3/8/20

Mack – Draft News – Yohandy Morales, Cole Wilcox, Zac Veen, Jared Kelley, CJ Van Eyk




Fish Stripes  wrote about the top 3 MLB draft prospects that will come out of the Miami-Dade high schools. One was:

            SS Yohandy Morales

Yohandy Morales is one of the top middle infielders in the country. On Perfect Game, the projectable right-handed hitter is the 27th-ranked prospect and the third ranked shortstop in the country. In his high school career, Morales has batted .344 with five home runs, 40 RBIs and a .890 OPS.

Yohandy Morales has one of the highest ceilings in the 2020 MLB Draft. Morales is a 6’4”, 190-pound shortstop out of Braddock High School. Once he starts to fill in his frame, Morales could show in-game power more regularly and become a complete player. His exit velocity has been clocked at 100 mph and has also been clocked running a 6.76 60 yard dash. This could be a really nice pick-up for the Fish late in day one or early in day two. He’s a prospect that can move to third base once he starts to add solid weight. Morales has already signed his National Letter of Intent with the University of Miami.



Talking Chop - Cole Wilcox, RHP, Georgia - Wilcox was my very early pick for the Braves. He’s just a big dude on the mound standing 6’5 and around 240 lbs. He looks a lot like Patrick Weigel. His fastball command was his biggest limitation from keeping him from moving up draft boards. It’s bittersweet from a Braves perspective to note that he’s looked much improved in this area. Through three games, he has a total of three walks vs 37 strikeouts. Wilcox was outstanding on Saturday going seven innings giving up three hits, zero walks and striking out 11. His slider and change are thrown about the same speed, but both were very effective (at least above average for both). His fastball sat 93-96 pretty much the entire game. One of the things that stuck out is that hitters were sitting fastball early, and credit to Shane Marshall for calling a great game. Wilcox didn’t seem concerned in the slightest and at times went heavy on his secondaries around the 3rd and 4th inning. This actually allowed him to play his fastball up again in the later innings. Whereas he was getting a lot of swing and miss off those secondaries early, he would get more swing and miss on the fastball in the later innings. It was a really strong performance.




Motor City Bengals - OF Zac Veen, Spruce Creek HS (Florida) – Six weeks ago, it may have seemed a little silly to suggest that Veen could have a path to being the first pick this summer. Today, it’s still a very outside chance for the prep bat, but he could be a much stronger contender if the frontrunners suddenly run out of steam. He’s performed very well in early action and evaluators adore his bat path. His swing is as pretty as they come, some even commenting on its visual similarity to Cody Bellinger’s.



Carlos Collazo - @CarlosACollazo

Our top-ranked prep prospect, RHP Jared Kelley. Through two starts this season Kelley has thrown 7 innings with 20 strikeouts & just one walk. Most recent outing he was up to 98-99.

Jared Kelley is a 2020 RHP with a 6-2 200 lb. frame from Refugio, TX who attends Refugio. Strong and firm physical build, workhouse starting pitcher build. Has a balanced delivery with a long arm stroke in back, lands a bit closed out front and can clear his hips more consistently, very low effort release especially considering his velocity. Fastball sat very consistently in the 95-97 mph range for two innings and touched 98, mostly straight with occasional arm side run. Showed mature confidence in his change up and flashed plus with the pitch. Slurve type breaking ball shows feel and tightness and landed them well while showing the ability to mix and sequence his pitches.




Vinnie Cervino      -           @vcervinoPG

@FSUBaseball’s CJ Van Eyk has battled command tonight but the stuff has been impressive. Working 92-94/5, SL/CH both have flashed plus, landing CB @ 79-80. Inherent athleticism to profile & arm speed combine for good upside

           

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