Joe Mack
Mack's spin -
Mack has issues that can be worked out with time and experience. He has a tremendous arm, good defensive skills, and a potential + power bat.
I pick him early here because he is a catcher.
He comes with a warning because he is a high school catcher.
C 6-1 203 Williamsville East HS (NY)
2-15-21 - CBS - Top 50 -
43. Joe Mack, C, Williamsville East HS (NY)
Mack is a high-school catcher from New York with swing-and-miss issues. That combination of words is going to sink him for some teams. Those who remain have a greater appetite for risk, and for reward. There's a chance, however slim it seems given everything working against him, that Mack eventually offers above-average left-handed pop from behind the dish. (His odds of remaining a catcher would be greatly enhanced if the next Collective Bargaining Agreement includes robot umpires.) It seems more likely that he slides to an outfield corner, putting more pressure on his ability to adjust to and succeed against better pitching.
1-27-21 - Baseball America @BaseballAmerica
Joe Mack ranks as one of the top catching prospects in the 2021 class.
He fits a similar mold to Tyler Soderstrom or Noah Naylor.
1-26-21 - BA -
22. Joe Mack, C, Williamsville East HS, East Amherst, N.Y.
Areas To Improve: Continue performing on both sides, shorten actions behind the plate
Like Ford, there aren’t any glaring weaknesses in Mack’s profile. He will similarly have to overcome the poor track record of high school catchers—arguably the worst single demographic in the draft. Still, Mack has talent on both sides of the ball and is currently in a similar mold to the Tyler Soderstrom/Noah Naylor types in recent years, albeit with less athleticism than Soderstrom and less power than Naylor. Mack could stand to improve his actions behind the plate, as the length of his movements can limit him defensively and cause his arm to play down.
1-14-21 - Baseball America
Joe Mack
Williamsville East HS, East Amherst, N.Y. C
Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 203 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Clemson
Age At Draft: 18.6
One of the top hitters in a loaded Northeast region, Mack is a 6 feet, 203-pound catcher with exciting tools on both sides of the ball. After not playing any during the spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mack seamlessly transitioned to facing the elite arms on the showcase circuit this summer and was a consistent performer at the plate. A lefthanded hitter with good bat speed and a slight open stance, Mack has a chance for plus power potential and is similar to recent Northeast bats like Bo Naylor and Grant Lavigne—though Naylor’s pure hit tool is a bit more advanced. A strong, physical catcher, Mack’s best defensive attribute at the moment is a plus throwing arm. He’s gunned runners with sub-2.0 second throws to the bag in games and has the soft hands necessary to develop into a strong receiver. His actions can get long, but he has better lower half flexibility than you would expect when looking at his frame and evaluators have liked his progress behind the dish throughout the summer. High school catchers are risky, but Mack has the offensive chops to profile at first or a corner outfield spot, which raises his floor as a prospect.
1-5-21 - Baseball America's Mock Draft -
Joe Mack
C Williamsville East HS, East Amherst, N.Y.C
The Indians have selected high school players with each of their last six first-round picks—the longest streak of any team in baseball. Three years after selecting Bo Naylor at the back of the first round, Cleveland has a chance to grab another prep catcher in Mack, who is one of three high school backstops with day one potential along with Ian Moller (Iowa) and Harry Ford (Ga.).
The Northeast is loaded this year, and Mack would represent the first high school player drafted from the region. Scouts didn’t get to see him last spring, but he was a consistent performer against the top pitchers in the class on the showcase circuit over the summer. He has a chance for plus power from the left side to go along with a plus arm behind the plate.
12-25-20 - https://medium.com/minor-league-madhouse/2021-mlb-mock-draft-3
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox saw almost immediate dividends paid with their 2020 first rounder, as Garrett Crochet made his big league debut the same year as he was drafted without playing a single minor league game. That probably won’t happen again this year, especially with the team in win now mode. That said, they could still add a long term impact player in Joe Mack. A lefty hitting prep catcher from Upstate New York, Mack has a strong two strike approach at the plate. Mack also is a decent fielder with a strong arm. Mack isn’t a power hitter, but he is still enough of an asset to be a lineup presence as opposed to a liability.
12-18-20 - Future Sox Mock Draft -
20. New York Yankees: Joe Mack, C, Williamsville East HS (NY)
The Yankees haven’t shied away from being interested in prep catchers and Mack is right in their backyard. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder could stay behind the plate despite the track record of high school catchers overall. He’s a left-handed hitter with an advanced approach at the plate and runs well.
12-3-20 - Perfect Game combined their picks for the first two rounds in this mock draft -
9. Los Angeles Angels| | Adrian Del Castillo, C, University of Miami | (2/38) Joe Mack, C, Williamsville East HS, NY
Without a catcher in the Top 30 of their most recent prospect depth chart, new GM Perry Minasian may be well versed to add these two impact hitters to bolster the position. Del Castillo may be the most respected and polished hitter available in this year’s draft. Although he may not stick behind the dish at the next level, Del Castillo’s keen eye, high level bat-to-ball skills and power potential will be too hard to pass up for an organization that is trying to get back in the playoffs after a recent dry spell. What Mack brings to the table is undoubtedly one of the more well-rounded skill sets in terms of both offense and defense. The left-handed hitting Mack has premium bat speed and legit juice, to go along with outstanding arm strength and defensive aptitude behind the dish. -John McAdams
Sakowski’s Take: While both of these Angels picks are technically listed as catchers, the reality is that both of these picks would be made with offensive value in mind first and foremost. Del Castillo is seemingly the most “sure bet” collegiate hitter even if he’s likely a 1B/DH long term, while Mack has impressive offensive tools in his own right with the potential to stick behind the dish long term, with his tools back there highlighted by a cannon of a throwing arm. This draft would inject a significant amount of potential offensive value to the Angel’s system.
11-11-20 - Prospects Live Top 300 Prospect List -
68. Joe Mack - C
Bio:
Height: 6-0
Weight: 195 lbs
Hits/Throws: L-R
Hometown: Williamsville, NY
School: Williamsville East
A Clemson commit and one of the better catcher's in the 2021 class. A simple but powerful left handed stroke, that's consistently barreled up in all the big events this summer. Many believe Mack is the second best prep catching prospect in the draft after Ian Moeller.
Joe Mack – C: Carrying a bat that has a legitimate middle of the order upside from the power that shows up to all fields, to the ability to consistently find barrels with high Exit Velocities against good pitching. Defensively, he shows Plus-Plus and even Elite Pop time numbers, showing as good as 1.78 sec at the PG All-American Classic, which is pretty unheard of in-game. MLB Average is roughly 2.0 sec to go with a Plus (60) Arm he can use to challenge any base stealer. The blocking, framing, and receiving as a whole need to continue to progress if he wants to be looked at as a strong player on both sides of the ball. One of the more consistent bats in the class.
There may not have been a scholastic baseball season in Western New York in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn’t stunted the development of Williamsville East’s Joe Mack into becoming one of country’s top prospects.
The proof: The reigning Coaches All-Western New York Player of the Year from 2019 has been selected to participate in the 18th Perfect Game All-American Classic on Sept. 4 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.
Mack, who currently plays for the East Cobb Astros travel team based out of Georgia, survived a tryout process that included 300 players at the start and featured cut downs to 80 and then the final 40. In doing that, the senior catcher/first baseman achieved a goal in being selected for the game whose distinguished alumni include former National League MVPs Buster Posey, Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper, along with former rookies of the year Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Jeremy Hellickson.
Joe Mack Williamsville East
Mack, 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, is a multi-time Coaches All-Western New York selection who has been crushing baseballs for Williamsville East since seventh grade. The lefty-swinging, right-handed throwing Mack has hit over . 450 each of his past two scholastic seasons (freshman and sophomore years).
Click here for the full list of Mack's MLB Draft Scouting Reports.
2 comments:
How many catchers is that so far?
This is the 4th.
Very talented group that I expect to go early.
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