The fall tour is over, and I am sad! Well, I'm not sad, but I'm more ready for the college season to be back in full swing. There were plenty of fun games to go to this fall to see some incredible players and draft talent over the next few years. I covered the Rutgers vs. Georgetown scrimmage in the first part of my fall jottings. In Part 2, we dive into the two Virginia scrimmages I was able to attend.
The first scrimmage Virginia had was on October 20th vs. Maryland. We all know how talented Virginia is. They have one of the best lineups in the country and are absolutely loaded with bats that will hear their name called the 2025 MLB Draft. Maryland is always an underrated squad. Like Virginia, their lineup is constantly loaded with bats. While the pitching isn’t as strong, they were highlighted by a healthy Kyle McCoy on the bump. They also have some intriguing freshmen like Jake Yeager, who stepped onto campus and should position their pitching staff in a better place in the future.
The second scrimmage was on October 27th vs. UNC-Wilmington. The prized prospect for the Seahawks is first baseman Tanner Thatch, who has started to draw tons of attention after a solid 2024 season and performance in the Cape Cod League this summer. The Seahawks also had plenty of intriguing arms who came in and threw in this game as well. All these teams will be fun to watch in 2025.
2025 MLB DRAFT
LHP Kyle McCoy - Maryland
Last time I saw McCoy pitch was in 2023 during his freshman year. The 6’6 left-hander was an imposing presence on the mound and featuring some very intriguing stuff. Unfortunately, McCoy tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery that June. It was great to see him out there healthy in the fall scrimmage against Virginia where he threw two scoreless innings. He was consistently 90-93 MPH with his fastball and had some really good feel for his slider and changeup. Maryland has always been known for their development of bats, but McCoy could be one of the better arms they’ve had since Sean Burke. A healthy season for McCoy could have him rising up draft boards. This was a great start for what will hopefully be a good season for him.
1B Tanner Thach - UNC-Wilmington
Tanner Thach made a name for himself after a solid 2025 season and showed off some similar skills in the Cape Cod League this summer. Power has definitely been the name of the game for Thach thus far, although he didn’t show off much of it in the scrimmage against Virginia. He struggled to make hard contact and hit many weak ground balls. Thach’s timing was a bit off, leading to him struggling to find a barrel to play ball. Hitting the ball hard hasn’t been an issue for Thach in the past, so this could have easily been a one-off game. He sported extremely high barrel percentages and EVs last year, so this one game is likely not too concerning. The struggles for Thach usually come with his plate discipline, as he is very aggressive, which often leads to him chasing out of the zone and swinging at bad pitches. He swung through a lot of offspeed pitches during this one as he struggled to pick up spin. Thach is really going to have to hit to have an impact at the next level since he is likely landlocked at first base. Although he did show some good athleticism overall, some think he could make his way to a corner outfield spot.
RHP Trace Baker - UNC-Wilmington
Baker showed up and was one of the most impressive arms to throw in Virginia’s scrimmage vs. UNC-Wilmington. Fastball was an easy 93-94 MPH and even topped out at 96 MPH. It has heavy, sinking-two-seam action, which helped him induce a lot of groundballs. He paired that with a low-80s slider that had some quality bite with late sweep that flashed a lot of potential. He also threw one change-up. There was a ton to like with Baker’s stuff. Ultimately, he is missing a pitch to put people away with. The slider has that potential, but he could benefit from sharpening it a bit. Either way, there was a ton to like, and I, like many others, I am sure, want to see more—a guy to watch to see if he can build on this outing.
RHP Aubrey Smith - UNC-Wilmington
Like his teammate Trace Baker, Smith was another intriguing arm who caught my attention for UNC-Wilmington. Smith didn’t pitch last year during his Sophomore year, but I'm unsure why. He did throw 20.2 innings his freshman year, but the numbers weren’t great. Things seemed much better in this one. He went one inning and the stuff was quite impressive. His fastball was consistently 94 MPH and he paired that with a slider that was mid-to-high-80s with some decent life to it. It was definitely his go-to pitch to generate swing and miss. He also rounded out his pitch mix with a good mid-80s changeup that had some depth and even flashed a curveball once. Despite his freshman numbers, things looked to have improved for the junior, and if the stuff holds, he could be very intriguing for the 2025 MLB Draft.
1B/OF Henry Ford - Virginia
Ford, nicknamed “Model-T”, made a name for himself as one of the best college bats in the 2025 MLB Draft after an extremely impressive 2024. He found himself in the heart of the lineup of a stacked Virginia lineup as a true freshman where he slashed .336/.409/.597 with 17 HRs and 69 RBI. Ford is a physical presence in the box and has tons of strength which he showed off in both scrimmages against Maryland and UNC-Wilmington. The ball was loud off his bats and even his outs were hit extremely hard just at defenders. His pop is backed up by the data as he had some of the best EVs in the country last year. The only knock on Ford last year was he was a tad aggressive in his approach and would expand the zone from time to time. He showed a bit of a better approach in the scrimmages and laid off a good amount of spin out of the zone. Defensively, Ford is expected to play right field for the Cavaliers which could help him shed the “first base only” narrative. He’s athletic enough to play out there. Ford only DH’d in the two scrimmages and only saw some time on the field during warmups where he took grounders at first base.
2B Henry Godbout - Virginia
Godbout just flat-out hits. There might not be a more polished bat in the country, especially on fastballs. As Tyler mentioned in our top 75 prospects list, Godbout established himself as one of the best fastball hitters in the entire country, only whiffing 5% on heaters in 2024. He showed off these skills more in the second game than the first. Against Maryland, his timing just seemed off and he had trouble picking up spin, but it seemed more related to just having a bad game than any major issue in his skillset. He was a complete 180 in game two, as he made tons of hard contact and even hit a pullside homerun. Godbout’s bat is the real deal, but defensively, he is likely stuck at second base. He has decent range and acceptable arm strength that plays well at the position. He doesn’t have a ton a speed, but he also won’t be a clog on the base paths. Despite that, his bat will carry him on draft day, and given his elite contact rates there is a good shot he gets taken pretty high with a strong 2025.
OF Harrison Didawick - Virginia
Harrison Didawick is a powerful left-handed outfielder known for his impressive ability to leverage his lower half and generate torque in his swing. With strong bat speed from the left side and the capability to drive the ball to all fields, Didawick showcases big pull-side power and a well-rounded offensive profile. While he can be prone to strikeouts due to susceptibility to spin, he has kept his chase rate in check and remains a consistent force in a potent lineup. Defensively, he has solid range and strong instincts, likely projecting as a left fielder due to his good first step, efficient routes, and highlight-reel catches. Didawick decided to return to Virginia after not being draft and will likely be a guy teams are in on in the 2025 MLB Draft.
RHP Alex Markus - Virginia
Markus flashed some very intriguing stuff against Maryland. While he his a bit older being a grad transfer from William & Mary there was at least some aspects that caught my eye. His fastball was 90-94 MPH and topped out at 95 MPH. He paired that with a low-80s slider with some decent bite and a change up in the mid-80s. The biggest knock on Markus is that the command and control of all his pitches waivers quite a bit and there is a lot of effort on the mound. He could use some polishing of his delivery to get some more consistency which would help significantly with some of the command issues. Regardless, the stuff and the data behind it make him at the very least an intriguing arm for later in the draft in 2025.
OF Aidan Teel - Virginia
If this last name sounds familiar, that’s because Aidan is the younger brother of former Cavalier and Boston Red Sox top prospect Kyle Teel. Aidan is going into his sophomore year after not playing a ton for Virginia last year since they were so stacked. He mostly pitched for them and flashed a low-90s fastball with some intriguing offspeed stuff. It seems like this year, Teel will be manning centerfield for them, which is very interesting. People started to take notice of the bat after he had a strong summer in the Northwoods League, where he slashed .387/.455/.671 with 11 2B, 11 HR, 42 RBI, and 18 SBs. Although the league is pretty hitter-friendly, that is still impressive. In the two scrimmages I saw Teel, he showcased a fairly aggressive approach where he was first pitch swinging a lot. Although, he did temper that a lot in game two. What was most impressive was that regardless of his aggressive approach, he made a ton of contact and still worked a lot walks. It’s a small, compact frame, so he is unsure how much power he will tap into, but the makeup is intriguing nonetheless. In centerfield, Teel utilized his plus speed to track down balls, and he had a cannon of an arm. He kept a lot of potential doubles into singles because of it. He misread one ball in the air but could utilize his athleticism to correct himself and make a diving catch. The bat will be the question mark for Teel going into 2025, but with what seems to be a starting role, if he catches fire, he could make some noise.
2026 MLB DRAFT
INF Chris Hacopian - Maryland
The younger of the Hacopian brothers, Chris has really put himself on the map after an incredible freshman year where we slashed .323/.431/.579 with 10 2Bs, 15 HRs, 42 RBIs while walking more than he struck out. This game was no exception. Hacopian was finding barrel with ease and hitting the ball to all parts of the park. All the kids do is make contact as well. He can pair that with good plate discipline, as he didn’t chase out of the zone a ton and can easily draw a walk. He played third base last year for the Terrapins but was manning shortstop in this one after Maryland senior Kevin Keister graduated and is no longer with the team. He showed good range at the position and seemed comfortable. It will be interesting to see how he grows there and if he can stick there full-time. If so, that will also do wonders for his draft stock. Keep this name on your radar as he should make a ton of noise for the 2026 MLB Draft if he can have another strong season.
RHP Bryson Moore - Virginia
Bryson Moore was your prototypical large-framed pitcher with a strong lower half. He had a fairly easy delivery but sometimes struggled to repeat it. His arm would fall a bit behind, and he wouldn’t finish. He still filled up the zone regardless, but when he lost his confidence on the mound a bit, his command waivered, and he’d catch too much of the plate, hanging his secondary pitches. His fastball was 89-92 and it had some cutterish action to it. He also threw a low-to-mid-80s changeup with some late depth to it which seemed to be his go-to secondary. He also flashed a couple of curveballs, which had some good downward action but were a work in progress. He’s athletic, and there it is a lot to dream of with his frame. If he can tap into some more velocity with his ability to throw strikes and polish up his secondaries a bit, there could reach another level.
2027 MLB Draft
RHP Jake Yeager - Maryland
Yeager was a guy we thought might go in the 2024 MLB Draft because of his physicialty and loud summer outings, but he ended up heading to campus. It’s a very strong frame and he is also very athletic. He faced the heart of the Virginia order (Chris Arroyo, Henry Ford, Harrison Didawick) and threw a clean inning. There was some effort to his delivery, but he threw a lot of strikes in this one. The fastball had a ton of riding action up in the zone. He paired that with a high-70s slider that had some late, sweeping life, which was his go-to secondary. He also had a mid-80s changeup that was pretty firm but played well off his heater. He will need to iron out some of his secondaries to stick as a starter, but he will have plenty of time to try and develop them at Maryland. A great get for Maryland, and some more development could increase his stock for the 2027 MLB Draft.
OF James Nunnallee - Virginia
Nunnallee might have been the most impressive kid I saw in both scrimmages. The name might sound familiar since he was taken in the 14th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers but opted to head to Virginia. I’m sure Brian O’Connor is stocked about that. He’s an extremely twitchy athlete and is likely hit over power, but boy, can he hit. It’s a barrel party for this kid. His ability to make contact and hard contact at that was quite impressive.On top of that, Nunnallee looked good in the outfield. He ran down the ball well and used his speed to do so. He also looked great on the basepaths. He led off in the second scrimmage against UNC-Wilmington and looked far from overmatched in the leadoff spot in a stacked Cavaliers lineup. He’s the definition of a table-setter and if he grows into some more pop over the years, he will definitely be having his name called much earlier in the draft.
