2020 MLB Draft Focus: High School Pitchers
Today we take a look at some of the notable high school pitchers that could be taken in this year’s shortened MLB Draft. Find our previous previews of college pitchers here and looks at hitters on the homepage.
Mick Abel, RHP, Jesuit HS- Oregon
Mick might be the first ever high school pitcher to be taken first without ever throwing a pitch his senior year of high school. A large reason why is because he is still very projectable with pitches that are already really really good right now, and he has really good makeup leading scouts and evaluators to fully believe he will reach his potential. He currently uses both a 2-seam and 4-seam fastball that are plus pitches that sit 93-95, and has the potential for a plus slider and plus changeup. Tremendous talent that might be the best high school pitcher taken since MacKenzie Gore was drafted in 2017.
Jared Kelley, RHP, Refugio HS- Texas
For the longest time when people think of pitchers from Refugio, Texas only one name ever comes up, and that’s the great Nolan Ryan. That was until Jared Kelley, being from the same town as Nolan Ryan lots of people think Kelley must throw hard, and he does, he’s topped out at 98 mph already and he’ll back it up with what looks to be a promising plus changeup. Unlike Nolan Ryan at the same age, Kelley is a much better strike thrower with the chance to have plus command and potentially be a #1 starter someday. Look to hear his name called in the middle of the 1st Round.
Nick Bitsko, RHP, Central Bucks East HS- Pennsylvania
Not many within the industry have had a chance to bear down on Nick Bitsko as he was a Junior that reclassified after the summer showcases in order to be draft eligible this season. I did however get a chance to watch him pitch this past summer while he was with Team USA’s 17U squad. The first thing I noticed when looking at film of Bitsko face off against the top hitters on Team USA’s 17U squad was that he’s gonna go after hitters right away and he’s adept at getting plenty of ground ball outs. His fastball has topped out at 98 and he has a chance to have a plus curveball but it’ll be interesting to see where he gets drafted as he hadn’t pitched in a game this spring.
Carson Montgomery, RHP, Windermere HS- Florida
I got a chance to see Carson Montgomery pitch at the Under Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field last summer and he was a very impressive arm that I feel deserves 1st round consideration. His fastball tops out at 96 and he usually sits 91-93 and he also has perhaps the best slider among all high school pitchers in this year’s draft class. At times he’ll struggle with command and control but he has the talent and upside to be a very good pitcher at the next level.
Dax Fulton, LHP, Mustang HS- Oklahoma
Dax is another arm that I felt had the ability to go in the first round but he ended up requiring Tommy John surgery and is honestly among the bigger question marks as to where he might get drafted this year due to the injury as well as signability. When healthy he showed the potential for 3 plus pitches with his best pitch possibly being his changeup although he does have pretty good command of his fastball that sits 89-93, he also will use a curveball that has plus potential.
Masyn Winn, RHP/SS, Kingwood HS- Texas
While Masyn Winn is the top 2-way player in this year’s draft class some see him more as a pitcher than a hitter although he does well at both. As a pitcher he has the potential for 3 plus pitches, his fastball tops out at 98, and he shows the potential to have a plus curveball and plus changeup. There are some questions as to his durability (there’s effort in his delivery) and command but he’s a very exciting young player with tons of upside.
Victor Mederos, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy- Florida
Victor was a 2-time Under Armour All-American and he may have used his experience last year to win the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game MVP Award. He has the look of a power pitcher at the next level as his fastball tops out at 96 consistently to go along with a plus slider and potential above average or better changeup. There are some concerns with his weight as he’s already a bigger pitcher but it hasn’t been much of a factor at all to this point.
Alejandro Rosario, RHP, Miami Christian HS- Florida
A 17 year old that throws 99 will always garner excitement and that’s what Alejandro Rosario does, he creates lots of buzz and excitement with his electric arm that consistently touches 97. He is still raw and continuing to work on improving his secondary pitches and ability to throw strikes but there’s tons of upside and a lot to like with Alejandro.
Jared Jones, RHP, La Mirada HS- California
Jones has always been a popular name amongst evaluators at showcases like Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report, but I felt like he maybe didn’t perform up to expectations at last summer’s Under Armour All-American game and that pushed his stock down quite a bit. He was starting to generate his usual buzz this spring before the season ended and so there’s a chance he still could be drafted in the early rounds as he has a chance to have 3 above average pitches. His fastball sits about 96-97, and uses a slider and changeup but will need to improve his ability to throw strikes consistently.
Alex Santos, RHP, Mount St. Michael Academy- New York
Alex is another high upside pitcher that teams weren’t able to watch pitch this spring. He has a chance for 3 above average pitches in his fastball that sits 92-93, slider, and changeup. He has a good feel for pitching so he could still be an early round pick but signability could still be a concern for some teams.
Other High School Arms to Pay Attention to
Hunter Barnhart, RHP, St. Joseph HS- California
Cam Brown, RHP, Flower Mound HS- Texas
Ryan Hagenow, RHP, Farragut HS- Tennessee
Kyle Harrison, LHP, De La Salle HS- California
Markevian Hence, RHP, Watson Chapel HS- Arkansas
Ben Hernandez, RHP, De La Salle HS- Illinois
Justin Lange, RHP, Llano HS- Texas
Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Lakewood HS- California
