitched in the major leagues for nine seasons with the Yankees and Athletics, posted a 72-77, 3.98 career mark and won a World Series with the Yankees in 1958, died June 11. He was 92.

AL EISELE, a righthander who pitched in the minor leagues from 1959-62, died June 29 in Falls Church, Va. He was 85.

Eisele went on to found “The Hill,” a publication dedicated to covering politics in Washington, D.C. NINO ESCALERA, an outfielder who became the first non-white player to play for the Reds during the 1954 season, died July 3 in Las Piedras, P.R. He was 91.

Escalera collected 11 hits in 69 at-bats during his lone season, but his impact on the sport went far beyond his play on the field.

JOHNNIE FENDERSON, an outfielder who played in the minor leagues from 1964-68 and in ’70, died June 19 in Knoxville, Tenn. He was 76.

ROBERT FRITZ, a righthander who pitched in the minor leagues from 1946-48, died June 15 in Alamogordo, N.M. He was 89.

CHARLIE GORIN, a lefthander who pitched in seven games over parts of two seasons with the Braves, died Feb. 21 in Austin, Texas. He was 93.

MUDCAT GRANT, a righthander who pitched in the majors for 14 seasons from 1958-71 with seven teams including the Indians and Twins, died June 11 in Los Angeles. He was 85.

Grant made two all-star teams and posted a 145119, 3.63 career mark with 89 complete games and 54 saves. In 1965 he played on the Twins team that took the Dodgers to Game 7 of the World Series and led the American League in wins (21) and shutouts (six) while finishing sixth in MVP voting.

VINCE PICA, a shortstop who played in the minor leagues in 1949 and ’50 before serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, died June 20 in Hartford, Conn.

He was 90.

CLIFF POLITTE, a lefthander who pitched in the minor leagues from 1959-65, died June 21. He was 80.

DICK SHELDON, a righthander who pitched in the minor leagues from 1956-61, died April 6. He was 84.

DWIGHT SIEBLER, a righthander who pitched for

the Twins in parts of five seasons from 1963-67, died June 16 in Omaha. He was 83.

Siebler posted a 4-3, 3.45 career mark over 48 appearances.

57

Column

PERSPECTIVE

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?

Piggybacking the draft on the Futures Game on All-Star Sunday helped attract eyeballs to the former. But did it rob too much attention from the Futures Game in the process?

Pairing the draft with the Futures Game created sensory overload for fans and those in the industry

J.J. COOPER @ JJCOOP36

O

ne could argue that Sunday, July 11, 2021, was one of the greatest days in Baseball America history.

For those who love prospects and

the draft, there has never been a busier day. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet of tools, skills and talent.

July 11 was the day of the 2021 Futures Game.

Take 50 of the best prospects in the game, put

Major League Baseball tried to suppress word

largely busy with their own 2021 clients. But

them on one field and watch one of the best

of which players were picked in which rounds.

for crosscheckers, special assignment scouts

batting practices one can see all year, followed

We got to see a wild, unpredictable and jum-

and scouting directors, the consensus seems to

by a seven-inning showcase of the best pitch-

bled first round in which players’ asking prices

be that moving one draft back makes prepping

ers and hitters battling it out.

seemed to play as much of a role as talent.

for the next one more difficult.

Holding the draft as part of MLB’s All-Star

navirus pandemic made the Futures Game’s

it seemed that many in the industry were say-

Weekend festivities seemed to bring it more

return even sweeter. Batting practice was every

ing that maybe it’s possible to have too much

attention. TV ratings for the first night of

bit as good as anyone could have hoped.

of a good thing, after all.

the draft were up 69% from 2020’s ratings;

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez made every-

The combination of a longer prep time for

an average of more than one million viewers

one stop and pay attention as he drove balls

the draft—compared with its traditional June

tuned in to watch. That likely ensures that the

out to center field. Seeing Tigers outfielder

date—plus the Futures Game, plus the draft

draft will remain a fixture of All-Star Week.

Riley Greene effortlessly reach the second deck

itself, plus the three-week signing period

in right field at Coors Field was worth the trip

leading up to the Aug. 1 deadline, plus the MLB

success as far as drawing eyeballs. For all the

to Denver itself. Not to be outdone, Braves out-

trade deadline, left many front office execu-

complaints about the decline of baseball, it’s

fielder Michael Harris showed plenty of pop.

tives we talked to wondering when they would

worth noting that the Home Run Derby drew

The chance to see Reds lefthander Nick

next get to take a breath. As a result, they wor-

more TV viewers (7.1 million) than the NBA

Lodolo and Rays righthander Shane Baz throw

ried that maybe something would be missed

All-Star Game (5.9 million viewers). The MLB

perfect innings, and Cubs outfielder Brennen

along the way.

All-Star Game drew 8.2 million viewers, best-

Davis homer twice, also made the game an excellent way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Complaints for such an awesome event are

It has meant that the scouting season for the 2022 draft is being compressed and disrupted.

On the Friday before the Futures Game, the

And All-Star Week as a whole was a massive

ing both the NBA All-Star Game and the NFL Pro Bowl (7.9 million viewers).

But the addition of the draft right after

few, other than the fact that it’s a shame that

High School All-American Game was played

the Futures Game does seem to diminish the

the game is limited to seven innings, which

at Coors Field. Elijah Green, Termarr Johnson,

Futures Game. In addition to prospect fans

meant that some pitchers barely dug their

Druw Jones and Nazier Mule were among the

who love it, there are plenty of people inside

cleats into the mound before they were being

players showing what they could do in a pre-

baseball who find the Futures Game to be a

lifted to ensure the next pitcher got into the

view of next year’s draft.

perfect start to all-star festivities, giving them

game.

Why is the game seven innings? In part to

There were plenty of scouts there, but not many scouting directors. As one director noted,

a chance to see the next wave of MLB talent on one field in a power-packed day.

make sure the game doesn’t intrude on what

it was difficult to bear down on the class of

has now become the main event of All-Star

2022 until they had the 2021 class drafted and

draft for anyone involved in the draft to give it

Sunday.

signed.

much attention. The Futures Game also takes

Shortly after the Futures Game ended, the

With the July draft date and Aug. 1 signing

This year, it was too close to the start of the

on more of a transient feel as the opening act

2021 draft began, with the Pirates selecting

deadline this year, most of the premier sum-

to the draft, because as soon as the game ends,

Louisville catcher Henry Davis first overall. For

mer events, including the Cape Cod League and

many who are interested in the Futures Game

the first time ever, the draft was held on site at

USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, were

quickly pivot to the three days of the draft.

the All-Star Game, and for the first time it was

either winding down or already done by the

held with a large throng of fans in attendance.

time the 2021 draft cycle was complete.

Fans cheering the picks and booing commis-

58

But when the draft wrapped two days later,

The draft changes for 2021 had proven to

Figuring out a way to get a little more separation between the Futures Game and the draft, two of the jewel events on baseball’s

sioner Rob Manfred provided a new experience

be a fertile ground for some area scouts. One

yearly player development calendar, would be

for an event that just a couple of decades ago

noted that he could get insights about 2022

beneficial for fans and scouting departments

was a conference call held in secret because

players predraft at a time when agents were

alike. Q

AUGUST 2021 • BASEBALLAMERICA.COM

DANIEL SHIREY/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

The one-year absence because of the coro-

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