Mack's Mets: Mack's Mock Pick - #73 - LHP

Carter Holton

Mack's spin -

Talented 3-pitch mix that includes a fastball that currently tops off at 95.

His lack of size will probably target him into a team's pen in the future.

He also is a Vandy commit, which means he will be tough to sign.

I have him as the 13th LHP in the very thin LHP talent pool this draft.

LHP 5-11 175 Benedictine Academy (GA)

3-30-21 - Prospects Worldwide -

Ask 10 prep hitters who their toughest AB was this summer, you will likely get 9 of those players utter the name Carter Holton. Gifted Left handed arm with some legitimate potential to stick as a starter moving forward with a 3 pitch mix. But also sees himself having a rather solid floor as well for a prep arm as a LH Reliever with late innings stuff capable of locking down the later innings. Holton is an undersized but powerful Left-Hander. With a Plus Fastball touching 96 regularly but generally sits 93-95 in his starts. Generating some of the best arm speed of any pitcher in the class with plus extension and vertical approach angle that helps make his Fastball a true weapon at the next level and shows legitimate Swing and Miss potential. He also has a Curveball that shows some inconsistencies, and a Changeup that shows Above-Average. A bit of a high effort delivery, and improvements needed in the secondaries, so there is some pen risk, and would likely figure into the back end of a Bullpen. Similar to Bill Wagner.

4-1-21 - Cayden Hatcher @C_Hatcher_PBR

2021 Carter Holton - 5-foot-11 185 lbs.

Holton works up tempo and goes right at hitters, CB/SL is a plus pitch w/ handful of swing/miss. 11 K’s through 4 IP.

FB: 91-93 T94 CB: 74-76 SL: 77-79 CH: 83-84

1-14-21 - Baseball America

# 169

Carter Holton

Benedictine HS, Savannah, Ga. LHP

Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 190 | B-T: L-L

Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt

Age At Draft: 18.9

Scouts expected Holton to look like a solid college player, but maybe not a priority pro prospect entering the summer. That changed quickly once he got on the mound and showed his stuff. While Holton will have to battle questions about his size—he’s listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds—he impressed scouts with a dangerous fastball/breaking ball combination and standout competitiveness and moxie and the mound. Holton sits mostly in the 90-94 mph range with his fastball, occasionally touching 95 with good feel to spin a solid slider and mixes in a changeup as well. None of Holton’s pitches grade out as plus at the moment, but his entire arsenal plays up because he does a nice job sequencing, changing speeds and attacking hitters with good control and tempo. Holton has a quick arm from the left side and hides the ball well behind his body in his delivery, though at times his arm action can get a bit deeper than evaluators would like. While there’s not as much upside in Holton’s frame as scouts would like to see, it isn’t hard to envision at least two above-average offerings in the future from the Vanderbilt commit to go along with solid command.

12-29-20 - Tyler Jennings @TylerJennings24

LHP Carter Holton - Steady riser up draft boards this summer/fall. Touched 96 during summer, sat 92-95 with low spin and cut at WWBA. SL 79-81, CB 76-78 with low spin, but good shape to both. Confidence in CH at 83-84. Good command, Vandy recruit.

12-14-20 - Prospects Live @ProspectsLive

Carter Holton is, quite literally, the "toughest at-bat of anyone in the class" according to several of the top bats in the class. A big, deceptive fastball and a power 12-6 curve, Holton figures to be in-play on day one next July.

12-3-20 - Perfect Game combined their picks for the first two rounds in this mock draft -

29. Los Angeles Dodgers | Braden Montgomery, OF, Madison Central (Miss.) | (2/58) Carter Holton, LHP, Benedictine Military (Ga.)

The Dodgers will enter the 2021 draft as the defending champs and this mock has them locking in on two big-time prep performers from over on the east coast with their first two selections. Braden Montgomery oozes what you want out of a prep player in a combination of upside and polish. He can swing it well from either side of the plate with maturity to the approach and a good bit of jump off the barrel, while showing big arm strength from both the outfield and on the mound where the mechanics mimic the smoothness he shows across his game. Carter Holton sits among the best in terms of flat out performances on the circuit that we have seen in some time with a near 2:1 K/IP ratio over his last two years, using an electric mid-90s fastball, a wipeout slider and an above-average changeup to dominate even the best of lineups. -Tyler Russo

Sakowski's Take: It seems unlikely that the Dodgers would roll prep-prep out of the chute, but in this hypothetical it’s easy to like what they’ve done here. Montgomery established himself on the circuit as one of the premier prep bats with the peripheral tools to stand out in an outfield corner defensively, while Holton dominated all summer and fall with loud, loud stuff that belies his undersized stature, and he’s considered to be perhaps the best lefty in the class to some.

11-11-20 - Prospects Live Top 300 Prospect List -

53. Carter Holton - LHP

Bio:

Height: 5-11

Weight: 175 lbs

Hits/Throws: L-L

Hometown: Guyton, GA

School: Benedictine Military

Fastball is really starting to tick up as he's gotten older and stronger. Now 94-96 with decent command. 84 mph CH is best offering flashing 55 at times. Slider at 81 with lots of run, but doesn't yet tunnel well -- breaking ball made huge strikes thorughout the summer. Holton is plenty athletic on the mound and all of his stuff is ticking up. His trajectory could get him into the first round in 2021. Holton has been a very popular name in prep circles as having the nastiest stuff in the class, at least from a batters box point of view.

7-21-20 - BA -

Carter Holton, LHP, Benedictine HS, Savannah, Ga.

Travel Team: Team Elite

Commit: Vanderbilt

Performance: G1 (Relief) 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K, 2 BB, 56 pitches (64% strikes) | G2 (Start) 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 9 K, 4 BB, 92 pitches (58% strikes)

Holton got plenty of work in at the UBC, pitching an extended three-inning relief outing and then adding another long outing as a starter later in the event. He pitched well in both outings and racked up 15 strikeouts in just eight innings.

Holton doesn’t have the obvious pro frame and stuff that others like Burns and Painter possess now, but he does a lot of things well that could lead pro teams to try and scoop him out of a Vanderbilt commit. Holton sat in the 90-94 range for the most part, touching 95 and showing good ability to spin a solid slider and a solid changeup.

He’ll face scrutiny because of a 5-foot-11, 185-pound frame, but his ability to compete, throw strikes with three pitches, work at a quick tempo, change speeds and miss bats all impressed scouts more than they were expecting. While he doesn’t have a single carrying pitch or plus offering, his sequencing and feel for mixing and matching stands out.

PG -

Carter Holton is a 2021 LHP/1B, OF with a 5-11 175 lb. frame from Guyton, GA who attends Benedictine Military. Medium athletic build with good present strength. Tall on his back side with a good hip turn over the rubber, compact quick arm from a 3/4's to extended 3/4's arm slot, creates good angle through the zone, has some energy through release, full body delivery. Worked consistently in the low 90's with his fastball, has been up to 96 mph at other Perfect Game events, attacks the zone with his fastball. Tends to slow his body and arm on his curveball, gets some spin when on top of it. Showed some confidence in his change up. Good athlete with a strong arm who has had incredible performance numbers throughout his career.

Mack's Previous Draft Report on Carter Holton.

Click here for the full list of Mack's MLB Draft Scouting Reports.

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4/15/21

Mack's Mock Pick - #73 - LHP - Carter Holton

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