2021 Mets Draft Targets - Davis Sharpe, Malakhi Knight, Matt McLain, Sal Frelick, Ty Madden

                        Davis Sharpe 

                                    RHP 6-4 210 Clemson

  

Tiger Net - Talented two-way player who was in the weekend rotation during the entire 2019 season and was a contributor at the plate, primarily as the designated hitter … preseason third-team All-American by Perfect Game … preseason first-team All-ACC by Perfect Game … No. 29 sophomore in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game … No. 10 ACC prospect for the 2021 draft in the preseason by Baseball America … No. 25 ACC prospect for the 2021 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball.

 

 Perfect Game - Davis Sharpe is a 2018 RHP/3B with a 6-4 200 lb. frame from Dacula, GA who attends Mill Creek HS. Long and lanky athletic build, some present strength more to come. Creates good angle to the plate from a 3/4's arm slot, moderate energy at release. Steady fastball up to 90 mph, good running and sinking life at times. Curveball is tight and sharp at times, does a nice job of throwing his curveball for strikes. Curveball is a potential plus pitch and there is projection in his velocity. Right handed hitter, hanging front leg load, deep barred load, pull and lift approach, has plenty of bat speed and gets the ball in the air, will have two-way college potential.

 

 2020 stat line - 4-ST, 1-1, 3.93, 18.1-IP, 20-K, 4-BB

 

 Mack Observation -

 

 First of all, you all know I am a big Clemson fan and follow this team closely. Really more a control pitcher than someone that blows you away. Limits his walks well.

 

On my opinion he wood be a good pick around the fifth round. Not higher.

 

Sharp had a rocky start on 2020 and really count have used a full season to build on his draft status.

 

Oh, by the way… there is some question if he would be drafted as a designated hitter. Last season, he hit .311/.436/.622, 4-HR, in 45-AB.

 

                Malakhi Knight 

                OF   6-3   185   Marysville Getchell HS (WV)

 

PG - Malakhi Knight is a 2021 OF with a 6-3 187 lb. frame from Marysville, WA who attends Marysville Getchell. Outstanding athletic body with length and tons of physical projection. 6.64 runner, graceful athlete in the outfield, showed range and the ability to make the difficult play. compact arm action with some carry to his throws, can continue to improve his lower half mechanics throwing. Right handed hitter, hits from an upright stance with a short and quick swing, pretty short swing for his size, creates good carry with back spin, can improve his hand timing for more consistency. High level athlete who will keep improving with repetitions and physical maturity. Elite level basketball player when not playing baseball

 

 Gatorade - The 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior outfielder was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2019 Underclass Area Code Games in August. Knight reached base in all nine plate appearances at the Games with three hits, including a home run, and six walks. A Second Team All-WESCO North Division selection as a freshman, Knight missed all but four games his sophomore year with an injury. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 20 prospect in the Class of 2021 by Baseball America.

  

Mack Observation -

 

There doesn’t seem to be much missing here.

 

He is currently a “4.5” tool player who looks like he just needs tome to develop with a bat in his had to reach “5”.

 

This kid is going to go in the first roundand will probably be on the board when the Mets pick at 1.10. He will also be long gone by the Mets second pick.

 

Your call here.

  

                    Matt McLain 

                            SS 5-11 170 UCLA 

 

MLB   - 3. Matt McLain, SS, UCLA - McLain turned down the D-backs as a first-round pick in 2018 and struggled as a freshman, but he has performed very well since in the Cape Cod League, as a sophomore and with the National Baseball Congress World Series champion Santa Barbara Foresters this summer. As a smaller middle infielder (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) with perhaps the best bat-to-ball skills in his college class and flashes of well-above-average speed, he's similar to Nick Madrigal, who went fourth overall in the 2018 Draft. He has more sneaky power, a stronger arm and a better chance to stay at shortstop than Madrigal did. 

 

Baseball Prospect Journal - 6. Arizona Diamondbacks: Matt McLain, SS, UCLA 

The Diamondbacks have a history with McLain. They drafted him with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 draft. McLain turned down $2.6 million from the Diamondbacks to honor his commitment to UCLA, though. That decision might pay off next year, as McLain is in the mix to be a top-10 pick in the 2021 draft. And with where the Diamondbacks are picking, they might have the chance to draft McLain once again.

 

McLain is 5-11, 170 pounds, and has all the tools to play shortstop in pro ball. After hitting .203 with four home runs in 249 plate appearances as a freshman in 2019, McLain experienced better results at the plate, batting .397 with three home runs in 64 plate appearances this spring.

 

McLain is strong defensively, possessing the instincts and arm strength to stay at shortstop long-term. He also is athletic and has solid speed. He profiles more as a gap-to-gap hitter who will hit for average in pro ball. 

 

Diamond Digest - 6) Matt McLain, SS, UCLA  -  A first round selection of the Diamondbacks in 2018, McLain did not sign and ended up on campus at UCLA instead. He struggled in his freshman season (.203/.276/.355) but he turned it around that summer on the Cape, where he slashed .274/.394/.425. That momentum carried over to the start of his 2020 season, where he was scorching hot. In his 64 plate appearances before the shutdown, McClain was off to a .397/.422/.621 start, and he also blasted three homers. His swing is really sound. He has a short, compact stroke that is quick through the zone. He has plus bat control and can whack pitches at all parts of the zone. He projects to be the type of player who puts the ball in play frequently. McLain hit the ball with a lot more authority in the spring and shows rotation and bat speed, but the swing doesn’t have too much leverage and he is more of a gap-to-gap hitter by nature. In a way he is similar to Alex Bregman coming out of LSU. Bregman had more power in his game than McLain at this point in their careers, but both players were more contact oriented at the same stage in their careers. Bregman’s power developed more once he got into pro ball, and there is a chance McLain’s power may still come. Besides power, McLain also needs to improve his approach and plate discipline. He attacks early and often, as he doesn’t see many pitches. He hits enough right now to get away with it, but he will have to show that he can lay off pitches out of the zone as he faces better pitching as his career goes along. McLain is the modern day defender. He is very versatile, as he played second base, third base, and centerfield in his freshman season before settling into the starting shortstop role in 2020. McLain has solid defensive tools across the board, and while his arm and hands may prove to be too weak for shortstop, his versatility will still prove valuable. Overall McLain’s floor is pretty high because of the contact and ability to hit, but how his power and approach develop will determine his ceiling. 

 

Mack Observation -

 

A gap-to-gap hitting, excellent defensive shortstop… we seem to have a couple of these already, with two more in the pipeline.

 

Yes… draft the best player, but, please avoid another shortstop.

 

 

                    Sal Frelick 

                            OF 5-9 175 Boston College 

 

MLB -    13. Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

 

Gatorade's Massachusetts High School Football Player of the Year in 2017, Frelick also starred in baseball and hockey as a prepster. While he's not overly physical at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, he could have three plus tools in his bat, speed and center-field defense, and he might develop average power.

  

Mack observation -

 

I don’t have enough knowledge about this guy to make a judgment.  

 

 

                    Ty Madden 

                                    RHP 6-3 190 Texas

 

MLB -      11. Ty Madden, RHP, Texas

 

Cowser's best friend and his teammate at Cypress (Texas) Ranch High, Madden cracked Texas' weekend rotation as a freshman and saw his stuff tick up as a sophomore. He has a strong 6-foot-3 frame and throws strikes with four pitches, the best of which are a 92-97 mph fastball, a mid-80s slider and a low-80s changeup with fade.

 

 

Diamond Digest -     20) Ty Madden, RHP, Texas

 

Madden pitched 69.1 solid innings during his first season at Texas and summer with Chatham on the Cape, but he pitched a lot better (1.40 ERA) in his four starts in 2020. His fastball sits in the 92-94 range and can top out at 96. He has more of a vertical arm slot, and he uses that ability to generate vertical movement to his advantage, as he makes a clear effort to try and miss bats at the top of the zone. The pitch generates whiffs, but his command of the pitch is hit or miss, and he struggles to challenge hitters out of the zone at times. For example, there are times when his catcher calls for an 0-2 high fastball, and Madden will miss over the hitter’s head, making the decision to take way too easy. He shows a good feel for spin with his slider and curveball. Madden’s slider is his better breaking pitch, and it is above average. It misses a lot of bats and shows good length and sharp bite at times, but his ability to create that bite needs to become more consistent. He doesn’t generate a ton of his velocity by way of his mechanics. His hip/torso separation at foot strike and his scapular range of motion are not that impressive; he gets his velocity from athleticism, strength, and his innate ability to just throw the ball hard. There is some violence at the end of his delivery that brings about some concern about repeatability, as well. Overall if we Madden improves his command and consistency of his secondaries, he could be one of the top non-Vanderbilt college arms taken in the draft.

 

2020 stat line: 4-starts, 3-0, 1.80, 0.88, 25-IP, 26-K

 

Mack observation -

 

Madden is definitely worth keeping an eye on through this next season leading up to the draft. He was off to a great start in 2020 before the season came to a screeching halt.

 

He is definitely a top-100 pick, so you have to make a decision early on this one.