Mack - 2021 Draft Targets - Kumar Rocker, Christian Franklin, Ryan Wrobleski, Parker Chavers, Roc Riggio

                            Kumar Rocker 

                        RHP   6-4   225   Vanderbilt 

 

Here is your first pick in the 2021 draft.

 

You may remember this name as one of the top high school players we talked about three years back. Instead of signing early, he chose to attend Vanderbilt and make history.

 

Pitchers like Brady Singer never see the light of draft day. They come off the board only when the worst team picks. There is an outside chance that Rocker could be picked 1.2, but I think he’s a lock as the first pick. His talent is legendary.

 

He throws a consistent mid-90s fastball that does hit 99.

 

Ended the 2019 season at Vanderbilt with a 19-K no-hitter. Also a wipeout slider and a change that could use some work.

 

2020 stat line:  3-Starts, 2-1, 1.80, 15-IP, 28-K 

 

Mack observation -

 

Look. Rocker is da bomb. If the first team on the board doesn’t pick him they deserve to finish last again in 2021.

 

No one can find a hole in this kid’s game.

 

There is no chance we get him, but I thought I would write about him so you have some info here when they call out him name on draft day.

 

 

                                            Christian Franklin 

                        OF   5-11   185   Arkansas 

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/2021-mlb-draft-top-college-prospects - 15. Christian Franklin, OF, Arkansas - Franklin comes with more upside and more risk than the other position players on this list. He's a center fielder with plus raw power, speed and arm strength, and while there are some questions about his bat, he cut his strikeout rate from 28 percent as a freshman to 19 percent last spring.

 

Prospects 365 - Franklin’s batted ball profile is better than that of Austin Martin, and his average exit velocity was higher than Spencer Torkelson, Heston Kjerstad and Aaron Sabato (in a microscopic sample) this past spring. For now, the outfielder’s problem is his suboptimal launch angle, which has minimized the high hard ball rates into generating the surface numbers of a Torkelson, Kjerstad or Sabato. A better defender than those three, possibly at a premium position, Franklin could jump into 1-1 talks with a Kjerstad-like junior season in 2021.

 

2020 stat line - 16-G, 63-AB, .381/.467/.619, 3-HR

 

Mack observation -

 

This is a real deal bat that could be around when the Mets pick in the first round.

 

I would scout the hell out of this kid right up to the draft.

 

 

                    Ryan Wrobleski 

                        RHP   6-0   200   Dallas Baptist 

 

Prospect Live  - Ryan Wrobleski, Dallas Baptist catcher - An athletic catcher who should have no trouble sticking behind the plate, Wrobleski has a solid foundation. He’s well-built and athletic with a strong lower half that allows him to generate bat speed. Wrobleski was hitting balls with authority to all fields and seemed to have a natural, airborne approach. He swung through some hittable pitches in the zone and struggled with offspeed stuff, which I think is a bat control issue more than a pitch recognition concern. Wrobleski probably maxes out as a 40 hitter, but as a catcher with plus raw power that mostly plays in games, that’d be enough to play everyday in the big leagues. 

 

Prep Baseball - 7/15/17- PBR ProCase- Uncommitted, currently ranked No. 12 in Minnesota’s 2018 class. 6-foot, 185-pound right-handed hitting catcher, lean/athletic build with room for continued added strength. Tall, balanced setup, consistent hard contact with lift, maintains balance through contact. Registered 93 mph exit velocity. Defensively, received and blocked well in games, confident receiver. Above average arm strength, 76 mph from the crouch, clean exchanges and athletic feet, longer arm action. Pop times ranged between 2.00-2.08, mostly on target. Ran a 7.40 laser-timed 60. 

 

2020 stat line:   14-G, 48-AB, .271/.327/.563, 3-HR 

 

Mack observation -

 

He showed flashes of home run power in the shortened 2020 season, but not enough to excite me.

 

There are better catchers in this draft.

 

 

                        Parker Chavers 

                        OF   21/yrs.  6-0   180   Coastal Carolina 

 

A ++ runner that has an average hit tool from the plate. Lack of durability cost him being picked in the 2020 draft. Has shows some pop. Too much swing and misses.

 

An above average defensive centerfielder. Excellent arm.

 

2020 stat line -   DNP 

 

Mack observation -

 

Parker needs a break. He has potential 5-tool talent but just hasn’t had a wonderful career so far.

 

For that reason alone, he is way down on my list.

 

 

                            Roc Riggio 

                                OF   18/yrs.   5-9   175   Thousand Oaks HS (CA) 

 

Pitbull like frame. Quick left hand swing with strong hands. Projected to be a second baseman but plays center as well.

 

Already has serious home run power. Struggled at Perfect Game National. Ran poorly.

 

PG - Roc Riggio is a 2021 OF/C/MIF with a 5-9 175 lb. frame from Simi Valley, CA who attends Thousand Oaks. Compact athletic build with good present strength. 7.33 runner, plays faster than his sixty time. Good fundamentals in the outfield, clean approach through the ball with good glove position out front, gets on top of his throws well from an over the top arm slot. Also worked out in the middle infield with quick and active footwork and a similar over the top arm slot. Left handed hitter, hits from an open stance with a short, high contact swing approach, controlled swing the worked the middle to opposite field consistently, has shown more power in his swing approach in the past.. 

 

Mack observation -

 

In my opinion, Riggio needs to pick a position to play and stick to it. He also needs another year under his belt to prove his value.

 

There is always the choice to go to college, but he is already 18 and will be 19 next year.

 

His bat is intriguing. If he is still around on Day 3, I would call out his name.