As we prepare to enter the new year, it’s never too early to start covering the MLB Draft. This 2020 MLB Draft class in particular is loaded with high level talent at both the collegiate and prep level.
At Prospects Live we’ll be rolling out several different pieces highlighting some of the top draft prospects across the country. We’ll break these up by region and while all of these individual players won’t get drafted, it’s possible that most of them will receive that phone call they’ve always dreamt of.
Let’s take a look at some of the best high school prospects in the Mid-Atlantic region.
New York
Alex Santos, RHP, Mount St. Michael Academy, Maryland commit
Santos is the top-ranked prep player in the state of New York and is one of the best all-around arms in the 2020 prep class. He participated in this year’s PDP league down in Florida with Team USA and showed well there, tossing three scoreless innings in one of his outings. Santos is a lean 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander with a ton of filling out to do as he continues to mature.
There is a tad bit of effort to Santos’ delivery, but it’s athletic and he repeats it well with clear arm strength. His loose arm action is an easy indication that there’s more velocity to come and he throws from a high 3/4 slot. Santos’ fastball will range anywhere from 90-93 mph and he’s shown the ability to consistently pound the zone with it. His primary secondary offering is a slider with tight break that plays well off his fastball. He has shown a changeup in the past, but it’s not something he throws a lot and is quite behind his slider. Santos is almost a virtual lock to get drafted.
Jacob Savacool, RHP, Baldwinsville, Maryland commit
Savacool, like Santos, is also a Maryland commit, although it’s still quite likely he might not get to campus. A strong, durable right-hander, Savacool is not too far behind Santos in terms of prep arms in this class. His sound mechanics, clean arm action, and ability to repeat his delivery make Savacool an intriguing draft risk.
Savacool’s fastball plays in the low-90s, but it’s his tight slider and tumbling changeup that make him one of the more polished arms in the Mid-Atlantic region. He has real pitchability and can throw all three of his offerings for strikes. Savacool may make it to campus based off a lack of looks, given where he plays high school ball, but a strong game against the right opponent could change that.
Joseph Vetrano, LHP/1B, Lakeland, Boston College commit
Vetrano is a legitimate two-way prospect, which is why he’s likely going to make his way onto campus. However, he’s certainly worthy of being on this list and it’s not hard to see why a professional team would throw a decent amount of money at him to forgo his collegiate commitment.
Standing at roughly 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Vetrano has more projection left to his build and could easily add 10-15 pounds of muscle in the next two-or-three years. He’s a natural athlete with a plus run tool, raw power, and natural pitch ability on the mound.
Vetrano struggles a bit with timing and has a loud front side, but the ball jumps off his bat when he barrels up the baseball. He projects more, to me, as an arm at the next level, with a deceptive delivery and naturally clean arm action. His fastball plays in the high-80s and has touched 91 mph in the past. The best secondary pitch he has is a 1-to-7 shape curveball that he has real feel for and can throw it for strikes at any time in the count. Vetrano has a high baseball IQ and natural feel for the game.
Holden Lazarus, OF, Ithaca, Michigan commit
Lazarus is the top-ranked position player in the state of New York. He’s a mature 6-foot, 185 pound athletic freak with a well-proportioned build. Lazarus ran an impressive 6.37 60-yard dash in 2018 at PBR’s New York State Games.
Lazarus has a short, simple swing from the right side of the batter’s box with present bat speed. He does a good job incorporating his lower half into his swing and stays balanced through contact, but he generates power with his hands, which is an impressive tool for a prep player. Defensively, he’s athletic enough to stick in center field, but his footwork is a bit raw and he doesn’t look very comfortable out there. That can be improved on with some minor refinements, but his high-level athleticism is not teachable, which bodes well in his favor. Lazarus is an interesting prospect moving forward, although it’s very likely he makes it to Michigan.
New Jersey
Kyle Teel, C, Mahwah, Virginia commit
Teel is the best player in the state of New Jersey. A dual-sport athlete that played quarterback for his high school team, Teel shows above-average athleticism on the diamond as well. He’s a left-handed hitting catcher and a quality defender behind the plate.
Teel does have some swing-and-miss in his offensive game, mostly due to timing issues with an inconsistent leg-kick trigger. You can’t ignore his impressive bat speed, however, and he has a knack for peppering the gaps with line drives. Teel is athletic player behind the dish who plays with a high motor, and he has a strong arm that delivers accurate throws. His ability to receive and present pitches is advanced for his age and Teel should have no problem sticking behind the plate as he continues his baseball career. He’s a lock to get drafted, but could make his way to Virginia if he doesn’t get the right offer.
Patrick Reilly, RHP, Christian Brothers Academy, Vanderbilt commit
Reilly is the top-ranked arm in the state of New Jersey and has seen his draft stock rise over the past few months. He’s a physical right-handed pitcher with a durable 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame. He produces easy velocity with an effortless delivery and has a high ceiling.
Reilly’s fastball plays in the low-90s, with straight movement, but recently touched 96 mph at a Perfect Game event. He’s primarily a fastball pitcher, but his curveball is a quality offering that still needs more refinement before it’s a true above-average offering. Reilly has a high ceiling and Vanderbilt certainly could lose him to the draft given his ascent.
Pennsylvania
Austin Hendrick, OF, West Alleghany, Mississippi State commit
Hendrick is one of the best players in the entire 2020 high school class and showed well in the PDP League this summer. He’s a strong left/left outfielder with true raw power and is an above-average athlete.
Hendricks has ridiculous bat speed and quick hands that allow him to drive the baseball on a consistent basis. There’s no denying his power and he is a real power threat with 25+ home run upside further down the road once he’s fully matured. There is some swing-and-miss to Hendricks’ game and there are some concerns with his inconsistencies down the stretch this summer. Regardless, there isn’t a doubt that Hendrick’s overall offensive profile is special.
Defensively, Hendricks’ uses his athleticism to cover ground in the outfield and has an above-average arm. He’s athletic enough to stick in center field, but he’s a better overall defensive fit in right field and has the arm strength to stick there. Hendricks has some question marks surrounding him offensively, but he’s a lock to go in the first-round of this year’s draft.
Luke Wagner, LHP, Red Land, Georgia commit
Wagner is the top arm in the state of Pennsylvania for the 2020 class. He’s not an imposing figure on the mound, standing at roughly 6-foot and 170 pounds, but his athleticism and clean delivery allow him to compete against high-level competition.
Wagner’s fastball sits in the high-80s, but he’s touched 91 mph in the past with the ability to spot it up on either side of the plate. He can really spin his breaking ball at a high rate and shows a lot of promise, but he does lack consistent control right now. Wagner is an interesting prospect that will likely get scooped up in the draft, but he would be a great get for the Georgia Bulldogs’ pitching staff.
Luke Storm, 3B, Easton Area, Duke commit
Storm is a physical presence on the diamond. He’s a strong 6-foot-5, 235-pound switch-hitting third baseman with a powerful lower-half.
Storm can swing it from both sides of the plate, but he creates more loft from the left side, which looks more natural, as opposed to just consistent sound line drives from the right side. Regardless, he’s a switch-hitting power threat that does damage at the plate. Defensively, Storm is currently a third baseman, but a move over to either first or a corner outfield spot is more likely at the next level. He’s athletic enough to play either and his bat is going to get him in a lineup regardless of his defensive position. This is certainly a sleeper candidate to rise up draft boards this spring and hit the professional ranks.
Maryland
Jack Bulger, C, Dematha Catholic, Vanderbilt commit
A physical backstop, Bulger is one of the top catchers in the entire 2020 high school class and is the number one player in Maryland. He’s a strong, well-proportioned 6-foot, 205 pound right-handed hitting catcher with a strong lower half.
Bulger initiates his swing with a quick leg kick trigger and uses his powerful lower-half to drive the baseball. It’s a quick, loose swing from the right side of the plate that produces loud contact on a consistent basis. There’s some raw power in his game, as Bulger has recorded exit velocities in the 100 mph+ range before. Bulger has a strong arm behind the plate, consistently posting pop times below two seconds with a quick transfer and release. His receiving skills are suspect still and it’s possible that he does move out from behind the plate eventually, but for now he’s a quality offensive threat at a premium position. Expect him to get scooped up by someone in the draft.
Alex Greene, OF, Dematha Catholic, Virginia commit
Bulger’s teammate at Dematha Catholic, Greene was formerly ranked as the top player in the state before his running mate took that spot over. Regardless, Greene is a legit two-way prospect with upside on both sides of the ball.
Greene sports a strong 6-foot-1, 195-pound build with athleticism. He’s a twitchy athlete with present bat speed and produces hard line drives with a gap-to-gap approach from the right side of the plate. Greene might be more intriguing on the mound, where he has an athletic delivery with little-to-no effort. His fastball will primarily work between 87-90 mph with natural sink, but he’ll run it up to 91 mph on occasion. Greene offers both a slider and curveball, with the latter being a more advanced pitch and appears to be his go-to put-away pitch. Greene’s potential aspirations to play on both sides of the ball will likely get him onto campus.
Virginia/Washington D.C
Quade Tomlin, SS, Liberty Christian Academy, Liberty commit
The son of former Pirates pitcher Randy Tomlin, Quade is a strong 6-foot-1, 185-pound shortstop with real feel for the game. He’s a gamer-type with a high motor and natural baseball instincts.
A left-handed hitter playing a premium defensive position, Tomlin has a simple, smooth swing with little-to-no moving parts. He takes a short, level path through the zone and stays inside the baseball well, consistently spraying the baseball with some slight pull-side power. His swing is mesmerizing to watch and his ability to make sound contact over and over again is quite impressive. Defensively, Tomlin shows fluid footwork and sound hands with the athleticism necessary to stick at shortstop in the long term. A strong commitment to Liberty might ultimately get him to campus, but he’s certainly a draft candidate.
Trey Carter, OF, Carlisle, Florida State commit
Carter is a physical specimen, standing at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds with more maturity left to come and is a plus athlete with a strong run tool.
Carter is a bit raw at the plate, but the tools are there. He’s relaxed in the box with a short swing, quick hands, and true raw power. There are some inconsistencies in his timing, but it’s clear that the finished product could be a special offensive threat. Carter has an absolute cannon of an arm with a loose arm action that suggest there’s more to come. He’s likely a corner outfielder, but is certainly athletic enough to stick in centerfield with some maturity.
There is one part of his game that’s rather interesting, and that’s his potential as an arm. Carter has a strong, whippy arm, as mentioned earlier, and has ran his fastball up to 93 mph in the past despite some inconsistent control. His off-speed stuff is a bit raw, although he has showed some feel for a breaking ball in recent looks. Carter is raw from an overall baseball standpoint, but I’ll bank on the talent and athleticism for him to figure it out. He has real upside on both sides of the ball and Florida State will sweat it out with him potentially going in the draft.
Collin Bosley-Smith, RHP, Wilson, Duke commit
Bosley-Smith is an interesting compliment to Nate Savino as the top two arms in this Virginia 2020 class. He’s a high-waisted, athletic, big-bodied 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander with some more maturity left to come.
There is some effort in his delivery, but Bosley-Smith has present arm strength and feel for himself on the mound. His fastball plays primarily in the upper-80s to low-90s, but he’ll run it up to 92 mph on occasion. He’s shown feel for an 11/5 curveball that he throws with conviction. It’s pretty much a two-pitch mix right now and given the effort in his delivery, he’s probably ticketed for a bullpen role. That being said, his athletic profile suggests that he could be a starter if he develops a third offering. It’s very possible that Duke loses him to the draft, but he’d be a great get for the Blue Devils.
Jake Berry, LHP, Bishop O’Connell, Virginia commit
A truly imposing figure on the mound, Berry is all of 6-foot-9 and 240-pounds. A teammate of Eisert’s at Bishop O’Connell, Berry has fairly sound mechanics for how tall he is and actually repeats them fairly well.
Berry doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he’s an uncomfortable at-bat given how big he his and the extension he creates coming downhill. His fastball sits anywhere from 86-89 mph and tops out at 91 mph, but plays up given his size and length. Berry’s curveball appears to be his go-to secondary pitch, showing 1/7 shape and tight spin. He’s shown a changeup that projects as an average pitch and needs more refinement if he wants to use it to get outs at the next level. Berry is someone that could certainly go in the mid-rounds because of his frame and potential.