Even More Draft News

 

1-25-21 - BA -

 

MLB and USA Baseball also announced the return of the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League for the 2022 high school class. The PDP League was initially launched in 2019 and was held in Bradenton, Fla., but was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The 2021 PDP League is set to take place from July 22 through Aug. 1 and will feature the top 96 high school players for the 2022 draft. The event will continue to serve as the primary identification event for the 18U National Team and will be hosted in Cary, N.C.

 

The inaugural draft combine will take place from June 20-28 and—according to a press release—will “feature top high school and college baseball prospects, as identified by MLB Clubs, who will have the opportunity to participate in a series of medical and performance assessments as well as educational programming designed to prepare them for a career in professional baseball.”

 

Like the PDP League, the combine is also slated to be hosted in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.

 

As part of the combine, the top 88 high school players eligible for the 2021 draft will be selected to participate in a showcase tournament taking place from June 20-26. The tournament will feature eight games and a pro-style workout.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

This is great news, both for prospect huggers like me but also the players that have been starved from playing.

 

More exposure means better analysis of their future talent ceiling.

 

Love it!

 

  

1-23-21 - Joe @JoeDoyleMiLB

 

San Jacinto JC (TX) opening its season today with SS Harold Coll leading off. He's off to a hot start. After two sharp singles, he smokes this double to LCF that almost gets out. 3 for 3 on the day.

 

Coll was a popular name in the 2020 MLB Draft. He'll be eligible again in 2021

 

@harold_coll

 

Mack’s spin -

 

Coll has moved around. First Massachusetts, then Georgia, and now Texas.

Tools on both side… ++ defense and 100+ exit velocity with a bat in his hands.

 

Interesting.

 

  

1-23-21 - NCAA- 

 

Fourth-year junior left-hander Michael Kirian has been brilliant over the last two years at the back of the Louisville bullpen, posting a 1.69 ERA and five saves in 2019, then posting a 0.00 ERA and six saves along with an 11-1 K-BB mark in the abbreviated 2020 campaign. He was a shoo-in top-10-rounds talent who might have wound up in the top five rounds had the season played out, but instead he’s back in Louisville, and he’ll have a chance to step into one of those vacated weekend starter jobs. When discussing Kirian’s trajectory, McDonnell invoked the name of former Cardinal left-hander Adam Wolf, who dominated out of the bullpen before moving into the ace role and putting up All-America numbers as a junior in 2018.

 

Built like a thoroughbred at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, Kirian certainly looked the part of a workhorse weekend starter in Thursday’s Pizza Bowl fall world series opener, striking out eight over five innings of one-hit ball, allowing just that one baserunner. Not only was his velocity considerably better than I’ve seen it in the past, peaking at 95 mph in the first inning, but he held 91-94 heat through four innings, then still dealt at 89-90 in the fifth. He had outstanding feel for his sharp 78-81 mph slurve, which is particularly tough against lefties but also effective against righties. He seldom used his mid-80s changeup on this look, and he’ll need to continue to refine that pitch to truly reach his potential as a starter, but McDonnell said he’s working hard on the offering with pitching coach Roger Williams, and he’s making progress.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

The lack of a full 2020 season really screwed Kirian from becoming one of the first relievers chosen in that being said.

 

That being said, he will now get a chance to start which could be a whole new path to the draft.

 

  

1-21-21 - 13 top 2021 prospect breakouts -

 

 Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Mets

 

The first thing people tend to point to with the Mets' 2020 first-round pick is his defense. There's strong consensus on that aspect of Crow-Armstrong's game. He has the athleticism, speed, instincts, range and arm to be a plus defender in center field. As much as Crow-Armstrong's defense is impressive, what also stands out is his hitting ability. He has a fairly simple lefty stroke, good contact skills with the ability to square up fastballs and offspeed stuff to all fields and a good plan at the plate for his age. There was a gap in the draft between where he was selected (19th overall) and the three other big high school outfielders—Robert Hassell (8th), Zac Veen (9th) and Austin Hendrick (12th)—but he belongs in the same tier as that trio. (BB)

 

Mack’s spin - Many project PCA;s ETA as 2023 which would be just fine by me.

 

This is the top defensive centerfielder in that draft… and he can hit too!

 

  

1-21-21 - where will top 100 prospects play in 2021 -

 

Low-A St. Lucie (Mets)

 

Potential Players: C Francisco Alvarez (48), RHP Matt Allan (98)

 

With an outstanding season in the Appalachian League in 2019, Alvarez was one of the game’s biggest breakout prospects. He brings a potential mix of offense and defense to a premium position, with projected average or plus tools in every category but speed. Allan is the system’s highest-ranked pitching prospect and was outstanding at the team’s alternate training site. Like Rutschman and Rodriguez, the Alvarez-Allan battery should be appointment viewing every five days.

 

Mack’s spin -

 

Both have an ETA of 2024.

 

Hopefully, we won’t trade either one of them.

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