Any or all if these players could still be on the board when the Mets make their first pick.
They are:
1. Henry Davis
C 6-2 195 Louisville
3-14-21 - Joe Doyle - JoeDoyleMiLB
Wind can't do anything about this one. Henry Davis with a scorched first inning double.
Davis entered the day slashing .367/.476/.592 w/3 HRs, 5 2Bs, 14 RBI and 7 SB in 14 games.
3-10-21 - draft risers -
Henry Davis, C, Louisville (No. 19)
.395/.520/.684, 3 HR, 2 2B, 8 BB, 3 K, 5-for-5 SB
College catchers can easily move up draft boards with strong production, so it’ll be interesting to see what teams do with Davis, who entered the season as a first-round talent and has continued to impress with the bat.
Davis has collected hits in all 11 games so far this season, including four multi-hit games and he has great zone discipline. Like Frelick, Davis is getting the ball in the air more than he has in the past, but most of his extra-base hits have come against secondary stuff or lower-velocity fastballs. How he handles 90-plus velocity against ACC pitching will likely be something scouts bear down on the rest of the season.
Baserunners are 2-for-6 in stolen base attempts against Davis, with one of those stolen bases coming in a first-and-third, no-throw situation. His good throws to second have been in the 1.95-2.00-second pop-time range, and Davis has also aggressively hunted for backpicks at first and second base—keeping runners on their toes.
Davis’ preseason to-do list was built around proving his offensive game this season and he’s done just that.
2. Steven Hajjar
LHP 6-5 215 Michigan
2-15-21 - CBS - Top 50 -
25. Steven Hajjar, LHP, Michigan
Hajjar is a speculator's dream. He's a 6-foot-5 southpaw who bears a slight resemblance to Christian Yelich in the face, and whose collegiate career consists of exactly 20 innings. (He struck out 24 and walked 11.) Hajjar has a chance to move up the board this spring thanks to his combination of spin and deception. He leverages his height to achieve a steep release point, and that includes pitching off a high front side. (He's maintained the optical advantage while reprogramming his arm action to make it less painful-looking). Hajjar has solid stuff as well, and there's fair reason to expect him to go early on.
2-9-21 - Big 10 Preview -
Pitcher of the Year: Steven Hajjar, LHP, Michigan.
This is a year for premium pitching in the Big Ten and Hajjar enters the season with the highest profile. The third-year freshman has limited innings under his belt in college because he missed the 2019 season due to a torn ACL, but he was outstanding in the early going in 2020. He has three above-average pitches, and his 6-foot-5 frame makes for a tough at-bat.
3. James Wood
OF 6-6 230 IMG Academy
3-18-21 - Bleacher Nation -
High School Hitters - The One I Dream About Falling to 21: James Wood, OF, IMG Academy (FL). Drafting in the top 10 means that you had to endure a bad Major League season the year before, but it also means that you get to dream about getting athletes like Wood into your farm system. I see no scenario that Wood drops to the Cubs, but I wanted to put him here merely because this is to me what a first-round pick looks like.
3-12-21 - top hitters in draft -
#7. James Wood, OF
Perhaps one of the biggest center fielders in recent memory, the 6-6, 230-pound Wood is the class’s biggest riser, according to BA, due in part because of his added size. And the center field position reportedly isn’t a gimmick, either, as the 18-year-old Wood is said to have ran a 6.7-second 60-yard dash at PG National. In terms of the discrepancy between different sites, this one most likely is the largest. Wood ranks within the top 10 at BA, however at FanGraphs, he’s listed as a first baseman/DH with a scary profile at no. 72. Either way, there appears to be a ton of upside.
4. Andrew Painter
RHP 6-6 220 Calvary Christian Acamedy (FL)
3-12-21 - top 50 HS players -
3. Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Painter, a Florida signee, gets to his 90-95 mph velo range easily, and he spins two different breaking balls that both show plenty of promise.
2-27-21 - top hs players -
Andrew Painter – Painter doesn’t offer anything elite right now, but he has just about everything a team could want in a prep pitcher. He’s big and athletic with room to grow, his fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s, he has feel for a slider, curveball, and changeup, and he has a track record of throwing strikes.
2-18-21 - PG - Top HS Prospects -
3 Andrew Painter
6-7 230 R/R RHP Pompano Beach, FL Florida Calvary Christian Academy
Up to 94 mph at PG Junior National, controls delivery well & fills the zone; fastball jumps and more to come, feel for CB & SL. Up to 96 at the PG National with a 4-pitch mix and still has projection to go along with his current polish.
5. Jud Fabian
OF 6-2 195 Florida
3-12-21 - top hitters in draft -
#11. Jud Fabian, OF
One of the youngest college players in this class (doesn’t turn 21 until September), Fabian still has the experience of many players older than him as he’s already completed two seasons at the University of Florida. With the Gators as a freshman in 2019, Fabian started and played in 56 games, hitting .232 with 7 home runs before figuring things out in the Cape Cod League the following year, where he finished with a .290 AVG and 6 HR in 35 games. Scouts claim that Fabian has all-fields power, and at 6-2, 195 pounds, he could develop even more as he grows into his body. Defensively, he’s said to take solid routes in center field as well. So far in 2021, Fabian is hitting .273 with 5 homers through his first 13 games (including a game-tying RBI double against rival Miami back on February 22… shown above).
3-1-21 - Prospect Live -
JUD FABIAN, OF, FLORIDA
10 FOR 22 (.455/.538/1.000) 4 HR, 12 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K
Oh what a difference a week can make. After stumbling out of the blocks, Fabian made up for lost time this week blistering pitches over the fence. Fabian was selling out for the fastball, and when he got one, he was swinging through it. Chalk it up as first day of school jitters.
Fabians’s four homers in five games came against Samford and North Florida, certainly less imposing programs than the Miami Hurricanes he opened with. Still a healthy amount of strikeouts in there for the Ocala, Fla. star, but his easy power is back and it certainly put on a show this week. Fabian nearly hit five homers this week had it not been for a spectacular play made by the Samford centerfielder.
Given the loud tools across the board and performances on the field, there’s no reason to sway on Fabian near the top of the first round, but the swing-and-miss will be something to monitor.
Mack, what is your order of these five? Painter, Fabian, Wood, Davis, Hajjar?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I read, I almost like Wood better than Fabian?
Good talent - let's see how these possibles unfold as the draft gets closer. Henry Davis looks good.
ReplyDelete