MACK - More Draft Shite

 

Just Means Less ACC            @FQACC

FSU Baseball Player to Watch:

LHP Jacob Marlowe

Marlowe missed all of 2024 after multiple heart surgeries and wasn't able to pitch until the summer up in the Cape. He shined for the Brewster Caps, while boasting a 2.95 ERA.

The southpaw features a low 90s FB and a really good 

 

CodBall                 @codball

Charlotte transfer RHP Blake Gillespie will head to Cotuit Kettleers this summer. Gillespie played 2 years at Georgia. He had a terrific summer with Goridge Runners of Appy League working 23.2 inn., with a 0.76 ERA, 23 K, just 2 BB.

Ian Smith          @IanSmittyGA

Grad transfer C Nathan Waugh caught some loud barrels this afternoon for Georgia Tech.

2B to LCF at 98, and this backside HR at 101 EV, 392ft to RCF

6-foot-5, 230-pounds. Career .947 OPS  with 18 and HR can provide some quality depth for the Jackets this spring.

 

Last time I saw Charlie Willcox @WillcoxCha2025, the @GTBaseball commit generated 20+ whiffs in a dominant outing.

“Ivisiball” FB up to 94 in the fall with more in the tank.

Power CB at 78-80 and mid-80s CH that miss bats as well.

Peter Flaherty III        @PeterGFlaherty

IF Dixon Williams   -  ECU Baseball - is one Carolinas player to watch this spring. After logging just 12 ABs as a Freshman, Williams enjoyed a breakout Sophomore year to the tune of a .308/.406/.490 slash line with 11 2B, 9 HR and 43 RBIs. Carried that momentum into the summer where he tore up the NECBL and hit .390/.500/.580 with 7 2B, 4 HR, 33 RBIs, 17 SB and more BB (22) than Ks (15). Was named the league's MVP and Top Pro Prospect.

Williams has an athletic frame with present strength at 6'2" and 210-lbs. Made an adjustment to his stance between this spring and summer. Lowered his hands, more crouched and sits deeper in his base, and has a slightly more open front side. Very simple and under control operation with minimal moving parts. Small load in which his hands drift slightly, ultra-small stride. Like his lower-half. Head stays still, easy bat speed. Swing path is now geared more towards getting the ball up in the air and doing damage.

Williams has plus bat-to-ball skills, and last spring worked an 88% overall IZ contact rate, including 93% against FB. This summer, he boasted a 91% overall IZ contact rate (93% against FB, 96% against SL). Present barrel skills. Swing decisions and approach are both sound, though there's some miss/chase against secondaries down (cambios are his biggest Achilles heel). Does a nice job of staying within the zone for the most part. Will use the whole field, though his highest quality of contact comes to the pull side. 55 hit for me.

He tallied 9 HRs and posted a Max EV of 107.8 last spring, though I'm excited to see what Williams' power output looks like this season with his refined operation. Didn't get the ball up in the air a ton during the spring and his AirPull% was just 23.3%, but this summer his FB+LD% increased from 48% to 54%. Fly ball% alone increased from 26% to 34%. His power as a whole grades out as average, though you could make the argument that it's a 55 to the pull-side.

The biggest question mark in Williams' profile is his defense and where he profiles best long term. He's an excellent athlete and is in line to man SS this spring for ECU, but I think right now the actions and especially arm profile best on the right side of the IF at 2B. Curious to see what he looks like in his first real action at SS. Williams runs well once underway and is an effective base stealer. Top-5 round upside in this year's Draft.

 

Anthony Dasher        @AnthonyDasher1

Some Georgia baseball news. It appears Dylan Goldstein could be part of the team once again. He’s already enrolled and has been working out with the Bulldogs. It’s believed the graduate transfer for the Bulldogs in 2024 would be taking advantage of the new NCAA waiver that extends an extra year of eligibility to student-athletes “who previously competed at a non-NCAA (JUCO) school for one or more years to remain eligible and compete in 2025-26.” Goldstein hit 291 with 12 homers and 39 RBI last year for Georgia, and if his eligibility becomes official would give Wes Johnson another quality left-handed bat.

 

On The Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft Pod        @OnTheClock_1

No. 3 - RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara

The best mid-major arm in this class, Bremner has a legitimate shot at being the first arm off the board thanks to fantastic athleticism, starter traits, and exceptionally loud stuff.

Aria Gerson       @aria_gerson

RJ Austin is back at 100% after dealing with a shoulder issue during the fall, Tim Corbin said

        Jacob Rudner        @JacobRudner

        Important news from Nashville. RJ Austin hit .335 with five home runs, 14 doubles, two triples and 28 stolen bases (33 attempts) last year. He’s a top-75 draft prospect.

 

Ian Smith      @IanSmittyGA

OF Parker Brosius made big strides in a near everyday role in ‘24, slashing .298/.442/.430 w/ an impressive chase rate and encouraging 90th and Max EVs.

Plus speed in the 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame w/ an all-fields approach.

The GT Baseball  junior has potential to play across the OF as well, and could be in-store for a big spring.

Potential for mid-round upside this summer. 

 

On The Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft Pod

@OnTheClock_1

No. 4 - OF Cam Cannarella - Clemson

A roadblock in the Clemson infield gave him an opportunity in center field that he has not relinquished. A gamer in every sense of the word, Cannarella is a dangerous hitter with some of the best contact skills in the entire country.

 

No. 5 SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State

Arquette's feel to consistently backspin the baseball to all fields is impressive and the overall power profile is robust, recording an average exit velocity of 93 MPH with a maximum of 112.9 MPH. 

 

Baseball America 

Player To Know

Virginia’s lineup is well stocked with players to keep an eye on this year, especially from an draft standpoint, but it’s hard not to focus on two-way player Chris Arroyo considering his potential impact on his new team. A transfer from Pasco-Hernando State College, Arroyo began his college career as a reliever at Florida in 2023 before putting together an explosive 2024 campaign on both sides of the ball at the junior college level, where he batted .403 with 60 runs, 10 doubles, 19 home runs, 52 RBIs and nine stolen bases while pitching his way to a 3.53 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. O’Connor told Baseball America that he expected Arroyo to be featured in the heart of his team’s batting order, as well as in its rotation.

 

Player To Know

A fringe top 100 prospect coming out of Honolulu (Hi.) St. Louis High School in 2022, Aiva Arquette opted to honor his commitment to Washington, where he hit .311 with 17 home runs, 14 doubles, 47 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 63 games across two seasons. The 6-foot-4 infielder entered the transfer portal after former Washington head coach Jason Kelly took the pitching coach job at Texas A&M and landed at Oregon State, where he now enters the year ranked No. 19 among 2025 draft prospects. The Beavers will rely on Arquette to anchor the heart of the batting order, especially with Bazzana no longer in the mix.

 

Player To Know

If not the frontrunner, Jace LaViolette is among the favorites to be selected with the first overall pick in the 2025 draft and is easily the Aggies’ most important player heading into the season. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound slugger produced an impressive 108.8 90th percentile exit velocity and limited his chase rate to just 17.2 percent as a sophomore in 2024 when he slashed .305/.449/.726 with 29 home runs, 78 RBIs and 64 walks against 81 strikeouts. LaViolette generates impressive impact and has double-plus raw power to all fields, which he gets to with ease in games. The Texas A&M center fielder should contend for this year’s Golden Spikes Award, which recognizes the nation’s top amateur baseball player.

 

Player To Know

One of the most sought-after transfer portal entrants this offseason, infielder Daniel Dickinson posted a career year as a sophomore at Utay Valley, hitting .367/.469/.661 with 14 doubles, 18 home runs, 53 RBIs and 32 stolen bases in 58 games, which earned him first-team all-WAC and third-team all-American honors. Johnson lauded his prized recruit for his measured hitting approach and maturity. Johnson described Dickinson as a “throwback-type” player capable of “making the guys around him play better.” The Tigers are hopeful that Dickinson can fill in a much-needed leadership role after they lost multiple upperclassmen to the pros. 

 

Just Means Less ACC          @FQACC 

BC Hitter to Watch: Josiah Ragsdale

Iona transfer Josiah Ragsdale looks to be the perfect center fielder and lead off man for Coach Interdonato's style. The 6'0" junior hit .385 for Iona last season while amassing 28 extra base hits and stealing 22 bags.

Ragsdale will set the table for an underrated lineup that includes a very experienced and capable infield and fellow outfielders Jack Toomey, and sophomore breakout candidate Adam Magpoc.

 

Joe Doyle        @JoeDoyleMiLB 

I'm all over Seton Hall RHP Ryan Reich for the 2025 Draft. He raised his arm slot 6" in 2024 to get to a bit more velo but is still launching from a 65" RelZ. He also consistently generates north of 20" of IVB and cuts the shit out of it. The result is a zone-neutralized VAA of -4.0°.

Reich is still only touching 93, but there's some arm speed here and it wouldn't surprise me if there's another tick or two in the tank. The fastball is devastating at or above the letters. He generated a 39% whiff rate on the elevated fastball in 2024, however the whiff rate jumped to 58% at 90+ mph. Obnoxious numbers for a pitch that never brushed 94. He threw the heater 65% of the time. Didn't matter.

Reich is either going to need to firm up his slider or generate much more lateral action if it's going to be a legitimate offering at the next level. It sat in the upper-70s last season with two-plane break, but it didn't fool the opposition out of the hand. He's got feel for landing spin in the zone, so there are building blocks. There are a couple different routes he can go with his wrist orientation and release profile. Will be interesting to see which he's more comfortable with.

 

Reich only threw his changeup something like six percent of the time last season. It often showed more screwball traits than it did traditional changeup shape. It was actually quite effective when he could get the opposition to offer at it (35% swing rate).

Across 70.1 IP last year, Reich punched 89 tickets and walked just 36 hitters. He only surrendered 56 hits. He's trending in the right direction. If the breaking ball takes a step this year, don't be surprised to hear Reich's name called in the 4-6 round range.

 

Intersquads underway for most colleges at this point. Oregon State 3B Trent Caraway looking leaner this year but the bat speed hasn’t gone anywhere. Pull-side bomb here. Went 5 for 5 this weekend. Hit a ball 110 mph too. Certainly a name in play for the first round.

Keep an eye on Alabama RHP Riley Quick. He’ll be ready for Opening Day after undergoing Tommy John surgery just 11 months ago. Impressive recovery. Up to 99 w/huge sink. Slider was firm + effective when he got to it in 2023

I had Jonah Williams ranked as my No. 169 prospect in the 2025 Draft before he enrolled early. He’s up to 95 these days with a budding changeup. Very talented arm.

Don’t be surprised if he carves out a role in the OF in due time. Tools w/the bat are raw, but explosive