Mack – 2019 Draft Notes

The Bleacher Report is out with their new mock draft and Joel Rueter has this guy picked at #12 for the Mets:

      1.12 - New York Mets: LHP Zack Thompson, Kentucky -

           The Mets have been linked to college arms, per Callis, and with  Lodolo, Rutledge and Manoah off the board in this scenario, Thompson is the best of the remaining crop. The Kentucky left-hander does come with some injury concerns after he failed a post-draft physical in 2016 and missed time as a sophomore with an elbow setback. However, none of that required surgery, and he has looked strong this spring, going 6-1 with a 2.40 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 130 strikeouts in 90.0 innings thanks to a well-balanced four-pitch mix.

Maxi Preps posted their thoughts on the five top high school catchers in the draft.

      They list, in order:

Hayden Dunhurst, Pearl River Central (Carriere, Miss.), 5-11, 208

Darius Perry, La Mirada (Calif.), 6-2, 215

Kurtis Byrne, Christian Brothers (St. Louis), 6-1, 210

Jonathan French, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 6-0, 210

Matt McCormick, St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.), 6-0, 195

There is a lot of speculation this week that UNC Wilmington SS, Greg Jones, may have shot himself into the first round of the draft. The Athletics, that sent a ton of scouts out to see him this past week maybe the favorite here at 1.29

LHP Hunter Barco, who started out this mock season as one of the top five players that will be picked, has been shut down from pitching with a shoulder strain.

     Scouts have had concern with his lower arm slot, and, though this strain doesn’t seem like it’s life threatening (he’s still hitting for the team), he probably has seen his dream of being picked in the first round as poof

.

     He’s committed to the University of Florida… wouldn’t be the worst decision.

The big Lead posted their list of the players with the ‘best tools’. 

They were:

           Best Hitter           -     1B Andrew Vaughn

           Best Power           -     1B Michael Toglia

           Best Runner          -     SS Greg Jones

           Best Arm             -     C Shea Langeliers

           Best Fielder          -     SS Nasim Nunez

mlb.com wrote an article on what they feel are the top five players… outside the Top 100 list… for you to consider drafting.

     They were:

Will Childers, RHP, Lakeside HS (Evans, Ga.): At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, he’s got the kind of athletic pitcher’s frame you love from a high school arm. The University of Georgia commit has been up to 94 mph with good angle, will flash an above-average breaking ball and show feel for a changeup.

Michael Curialle, SS, JSerra Catholic HS (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.): JSerra’s had a nice string of shortstops, starting with Chase Strumpf (now the second baseman at top-ranked UCLA) and followed by former No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis. Now it’s Curialle’s turn. He’s bit and athletic and has the chance to hit for power. He runs better than you might think, with some thinking he has the chance to stay at shortstop. If not, he might be able to handle center field or have the power profile to third. His commitment to follow in Strumpf’s footsteps to UCLA might make him a tough sign.

Grant McCray, OF, Lakewood Ranch HS (Bradenton, Fla.): McCray’s father Rodney played pro ball for a decade and is perhaps known most for crashing through a Minor League outfield fence in 1991. His son, committed to Florida State, is a plus runner who can really play center field. He needs to add strength, but he has some bat whip, allowing scouts to dream that he could eventually become a true center fielder who can drive the ball.

John McMillon, RHP, Texas Tech: McMillon began his college career as a two-way player with huge raw power, both at the plate and the mound. Huge swing and miss issues led to him becoming a pitcher only. The right-hander was touching 100 mph as a freshman, but came out of the gate this spring with a huge dip in his velocity. It’s back up now, and he complements it with an inconsistent slider that’s been better of late.

Ken Waldichuk, LHP, St. Mary’s: Lefties who are 6-foot-4 are always going to get some interest, though Waldichuk has been a bit inconsistent this year after a really good sophomore season. The southpaw will sit around 90-91, but can touch 93-94 mph and will show flashes of a slider, curve and changeup. He misses a ton of bats with a lower slot delivery. While some think he might be a reliever (where his stuff would play up), he does have the repertoire to start.

Sports Info Solution lists the following players as the top 5 college corner infielders in the draft.

     They are:

1.  1B Andrew Vaughn

2.  3B Josh Jung

3.  1B/OF Michael Busch

4.  1B Logan Wyatt

5.  3B Drew Mendoza

Woodcrest Christian (CA) HS RHP, Wesley Scott, has informed the powers to be that he is pulling his name for consideration in this year’s draft, and will attend Vanderbilt to continue his development.

     Baseball America has him ranked as the 269^th player inte the draft. This would have made him a third day pick. IMO, he needs to speed up and going to college is probably his best move to develop a sitting fastball above 89-92.