Good morning.
This list will change before June, but,
as of this week, here is the consensus top 10 list of left hand starters in the
upcoming draft –
1.
DL
Hall Houston County HS (GA)
Perfect
Game: - Up to 95 at PG National and Has shown hammer CB to go with it. 96 at PG
All American Classic
2.
Brandan
McKay Louisville
Fueled
By Sports: - Throughout his first two years at Louisville, McKay has proven to
be a solid, top-end starter with potential to carry an entire rotation. With a
combined 21-7 record to go along with an impressive 2.05 ERA, he has done
nothing but continue to boost his draft stock. McKay knows how to navigate
through opposing lineups and keep runs off the board. In addition, he batted a
whopping .320 through 435 at-bats through his first two years. Despite the fact
that he will be drafted as a pitcher, look for a National League team to take a
chance on both he and his hitting ability from the nine-hole.
3.
Nick
Pratto Huntington Beach HS (CA)
Road
To Wrigley: - Defensively, Pratto is a sure-handed first baseman with fluid
actions and a great feel around the bag. He also possesses enough athleticism
to play either corner outfield spot when called upon. In addition, Pratto can
jump on the mound and the LHP will show a good feel to pitch with his upper 80s
fastball, breaking ball and change. In fact, last summer he haunted Japan again
by earning the victory on the mound in the gold medal victory over the host
team in the WBSC 18U Baseball World Cup.
4.
Trevor
Rogers Carlsbad HS (NM)
Scout.com:
- Rogers has all the looks of a pitcher. Tall stature at six-foot-six, broad
shoulders, and a giant wingspan. That size, added with his athleticism, allows
him to deliver the ball with ease, and maintain his velocity into outings. With
a high leg kick, and long stride to the plate while keeping the behind his
large frame, and a low 3/4 arm angle, he gives added deception. Rogers works in
the low to mid 90's with his fastball, tapping out at 96, all with late life.
The fastball is his biggest, and most used, weapon, as he's shown good command
of the pitch, working east-to-west in the bottom of the zone, and elevate it
when wanted. Rogers has flashed an above-average late breaking slider that he's
been able to throw for strikes, and has shown some feel for a changeup but like
most prep arms, rarely uses it. All-in-all, Rogers is a big projection arm,
with a low floor due to his high velocity and simple mechanics.
5.
Jacob
Heatherly Cullman HS (ALA)
Minor
League Ball: - One of the few things that scouts agree on about Heatherly is
also his strongest point: his command. He is able to locate all of his pitches
with accuracy, earning a plus grade from MLB.com. FanGraphs’ evaluators also
cite a “minimalist delivery,” which a very useful skill. A repeatable delivery
is key in maintaining good command, and a simpler delivery is easier to repeat,
so a simple delivery is a command pitcher’s friend.
The
other thing that is a known about the young lefty is that he has a good
fastball. His velocity dips as low as 89 miles per hour at times, but it has
also been clocked as high as 95 mph. Several reports also cite the fact that he
is able to get his fastball to play above its velocity because he is both
willing and able to work inside with it. Heatherly also claims that his
fastball is his best pitch.
6.
Seth
Romero Houston
When
The Giants Come To Town: - Seth Romero is a portly left-hander who put up some
interesting numbers last year for Univ. of Houston. His repertoire includes a FB that goes 92-95
MPH, a slider that has the makings of a plus pitch and a changeup that he needs
to develop and use more. He's off to a
great start in in his draft season which may raise his stock considerably if he
can maintain it. Concerns about the body
will likely hold his stock down some. He
was suspended at the beginning of his sophomore season for poor conditioning
but has looked to be in much better shape to begin his junior season.
7.
Brendon
Little State College of Florida
Cubs
Insider: - “He has tools you can’t teach, like a fastball that touches 97 from
the left side,” one former AL scout told me about Brendon Little. “He also
still has a lot of projection left, which you don’t find often at his age . He
could gain a tick in his FB with a more downward plane on his delivery. That
would help his command, too.”
As
with any college pitcher, Little is far from perfect. However, his floor is
supported by a nice 97 mph fastball. His ceiling, on the other hand, could be
much higher with improved mechanics and a repeatable delivery, both of which
would elevate his secondaries to the realm of average to plus pitches.
8.
MacKenzie
Gore Whiteville
HS (NC)
Fangraphs:
- Gore stands out because of his glorious leg kick, but the stuff is
interesting as well. He was a deceptive 88-92 in San Diego, flashed a plus
changeup and 45 curveball. He has an extreme drop-and-drive delivery — and I’m
skeptical about his ability to harness it and have even average control down
the road — but it’s unique and requires more evaluation rather than knee-jerk
xenophobia.
9.
Mitchell
Stone Deer
Creek HS (OK)
Perfect
Game: - Big projectable LHP who can already reach the low 90s with good
breaking ball at PG National. Very good at PG All American Classic
10. David Peterson Oregon
Scout.com:
- Command will be the key to Peterson's success at the next level, but in
college, he's been beating hitters with his low to mid 90's fastball with plus
sink and arm-side run, helping him work away from right-handed hitters. The
southpaw likes to work inside on lefties with his fastball, allowing the run
and sink to break back into the zone, jamming hitters or making them stare at
strikes on the inner half. Working from a low 3/4 arm slot, Peterson has shown
good movement on all his pitches, with his fastball being the best of his trio.
His best off-speed offering is his above-average low 80's changeup that he
works against both righties and lefties. He works in a big-breaking curveball
with a dipping break that he's shown a feel for, but still needs to be refined.
1 comment:
Now here's a list I'm saving through June. (The corallary to "You never have enough pitching" is "You never have enough LHP."
(Or is that a Lemma?)
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