As the spring turned to summer, top prospects stopped by to wrap up their regular and/or postseasons. From Chase Dollander to Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews to Kyle Teel, and some million-dollar arms in Hoover, I went on the road to fill out the rest of my notebook and put a stamp on my 2023 coverage. Enjoy!
RHP Chase Dollander, Tennessee
Dates Seen: 5/6/2023
Body: Plus body, has the size and athletic, lean physique to start.
Mechanics: Very athletic lower half, tight arm spiral. Arm finishing out (???), closed off.
Fastball: 94-97, standard four-seam shape, holding velocity throughout. Missing barrels vs. bottom of the order, catching barrels at the top.
Curveball: 73-78, lacks sharpness but has good length to it.
Slider: 86-88, has Jonathan Cannon cutter shape at best today. Backups have been hit hard.
Changeup: 86, decent shape and feel, vulcan grip.
Command: Pulls on the fastball, backup sliders indicative of inconsistent arm length.
Summation: Breaking ball stuff and command were down in this outing, still showed top ten overall talent.
RHP Mikhai Grant, Georgia Premier Academy
Dates Seen: 5/16/2023
Body: Large to extra large frame that’s athletic and highly physical, would look the part on a major league mound right now.
Mechanics: Short arm action, arm is a bit late which causes some stress on the shoulder, effort visible.
Fastball: 91-94 T95, average four-seam shape but gets whiffs at the top of the zone.
Slider: 81-85, plus vertical break, wasn’t touched when he landed it glove-side.
Changeup: 83-86, above average depth, split grip with improved feel
Curveball: 78, lengthier version of the slider that lacked the same sharpness.
Command: Scattershot fastball command, but when he gets in any part of the zone with it there’s success.
Summation: The ability to hold stuff and slider quality was much improved, decent shot of hearing his name called in the back half of the third round.
RHP Paul Skenes, LSU
Dates Seen: 5/18, 5/24/2023
Body: Absolute unit, extra large frame with muscle abound. Intimidating physical presence, a mountain on the mound.
Mechanics: Lower effort, arm spiral is tight and arm speed is very quick.
Fastball: 96-100 T101-102, premium velocity, spins it well with late tailing life.
Slider: 83-88, plus shape and throwing numerous 70s throughout his outings.
Changeup: 87, above avg. vertical separation off the fastball with plus depth.
Curveball: 79-81, longer breaking ball variant, mostly 50s.
Command: Works FB away, does a good job pitching off it with secondaries. Hits spots early, but can be worked over the middle later in outings as stuff remains sharp, but command can turn into control. Had trouble locating the slider all outing vs. Arkansas.
Summation: Skenes looked more mortal than usual vs. Arkansas, but has a bevy of plus to double plus offerings with the prototypical build of a modern day hoss. He’ll be the first pitcher off the board, and won’t get past #5 overall.
CF Dylan Crews, LSU
Dates Seen: 5/18, 5/24, 5/25/2023
Body: Well put together at 6-1, 205, sloped shoulders with big forearms. Projects to add upper body mass but should maintain most of his quickness.
Hit: Struggled with changeups from Evans off the fastball, barrelled up fastball late. Improved pitch recognition, quick twitch will allow him to hit a fair bit of stuff, but contact ability isn’t going to be the carrying tool here.
Power: Double plus game power on display with missiles to LCF off fastballs in both looks. 80-grade bat speed, a sight to behold.
Defense: Plus athlete plays in CF now, some questions about what that body turns into--but with his jumps and arm strength he’ll be a positive asset in the outfield.
Run/Throw: 4.18 H to 1B, above average runner.
Summation: While there has been talk of underslot candidates at 1-1 to maximize Pittsburgh’s pool money and get the best class in the draft, Crews’ superstar potential should ensure him the highest bonus of any player in this year’s draft.
C Kyle Teel, Virginia
Dates: 5/19, 5/20/2023
Body: Medium frame, well put together. High-waisted with sloped shoulders, big forearms are a good indicator that more upper body muscle can be added.
Hit: Collapses back leg, steep swing. Quick trigger helps make it work. Ability to go to all fields depending on how he’s being pitched.
Power: Plus raw power getting into game settings, showed the ability to barrel up breaking balls and fastballs.
Defense: Above average receiver with potential to be an overall plus behind the plate due to plus athletic ability and strides already made behind the plate at UVA.
Run/Throw: Below average runner, above average arm behind the plate.
Summation: Teel has come on like a freight train down the stretch, vaulting himself into top 15 overall consideration. While he lacks the offensive floor and polish of last year’s stud college catcher Kevin Parada, his defense is much better and puts him in a similar range of value leading into July; a $4-5M bonus feels right here.
3B Jake Gelof, Virginia
Dates: 5/19, 5/20/2023
Body: Medium frame, looks like he’s pretty filled out.
Hit: Showing a more patient approach, not particularly quick to the ball, and has bat strength over bat speed--though both are present and above average. Early hip clearance can lead to breaking ball whiff issues.
Power: Plus raw gets into games, able to barrel up breaking balls and velocity. Clears hips early, if he sees the ball well he can really drive and carry it.
Defense: Fringe average at 3B, some playmaking ability but body and choppy movements will likely force a move to 1B
Run/Throw: Below average runner, strong arm at 3B.
Summation: Gelof flashes ability at 3B, but his long-term prognosis is probably a R-R first baseman. With that said, he brings very realized game power and a strong track record in his profile--expect him off the board by the end of the 2nd round.
CF Ethan O’Donnell, Virginia
Dates: 5/19, 5/20/2023
Body: Medium frame with broad shoulders, has added some size in his arms since arriving in Charlottesville but has lean muscle overall.
Hit: Sees spin well, which allows him to hit balls that normally jump on hitters. Good feel for hitting, aggressive in the zone, and is able to hold off on chase pitches.
Power: Fringe average raw power, can take you deep but is more of a doubles hitter right now.
Defense: Above average foot speed in center with average jumps and an average arm. Can hold his own long-term in CF.
Run/Throw: Average to above average runner, had some rough times on the basepaths but should be able to refine instincts.
Summation: O’Donnell lacks plus tools, but everyone who sees him generally leaves the park impressed with how well he plays the game of baseball. He slots in as a third to fourth round value.
RHP Hurston Waldrep, Florida
Dates Seen: 5/24/2023
Body: Medium frame with strong lower half, leanness in upper body. On the smaller end but still has all the components to handle the rigors of starting.
Mechanics: Big OTT slot, generates really good extension, very athletic operation with plus arm speed.
Fastball: 93-98 T99, average cut ride shape that does get hit in the zone.
Slider: 85-89, plus vertical break that flashes double plus. 70 pitch potential.
Splitter: 87-88, plus vertical depth and great feel for killing spin. 70 pitch potential.
Curveball: 78, average shape.
Command: While very athletic, his delivery is very involved and there were arm timing issues that caused armside misses. Calls for his fastball dropped off hard once runners reached.
Summation: Waldrep’s fastball shape and location have been cause for concern, and do keep him out of the tippy top tier of college pitching. However, he has the best pair of secondary pitches in this draft and is a highly athletic mover--a team in the back half of the first that thinks they can fix his fastball will snag him.
RHP Brandon Sproat, Florida
Dates Seen: 5/25/2023
Body: Medium-large frame, strong lower half with sloped shoulders and room for muscle on the upper half.
Mechanics: Very quick arm, long stroke
Fastball: 93-98 T99, dead zone fastball shape but can beat hitters up with his velo.
Slider: 87, above average lateral break with minimal depth--in between a slider and a cutter.
Changeup: 87: above average to plus depth, can get deep into palms at times. With more feel developed into fingertips, should be a plus pitch.
Curveball: 81, average, long break but fairly soft
Command: Some cement mixers with SL late, lacks conviction with pitch. Length in arm results in strike-throwing issues at points.
Summation: Sproat turned down third-round money from the Mets last year to return to Florida and improve his draft stock. While there were bumps along the way, he has likely succeeded in this goal. Improvements to the fastball and breaking ball shape will be focal points for player development, but his arm talent should get him second-round money.
LHP Hunter Owen, Vanderbilt
Dates Seen: 5/25/2023
Body: XXL, filled out frame. Does offer upside for a good high performance department.
Mechanics: Easy, repeatable delivery with average athleticism.
Fastball: 90-94, above average arm side run and carry. Works it up vs. right-handed hitters, away vs. left-handed hitters.
Slider: 83-87, gyro with above-average depth.
Changeup: 85-86, above average armside fade and depth.
Command: Occasionally let a slider float over the middle, otherwise good job working his fastball up and armside and locating the slider on the edges of the plate.
Summation: Owen was finally able to get a full Spring on the mound for Vandy this year, and put together a very good campaign. He’s not overly flashy, but brings three above-average pitches and command to the table. Factor in his size and left-handedness, and he’ll be off the board by Round 2.