Eye Black

Jim Callis sent this out via Twitter and said this is his final mock draft… He added that there is a chance the Orioles will cut a deal with someone, possibly Cowser, at pick #5.

The exciting thing about tonight is the Brewers are going to finish the evening with two very good prospects being added to their system.

Carlos Collazo from Baseball America seemed to back off the McLain to the Red Sox rumors a bit, and now just said he won’t surprised to see McLain go earlier than expected. BA’s last mock was posted an hour ago and had Colton Cowser listed as the Brewers selection. They had this to say about the Brewers: Milwaukee is another team that’s difficult to figure out. Wicks could make sense if he’s on the board, as could Bachman or any of the Frelick/Cowser/McLain trio if they are still available.

For continued discussion of tonight’s draft please use our Draft Discussion Thread found HERE.

I started a Jean Segura appreciation thread years ago and he almost immediately went into a slump. That was my last player specific “appreciation” thread.

This has been the most frustrating division series yet this season. The Brewers are going to have their work cutout for them in Cincinnati after the break.

Baseball America just did a late afternoon update to their mock draft, they now have the Brewers taking Colton Cowser… They have Leiter going 2nd to the Rangers.

It’s also true that we never actually touch anything, so with that in mind I guess he was technically out (although same goes for every base runner in history then).

The behind the base view was pretty definitive. I watched all of the angles the broadcast provided, and that behind the base view didn’t show any clear space between his foot and the bag. There was an umpire standing right overhead the play, so if you’re going to reverse it you better have an angle that shows clear space in-between his foot and the bag. Otherwise you’re just guessing, and we’ve been told they don’t guess and those end up being inconclusive where the call on the field stands.

I hate baseball’s use of replay. It’s just so silly. In theory replay should be an incredible asset. In actual practice it’s often applied different from its intent.

There’s just no way with certainty you can say his foot left contact with the base.

His value is mostly in the fact he can stand at a bunch of different defensive positions around the diamond. I assume when Kolten Wong comes off the IL that Reyes may be the odd man out (and optioned back to Nashville).

ROUND 20 (597th overall): Samuel Mendez, RHP (Photo: TBD) Height: 6' 7" Weight: 185 B/T: R/R School: Cisco JC (TX) Year: JC Freshmen DOB: 02/26/1993 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Perfect Game: Baseball America: LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 19 (567th overall): Carter Holton, LHP http://www.georgiadugoutpreview.com/gallery3/var/albums/2021-Class-4A-state-championship-series/010%20-%20Benedictine%20pitcher%20Carter%20Holton%20throws%20in%20Game%202.jpg?m=1621570999 (Photo: TBD) Height: 5' 11" Weight: 195 B/T: L/L School: Benedictine Military School (GA) Year: HS Senior DOB: 09/04/2002 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45 Benedictine Military School (Savannah, Ga.) has produced a pair of big leaguers in Hawk Harrelson and Mike Fitzgerald, but the Cadets have never had a pitching prospect of Holton's caliber. He has repeatedly dominated on the showcase circuit and can flash four plus pitches, though he comes with relief risk because of his size. He's the best pitcher in Vanderbilt's recruiting class, but may be more signable than a typical Commodores recruit and could land in the top three rounds. Holton ran his four-seam fastball up to 96 mph last summer at the Perfect Game All-American Classic and usually favors a two-seamer that sits in the low 90s with sink. He has two distinct breaking balls, with scouts slightly preferring his upper-70s slider to his mid-70s curveball, and both pitches have been more consistent this spring. He also has a low-80s changeup with some sink and keeps hitters off balance by mixing his pitches. Holton is doing a better job of staying more under control and pitching with less effort than he did last summer. He has some crossfire in his delivery that adds deception, especially against left-handers. He has a quick arm and throws all of his pitches for strikes, so the only real concern about him remaining a starter is his 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame. Perfect Game: Holton is one of the first names out of the mouth’s of the prep hitters in this class when asked “who was your toughest at-bat against on the summer circuit?” which speaks volumes, even if the scouting doesn’t always echo that. Holton is an undersized lefty who had a good-not-great spring, and seems more likely to head to Vanderbilt than not at this point, but the quality of the stuff when he’s right is very strong. He works into the mid-90s, is one of the fiercest competitors in the class, and has shown flashes of both an above-average slider and changeup with fair strikes. Vandy fans should be truly excited if this kid gets to campus in Nashville. 2020 National Showcase Report - Carter Holton is a 2021 LHP/1B, OF with a 5-11 175 lb. frame from Guyton, GA who attends Benedictine Military. Medium athletic build with good present strength. Tall on his back side with a good hip turn over the rubber, compact quick arm from a 3/4's to extended 3/4's arm slot, creates good angle through the zone, has some energy through release, full body delivery. Worked consistently in the low 90's with his fastball, has been up to 96 mph at other Perfect Game events, attacks the zone with his fastball. Tends to slow his body and arm on his curveball, gets some spin when on top of it. Showed some confidence in his change up. Good athlete with a strong arm who has had incredible performance numbers throughout his career. Very good student, verbal commitment to Vanderbilt. Named to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. Baseball America: Holton might be a player who goes a bit under the radar as one watches him walk to the mound, thanks to an undersized, 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame. As soon as he starts pitching, though, it’s hard not to like him. Holton showed impressive stuff from the left side last summer to go along with a competitive demeanor on the mound and an advanced approach to pitching. Holton mostly sat in the 90-94 mph range last summer and has been in a similar spot this spring, touching 95 and occasionally getting to that peak velocity late in games. He throws both a curveball and a slider, but the pitches blend together at times in shape and aren’t always easily distinguishable. His best breaking ball looks like more of a curveball, with 1-to-7 shape and good vertical bite. Holton also throws a changeup, which is more of a solid offering right now. Holton’s entire arsenal plays up because he does a nice job sequencing, changing speeds and attacking hitters with tempo while changing eye-level. He hides his arm pretty well behind his body, even though at times his arm stroke is a bit longer than scouts would prefer. While nothing is plus at the moment, it’s not hard to see an entire pitch-mix of above-average offerings with solid control. Holton is a Vanderbilt commit, but in a matchup with Bubba Chandler in the Georgia playoffs he stole the show in front of a good mix of scouting directors—so despite limited physical projection, he might not make it to campus. Prospects Live: Fastball is really starting to tick up as he's gotten older and stronger. Now 94-96 with decent command. 84 mph CH is best offering flashing 55 at times. Slider at 81 with lots of run, but doesn't yet tunnel well -- breaking ball made huge strikes throughout the summer. Holton is plenty athletic on the mound and all of his stuff is ticking up. His trajectory could get him into the first round in 2021. Holton has been a very popular name in prep circles as having the nastiest stuff in the class, at least from a batters box point of view. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 18 (537th overall): Ryne Moore, RHP (Photo: TBD) Height: 6' 4" Weight: 210 B/T: R/R School: Old Dominion Year: Senior DOB: 11/27/1998 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Perfect Game: Baseball America: LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 17 (507th overall): Will Rogers, C (Photo: Pioneer Press) Height: 6' 1" Weight: 215 B/T: R/R School: Mounds View HS (MN) Year: HS Senior DOB: 02/19/2003 SCOUTING REPORT: Baseball America: Rogers is a catcher with some power who has impressed scouts with interesting traits and some triple-digit exit velocities off the bat. There’s a chance he doesn’t stay behind the plate, which could potentially relegate him to becoming a righthanded-hitting first baseman, but he’s been garnering increased attention of late. He’s committed to Arizona State and could get there, but there’s enough to like in the bat for someone to take a chance on him. Prospects Live: Physical, strong bat with good, durable catchers body. Short to the ball and has very good bat speed. Already physically matured. Below average runner. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 16 (477th overall): Kay-Lan Nicasia, SS (Photo: TBD) Height: 6' 2" Weight: 176 B/T: S/R School: Champagnat Catholic School (FL) Year: HS Senior DOB: 04/10/2002 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Perfect Game: Baseball America: LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 15 (447th overall): Hunter Hollan, LHP (Photo: TBD) Height: 6' 5" Weight: 195 B/T: L/L School: San Jacinto College North (TX) Year: JC Freshmen DOB: 03/05/2002 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Perfect Game: Baseball America: LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 14 (417th overall): Jace Avina, OF (Photo: Andy Barron/RGJ) Height: 6' 2" Weight: 180 B/T: R/R School: Spanish Springs HS (NV) Year: HS Senior DOB: 06/06/2003 SCOUTING REPORT: Perfect Game: Avina had a good spring and got himself onto draft radars by showing off a projectable bat, good athleticism, and above-average arm strength with middle-of-the-diamond projection. He’s got a clean stroke with above-average bat speed and scouts are optimistic about his bat to ball skills, but there isn’t a ton of power there yet and scouts are also split as to where he’ll end up defensively. Baseball America: Avina impressed scouts this spring out of Spanish Springs High in Sparks, Nev., and brings a solid all-around tool set to the table. He’s a good athlete with plenty of twitch in his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame and scouts think he has a chance to be an above-average hitter, though he hasn’t faced the best competition so that evaluation is tough and is perhaps split amongst the industry. Some teams really like his swing and think he’ll have a chance to get to an above-average hit tool in the future with a few tweaks that will let him elevate the ball more consistently. Avina has a chance to stick in the middle of the field somewhere, whether that’s at shortstop, second base or center field. His arm is also strong enough that it might become plus in the future. He’s committed to Nevada and could blow up if he makes it to campus, but there’s plenty of interest in him inside the top-10 rounds if he’s signable. Prospects Live: Scouts love the frame and twitch of Avina, as well as his potential to stick at shortstop long-term. Some evaluators have thrown above average grades on his raw power, ability to run as well as his arm strength. That said, it's a fringy hit tool with some quirk to it that leads some to doubt whether he'll ever tap into the impact he naturally has in his raw tools. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 13 (387th overall): Quinton Low, RHP/1B (Photo: Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Public Schools) Height: 6' 6" Weight: 215 B/T: L/R School: Chatfield HS (CO) Year: HS Senior DOB: 09/05/2002 SCOUTING REPORT: Denver Post: The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder features a fastball he can pump up to 96, as well as a wipeout slider and changeup. The two-way player is solid defensively and can mash, as he hit .492 with nine homers this spring. Low’s committed to Santa Clara, although the tea leaves indicate there is a good chance he signs with Milwaukee. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 12 (357th overall): Caden Vire, LHP (Photo: Andy Buhler, SBLive) Height: 6'6" Weight: 170 B/T: L/L School: Skyview HS (WA) Year: HS Senior DOB: 09/09/2003 SCOUTING REPORT: Perfect Game: Vire is a classic projection left-hander with a smooth delivery, 6-foot-5 frame, and the stuff to dream on. The fastball lives in the upper-80s with explosive life and there’s good feel for a sweeping slider too. MLK East Scout Notes - Southpaw Caden Vire (2021, Vancouver, Wash.) got the start for Baum Bat NW and missed a good deal of bats during his time on the mound. The combination of fastball quality, extension, and location allow Vire to dominate with the pitch in almost any count. He’s a gangly and uber-projectable 6-foot-5, 175 pounds that generates a ton of extension down the mound with a whippy arm action. The fastball explodes late in the zone and plays well up to garner a good bit of swings and misses. The Arizona State commit used mostly fastballs, in the 85-88 mph range, in the early going and unveiled the slider the second time through the lineup and it showed good potential. The pitch worked right around 78-79 mph and showed good sweeping action with late break. There’s obvious upside for Vire and he’ll be a projection pick for scouts as he continues to trend upwards in terms of velocity. Prospects Live: Quick arm and consistent mechanics for a long, lanky body. Fastball shows some ride and a little arm-side run. Up to 90 with a sharp slider. Good projectable body that's shown athleticism and balance on the mound. Really young for the class. Won't be 18 on draft day. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 11 (327th overall): Roc Riggio, OF (Photo: Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Height: 5'9" Weight: 178 B/T: L/R School: Thousand Oaks HS (CA) Year: HS Senior DOB: 06/11/2002 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45 In the summer of 2019, Riggio played on a scout team against what would eventually be USA Baseball’s 18-and-under national team as a tune-up for Team USA before international competition and arguably was the best performer on either team at the time. An alum of Team USA himself -- he hit .480 for the 15U team that won gold in the Pan Am Games in 2017 -- Riggio was not as impressive this summer as he had been previously, but he did impress with how he swung the bat during his high school season this spring. Riggio is about his left-handed bat. He has a knack for barreling up the baseball and making loud contact with excellent bat speed. He has gotten stronger and has legitimate power, especially to the pull side, that should only increase as he continues to mature. Riggio is a real grinder who clearly loves to hit. Beyond that, however, are some question marks. Riggio doesn’t run all that well, often opting out of running 60-yard dashes at events, and it’s unclear what his defensive home should be. He’s played both second and the outfield, with scouts feeling he’s probably better suited to be an offensive-minded second baseman than a center fielder. Hitters do find a way into the lineup and a team that believes enough in the bat will sign the Oklahoma State recruit and figure out where to put him. In the summer of 2019, Riggio played on a scout team against what would eventually be USA Baseball's 18-and-under national team as a tune-up for Team USA before international competition and arguably was the best performer on either team at the time. An alum of Team USA himself -- he hit .480 for the 15U team that won gold in the Pan Am Games in 2017 -- Riggio was not as impressive this summer as he had been previously, but he did impress with how he swung the bat during his high school season this spring. More than anything, Riggio is about his left-handed bat. He has a knack for barreling up the baseball and making loud contact with excellent bat speed. He has gotten stronger and has legitimate power, especially to the pull side, that should only increase as he continues to mature. Riggio is a real grinder who clearly loves to hit. Beyond that, however, are some question marks. Riggio doesn't run all that well, often opting out of running 60-yard dashes at events, and it's unclear what his defensive home should be. He's played both second and the outfield, with scouts feeling he's probably better suited to be an offensive-minded second baseman than a center fielder. Hitters do find a way into the lineup and a team that believes enough in the bat will sign the Oklahoma State recruit and figure out where to put him. Perfect Game: Riggio is a fun player to watch in that he plays angry with his hair on fire and gets the most out of his tools. He’s undersized and has some defensive profile concerns, as he’s not fast enough to play center field, doesn’t have the arm strength for right field, and isn’t viewed as having the hands/actions to play second base either. This creates worry for the profile, obviously, but the concerns are alleviated by the fact that Riggio can mash, and does it for power, too. The lefthanded hitter has present average raw power and gets to a fair bit of it in game with a direct, quick stroke that covers the plate and allows him to use the whole field. Position-less prep bats are tough to draft, but Riggio has enough potential value in his bat to justify it. Committed to Oklahoma State, Riggio’s profile is perhaps most comparable to recent Cowboy Kaden Polcovich, who was a fourth rounder in 2020 out of OSU. 2020 National Showcase Report - Roc Riggio is a 2021 OF/C/MIF with a 5-9 175 lb. frame from Simi Valley, CA who attends Thousand Oaks. Compact athletic build with good present strength. 7.33 runner, plays faster than his sixty time. Good fundamentals in the outfield, clean approach through the ball with good glove position out front, gets on top of his throws well from an over the top arm slot. Also worked out in the middle infield with quick and active footwork and a similar over the top arm slot. Left handed hitter, hits from an open stance with a short, high contact swing approach, controlled swing the worked the middle to opposite field consistently, has shown more power in his swing approach in the past.. Good student, verbal commitment to Oklahoma State. Baseball America: Riggio teamed with Maxwell Muncy to make Thousand Oaks (Calif.) High a premier destination for scouts this spring. Muncy led the team in most offensive categories, with Riggio right behind him. Riggio is undersized at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, but he is strong in his frame and has a natural feel for hitting. He has loose hands, grinds out quality at-bats and has a good feel for the barrel. Riggio can occasionally get too big in his swing and be too pull-heavy, but at his best he shows the approach and contact ability to be a potentially above-average hitter. Riggio has bulked up considerably in an effort to try and hit more home runs and started taking more aggressive swings this spring. Some evaluators think he can get to average power in time, but most think he’ll have below-average power once he starts swinging a wood bat. Riggio’s best position is “hitter” and he faces a lot of questions defensively. He doesn’t move well enough to play center field with speed that ranges from below-average to average and his hands and actions are stiff at second base. He has spent time in right field, but his fringe-average arm doesn’t fit there either. Riggio’s lack of a position complicates his future outlook, but his natural hitting ability from the left side has teams interested. He is committed to Oklahoma State. Prospects Live: Strong athlete in an undersized but pitbull like frame. Quick left handed swing with strong hands and over the fence power already. Looks to be primarily a second baseman but has played outfield as well. Riggio really struggled early on this summer, but has had a few good weeks now. Riggio is an Oklahoma State commit and one of the top players in a strong California Prep class. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 10 (297th overall): Wes Clarke, C/1B (Photo: South Carolina Athletics) Height: 6’2” Weight: 236 B/T: R/R School: South Carolina Year: Junior DOB: 10/13/1999 SCOUTING REPORT: Perfect Game: Clarke took the college baseball world by storm to start the 2021 season, seemingly homering in every other at-bat across the first few weeks of the spring, then cooling off considerably. He ended up with a slash line of .271/.428/.663 with 23 home runs and 50 walks, though he struck out 73 times. Clarke’s power is the draw here, easily plus from the right side of the plate, though the power comes more from strength than bat speed, and it’s tough to project that type of profile out to the big league level. He’s likely to be a 1B-only in pro ball, and should hit for a lot of power through the low minors with the ceiling of a bench power bat at the highest level. Baseball America: No hitter in college baseball was off to a better start this spring than Clarke, who homered eight times in his first six games of the season and finished the year tied for first in the nation with 23 home runs—along with Florida State catcher Matheu Nelson. Clarke has plenty of strength in his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame and a track record of hitting for power at South Carolina and in summer collegiate leagues. Clarke has the natural strength and hand power to hit balls out of the park from pole to pole and will occasionally mis-hit balls or just get under pitches that he’s still able to drive over the fence. Power is clearly Clarke’s calling card, but it did come with a 28% strikeout rate this spring. That’s notable, but probably not a deal-breaker because Clarke is more than capable of drawing a walk and his 19.5% walk rate was among the best of all SEC hitters. Clarke was a much better hitter against fastballs this spring than breaking or offspeed offerings, and because of that some scouts wonder what sort of hitter he’ll be at the next level when pitchers can more consistently throw those pitches for strikes. He hammered fastballs and had no problem with 93-plus mph velocity, but there are scouts who think he has below-average bat speed, and his numbers steadily declined throughout SEC play—with 15 of his 23 homers coming against non-SEC teams. Clarke has a limited defensive profile and will probably be suited for just first base in pro ball. He’s caught infrequently at South Carolina, but the industry doesn’t seem to view him as a candidate to play there in pro ball. Prospects Live: Immense power surge in 2020, blasting 8 homers in just 16 games and that absolutely carried into 2021. Hit tool certainly has question marks around it, but Clarke has a good arm and more athleticism than most first basemen. He also serves as a backup catcher at South Carolina and could serve as an emergency catcher at the next level. Could end up having the trajectory Pete Alonso had in 2016. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 9 (267th overall): Brannon Jordan, RHP (Photo: Gamecock Central) Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 B/T: R/R School: South Carolina Year: Junior DOB: 03/19/1999 SCOUTING REPORT: Perfect Game: Jordan became a fixture for the Gamecocks after transferring to Columbia by way of Cowley County Junior College. He’s an athletic right-hander who competes in the strike zone nicely while his slider is his go-to secondary pitch. The operation is fairly clean and Jordan’s numbers weren’t spectacular on the season, though he made all of his starts this spring and showed competitiveness and moxie on the bump. The consistency of strikes were a concern this season as he had typically filled the zone up in the past. There’s obvious reliever question marks given the inconsistencies this season but there’s still upside here. Baseball America: Jordan had some interest as a top-five-round pick in the shortened 2020 draft, but he wound up going undrafted and made it back to South Carolina for his second season with the program after transferring in from Cowley County (Kan.) JC in 2019. Jordan was lights out for the Gamecocks in 2020, posting a 1.71 ERA over four starts, but his control backed up this spring and he managed just a 4.58 ERA over 15 starts and 72.2 innings. He still struck out batters at a decent clip (12.1 K/9), but his walk rate jumped from 3.9 BB/9 to 5.9 BB/9. Jordan has a four-pitch mix but primarily works off of his low-90s fastball and low-80s slider. The fastball has touched 95 mph at its peak and scouts like how it plays in the zone, while his slider flashes plus potential, but he doesn’t consistently hit on the pitch. When he throws a good one, it shows hard tilt in the 83-85 mph range and creates ugly swings from opposing batters from either side of the plate. Jordan also throws a slower curveball with more 12-to-6 shape and a seldomly used mid-80s changeup. The changeup has shown interesting tumbling life at times, but it’s tough for scouts to fully evaluate it with how often he’s thrown the pitch. Jordan was less consistent from start to start this season than scouts expected and there are starter/reliever questions given his strike throwing this year. LINKS: VIDEOS:

ROUND 8 (237th overall): Zack Raabe, 2B (Photo: Minnesota Athletics) Height: 5'10" Weight: 180 B/T: R/R School: Minnesota Year: Junior DOB: 08/18/1999 SCOUTING REPORT: Perfect Game: A performance bat whose profile is based on the strength of his hit tool, Raabe was excellent this spring for a bad Minnesota team, slashing .315/.407/.532 with only 17 strikeouts. Some scouts see a future solid-average hit tool with some on-base ability here, though it’s a flatter swing without a ton of home run power and he’s limited to 2B in professional baseball, so while the profile is limited, there’s a good hit tool here and that should get Raabe taken somewhere mid-day 2 of the draft. Baseball America: Raabe is an undersized second baseman with big league bloodlines who has carried the lineup at Minnesota. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound infielder has an unbelievable approach at the plate with a hitter’s vision, incredible bat-to-ball skills, and solid strike zone awareness. He carried the incredible start he was off to last season into this year until running into a slump down the stretch. Raabe finished the season with a .315/.407/.532 slash line with six homers, 20 walks and 17 strikeouts, but some scouts surmise that the pressure of hitting over .400 for half the year with little help from the rest of the lineup caused his dropoff. His tools are limited, but he flashed some more power this year. He’s defensively average and limited to second base, with an OK arm and a below-average run tool. The 21-year-old has a tough profile but he can really rake. Prospects Live: Raabe had a big sophomore year batting close to .500 in the abbreviated campaign. He's got a good arm for second base and hands that are more than capable of making the routine plays. He draws high marks for his plate discipline,. Raabe may lack long-term big league tools, but he's certainly got the profile to play ball and bounce up and down for a very, very long time. LINKS: VIDEOS: