Another week in the books and it was a hustle performance from the team at Prospects Live.
Nick Dean, RHP, Maryland
Dean has been the Friday night starter for Maryland all season long and has found success in this role. He is ranked #276 on our Top 400 board for the 2022 draft class. He was dialed in for the first two innings. His fastball velocity was also a little down as he was ranging 87-90, topping out at 91. Despite the decrease in velocity, his fastball was working well early on. He struggled to locate his fastball in the third, leaving a lot of pitches over the plate and getting touched up for six earned in four innings of work. His change-up, which set around 78-81 mph, looked as good as advertised with good depth. He also flashed a below-average curveball a couple of times. His curve was sitting around 68-71 mph. He relies on his extraordinary command and control to get outs. Overall, his command was pretty good. He has an intriguing profile with his plus change-up and if he can get his fastball to sit back in the low-90s. (Jared Perkins)
Maxwell Costes, 1B, Maryland
Brother of Houston Astros outfield prospect Marty Costes, Maxwell fits the profile of a power-first bat and a first base-only type player. He’s struggled some this season with chasing pitches out of the zone but did a great job in this game laying off and finding his pitch to drive. His outs were loud as he drove a bill to the centerfield wall in the first at-bat. He hits them high and far and shows good bat speed through the zone. He had a good game at the plate and was handling the pitching thrown at him from Siena. He pulled a ball into the gap for an RBI double in the fifth and a single in the seventh. He went undrafted in last year’s draft, returning to Maryland for his senior year. He has put together a decent season so far. If he continues to display his improved approach at the plate and power, he could make an intriguing late-round pick or undrafted signee. (Jared Perkins)
Chris Alleyne, OF, Maryland
Alleyne was one of the most impressive in this game. The overall toolset is intriguing. He hit out of the two holes for Maryland and displayed a fascinating mix of power and speed. He’s struggled some with the strikeout this year but has put together overall impressive numbers because of his patience at the plate. He struck out twice in this game due to chasing some bad pitches out of the zone. But the power was also on display. In the bottom of the fifth, he crushed a two-run home run to the deepest part of the park. He worked the count to 2-2, found a pitch he liked and drove it for his seventh home run. He didn’t steal any bags in this game but has taken 22 of 27 on the year. He’s got a solid compact build with muscular thighs and legs. If the fifth-year senior can couple his patience at the plate with the ability to cut down on chasing pitches, he could take that next step in his development and increase his draft value. (Jared Perkins)
Luke Gold, 2B, Boston College
Seven of the eight runs scored by Boston College were either driven in by Luke Gold or Cameron Leary. You understand the hype behind Gold when you watch him in person. He carries a plethora of tools at the plate that you would want out of a pick in the first three rounds. Virginia’s Brandon Neeck (#285) was rolling through the Boston College lineup for the first four innings, but Gold looked far from overmatched at the plate. Even his first at-bat was a loud out to deep left-center field. The ball jumps off his bat. I was most impressed by his second at-bat where he battled Neeck and worked himself into a 3-2 count. He wound up finding his pitch and taking Neeck deep to left-center field. Gold played second base in this game and looked good defensively. He can play the corners, and many see him being drafted as a first baseman. Given his size and frame, he is most likely destined to move to the corner infield, specifically first base, due to his below-average arm. Either way, the bat massively plays. Teams will happily take a shot on him early on despite any defensive concerns given how good he is at the plate. (Jared Perkins)
Mason Pelio, RHP, Boston College
Pelio’s fastball is his calling card. He was able to sit in the mid-90s with it through the first two innings. He fell to 93 mph in the 3rd when he got pulled. Velocity isn’t Pelio’s issue, but command and control are. He often left the ball over the middle of the plate, which led to him getting touched up for five runs (three earned) in two innings. He was flashing a change-up in the mid-80s that looked pretty decent and a fringy curveball at best that sat around 75-78 mph. The curveball lacks bite, and he hangs it quite a bit. He also struggled to find the plate, with most pitches working deep into counts while walking two. The velocity will likely have teams interested in taking a shot on him to see if they can help him develop his command and offspeed pitches. (Jared Perkins)
Brandon Neeck, LHP, University of Virginia
I was pretty impressed with Neeck in the first four innings of this game. According to the stadium gun, his fastball was sitting in the upper-80s to low-90s, topping out at 91 mph. He showed a couple of secondaries, relying heavily on a slider that sweeps across the zone, which he used to his advantage against lefties. He also threw what seemed to be a change-up but didn’t use it very frequently. He shows a good command of all of his pitches and stays consistently in the strike zone. He cruised through the first four innings, but Boston College got to him for four earned runs in the fifth. He ended the day with 4.2 innings pitched while striking out three. To take that next step in his development, he will either need to develop his third pitch or find a way to get to a point he is throwing consistently in the mid-90s as he has touched 95 mph in the past. Teams will most likely be interested in Neeck come draft day due to the potential he might be able to bring to the table. (Jared Perkins)
Chris Newell, OF, University of Virginia
Newell is an absolute blast to watch defensively. He made multiple nice grabs in the centerfield with the beautiful ability to get good reads and jumps on balls of the bat. He flashed this ability and his speed to track down a massive warning track shot early in the game. Along with his great defensive ability, he has been red hot at the plate for the Cavaliers in 2022. He was quiet in this game, recording just an RBI single in the second inning. Strikeouts seem to be the main thing that hinders Newell, but it is hard to ignore the power and speed that he brings to the table. He is quick out of the box and shows good awareness on the base paths. He also stole a bag in the second for his ninth of the year. He was basically picked off on this plate but used his plus speed to get into second safely, and it also led to Alex Tappen scoring from third. Teams will take a shot on Newell in the draft this year because of his ability to take charge in the outfield and potential at the plate and on the base paths , but his draft stock might take somewhat of a hit due to his aggressive approach. (Jared Perkins)