As we 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’re 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 Pacific region.
California
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Harvard-Westlake, Vanderbilt commit
Crow-Armstrong is the best overall player in the Pacific region of the country and it’s almost a lock that he’ll go in the first round come the MLB Draft in June. His commitment to Vanderbilt might make him a tad bit harder to sign than you’d imagine, but I think the right team will make the right offer to ensure that he doesn’t make it to campus.
Crow-Armstrong is a twitchy athlete with explosiveness to his game. He’s patient at the plate and owns a strong recognition of the strike zone, picking out his pitch to drive and shows an advanced ability to recognize spin. He swings a quick bat from the left side that takes a short path to the ball and has clear feel for his barrel with present bat speed. There is some swing-and-miss to his game and his load gets a bit lengthy at times, but these are correctable mechanical things that he’ll improve as he continues to mature and get older. He does create some loft at the plate without dropping his hands and there is some power potential in his 6-foot, 175-pound frame once he puts on good weight.
Defensively, Crow-Armstrong is one of the top athletes in this class and is a natural fit in center field. He’s an easy plus runner with plus athleticism and covers plenty of space in the outfield. There’s just a natural defensive ability in Crow-Armstrong that isn’t taught and he has a high floor because his glove will play at any level. He’s been up-and-down over the last six months as to where he ranks in this prep class, but he’s easily one of the best bats in my opinion.
Kyle Harrison, LHP, De La Salle, UCLA commit
Harrison is the second-ranked left-handed pitcher in the 2020 prep class and is the top overall arm in California. He’s a 6-foot-2, 205-pound athletic arm that has more room to grow and mature into his already durable frame.
Harrison works from a three-quarter slot that is hard to pick up and creates deception. His mechanics are sound with a clean arm action and an easy delivery that he consistently repeats. Harrison’s fastball works between 89-91 mph, but has touched 93 mph with clear arm-side run. His changeup works from a similar arm slot as his fastball with sinking action and he has clear feel for it. Harrison throws two breaking balls, a slider and curveball. The former is the harder of the two, with tight break and tunnels well off his fastball. The latter has 1/7 shape and is thrown with less velocity and isn’t as developed as his slider. There’s potential for him to have at least three above-average pitches, with two swing-and-miss offerings when it’s all said and done, with the curveball at least projecting as an average pitch. Harrison’s commitment to UCLA might make him hard to sign, but I’d expect a team to at least take a shot on him in the first three rounds.
Tyler Soderstrom, C, Turlock, UCLA commit
Soderstrom is the top prep catcher in the entire 2020 class and rightfully so. He’s a strong 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-handed hitting catcher with a well-proportioned build and more room to grow.
Soderstrom is a bat-first catcher with the potential to have a true 60-grade hit tool when it’s all said and done. He owns a strong recognition of the strike zone with a patient and confident approach at the dish. There aren’t many holes in his swing and his ability to just consistently put the bat on the ball is impressive for a prep bat. Soderstrom has the physicality and build to at least have above-average raw power and I think it’s possible he could hit 20+ home runs on an annual basis when he reaches the big leagues.
The problem with Soderstrom is the fact that he is a tad bit behind with the glove. He doesn’t start on his high school team because of his defense and his overall defensive profile is still fairly raw. You typically want to bank on the athlete, but with his hit tool, I think whichever team takes him in the draft is probably going to move him away from catcher and stick him in a corner spot. Regardless, his bat is special and I think he’s a back of the first-round, early second-round type of player.
Jared Jones, RHP, La Mirada, Texas commit
Jones is the most electric arm in California and rivals Jared Kelley as the most powerful arm in the 2020 prep class. He’s not a big dude, standing at roughly 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, but his whippy arm action and athleticism allow him to light up radar guns on a consistent basis.
Jones has run his fastball up to 99 mph according to PBR, but it typically plays between 94-97 mph with run and explosiveness. His secondary offerings are a bit raw, but they’ve flashed some potential. His curveball is a slower breaking ball with some spin, but it’s a tight slider with real lateral break that is his go-to swing-and-miss pitch. Jones does struggle to throw strikes on a consistent basis and there is some reliever risk with him, but it’s almost guaranteed that some team will take a chance on his advanced arm in the early rounds of the draft.
Milan Tolentino, SS/RHP, Santa Margarita, UCLA commit
Tolentino is an interesting prospect because I do think there’s some real two-way potential in his game because he’s a strong athlete with a lively arm. I think he’s a shortstop moving forward and is a better overall fit there, but there is some upside with him on the mound.
Tolentino is a twitchy athlete with a 6-foot-1, 180-pound athletic build with more room to grow and mature as he gets older. His approach at the plate is more contact oriented, owning an opposite field approach with some slap tendencies and just grinds out at-bats. He does tend to pull over a tad bit, which is why we see some weak ground balls to the pull-side in his game, but Tolentino does have feel for himself at the dish. There isn’t much power to his game, nor does their project to be, but he can shoot the ball into the gaps and produce line drives off his barrel.
Defensively, Tolentino has the actions of a big league caliber shortstop and his glove will likely carry him through the professional ranks. He’s going to have premium defense at a premium position for a long time and his plus arm would allow him to eventually move over to third with success if he needs to. I think it’s very possible we see him on campus at UCLA come next fall, but this is a guy we could be talking about in his college draft year as a potential back of the first round type of player.
Drew Bowser, SS, Harvard-Westlake, Stanford commit
Bowser is Crow-Armstrong’s teammate at Harvard-Westlake and the two form a formidable one-two punch for the Wolverine. He’s a powerful 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-handed bat that won the Perfect Game All-American Classic Home Run Derby this past season at Petco Park.
Bowser has a pretty simple swing from the right-side that creates loft and allows him to drive the baseball into the gaps while finding the barrel on a consistent basis. He projects to be an above-average power hitter and could hit 25+ home runs at the big league level on an annual basis. Bowser doesn’t have crazy good bat speed and his hit tool isn’t advanced, which does lead to some concern about prep bats that are more power oriented with some swing-and-miss in their game. Regardless, he does real damage at the plate when he’s on time and finds the sweet spot on the barrel.
Defensively, Bowser currently plays shortstop, but a move over to third is more likely at this point. He has a strong arm and profiles as an above-average corner defender, which plays well into his favor because of his offensive profile. He’s going to college, but is an interesting prospect to remember when his draft year comes.
Kevin Parada, C, Loyola, Georgia Tech commit
A teammate of Hunter Greene in high school, Parada is one of Georgia Tech’s top recruits in the prep 2020 class and has some big shoes to fill in a program that has produced some premium catcher talent over the last couple years. He sports a strong, well-proportioned 6-foot, 190-pound build.
Parada swings from the right side and starts his stance with an exaggerated load into his back leg. It’s a short swing and his barrel stays in the zone for a long time, which is obviously a good thing. Parada has some easy power to all fields in his bat and consistently elevates the ball. His approach at the plate could use some refinement, but he has showed an ability to pick up spin out of the hand. He’s a bat first catcher that is a bit raw behind the dish. Right-handed hitting catchers that don’t excel behind the dish aren’t premium draft guys, so I’d expect him to find his way onto Georgia Tech’s campus.
Chase Davis, OF, Franklin, Arizona commit
Outside of Crow-Armstrong, Davis is the best outfielder in the state of California. He’s a strong 6-foot-1, 210 pound left-handed hitter with a well-proportioned athletic build.
Davis’ has the potential to have a plus hit tool at the next level. It’s a short, quick swing from the left side with present bat speed and just really good bat-to-ball skills. There is some swing-and-miss in his game only because he does pull his front foot off a bit, but Davis hammers anything that is left over the plate. His ability to hit spin isn’t fully there yet, but most prep bats struggle with that and his hit tool does leave me to believe that he will eventually develop the ability to do so. Davis has a strong arm in the outfield and profiles best as a corner guy in my opinion. He’s easily someone whose stock could rise this season and if he performs in front of the right eyes could be a draft guy this June.
Daniel Susac, C, Jesuit, Arizona commit
Susac is the final catcher from California on this list. He’s a fairly lean, athletic 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-handed hitter with more room to mature. There have been reports that Susac is working on switch hitting, but most looks at the current moment will have come from the right side.
Susac has plus raw power and he generates easy loft in his swing with clear bat speed as well. There’s present power to all fields and while the hit tool may not be more than average, he really is a threat at the plate because of the juice in his bat. Defensively, Susac has a plus arm that results in 84-86 mph throws to second base and consistent sub-two second pop times. There are some minor things in his defensive game that do require more refinement, but his older brother is a big league catcher and he’s athletic enough for me to believe he can be successful behind the dish with nothing more than work. Susac will be an interesting guy come draft time because of the power bat/power arm combo he has.
Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Glendora, Mississippi commit
Gonzalez is an intriguing prospect to me because he’s a left-handed hitter that plays adequate defense at a premium position. He’s a 6-foot-1, 170-pound athletic kid with plenty of room to grow into that lean frame.
Gonzalez’ swing is simple and to the point. It’s a quick, short swing that works on a level plane to the baseball. His offensive game is mostly contact-oriented, but he has showed some line drive gap-to-gap power because of his quick hands. Defensively, Gonzalez is a quality defender at shortstop, but looks uncomfortable at times and I’m not sure if his arm strength is all the way there yet. It’s possible that he sticks at shortstop moving forward, but he’d be a plus defender at second base if a move did happen. I’d bet that Gonzalez makes it to Mississippi State as a top recruit for the Bulldogs in this class.
Nick Yorke, SS, Archbishop Mitty, Arizona commit
Yorke is another interesting shortstop from California and the only reason I have him ranked behind Gonzalez is because of Gonzalez’s left-handed bat. Both of them are impressive prospects, however, and Yorke is a strong 6-foot, 195-pound kid.
Yorke has a short swing and some bat speed from the right side of the plate. He has your traditional ‘launch angle’ swing and consistently drives the ball in the air. He’s a power over contact type of bat, which is intriguing because he’s a shortstop. The actions are there for him to stick defensively and I like the way his hands work, but his arm strength needs to improve if Yorke wants to stick there long-term. A finished product for Yorke could look like a power-hitting shortstop who plays above-average defense, which is something that professional teams will covet.
Jake Vogel, OF, Huntington Beach, UCLA commit
Vogel is an athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pound right-handed hitting outfielder with a strong well-proportioned build. He’s got some of the best bat-to-ball skills in this class and is an explosive sub 6.2 runner in the 60-yard dash with the best wheels in the entire 2020 class.
Vogel swings a short, compact swing from the right side. It’s simple without a ton of moving parts and he shows real feel for controlling his barrel through the zone. He’s more of a gap-to-gap power guy than someone who will hit home runs, but he doesn’t swing-and-miss much and makes contact with the ball at a high rate. Defensively, Vogel is athletic enough and has the arm strength to stick in center field moving forward. He covers ground in the outfield and is one of the better defensive outfielders in this class. I’d expect him to honor his commitment to UCLA and make it to campus, but this is someone to keep on your radar for when he’s draft eligible.
Max Rajcic, RHP, Orange Lutheran, UCLA commit
Rajcic is a big kid, sporting a strong and durable 6-foot, 195 pound frame. His arm is fairly loose and his mechanics remind me of a young Nathan Eovaldi on the mound.
Rajcic’s fastball sits primarily between 91-93 mph and can get up to 94-95 mph with sinking action that primarily plays down in the zone. Rajcic’s go-to secondary pitch is a slider that tunnels well off his fastball and has a sweeping 10/4 shape to it. He only really throws his changeup to left-handed hitters and needs more confidence in it, but it’s flashed some potential with downward actions that play low in the zone. Rajcic is a guy who’s almost certainly going to college, but more velocity and advanced feel for that changeup over the off-season could get him some professional looks.
Kyle Karros, 3B, Mira Costa, UCLA commit
Karros is fairly raw as far as baseball prospects go, but the finished product could potentially be something special. He’s a wirey 6-foot-5, 195-pound athletic corner infielder that has so much room to mature and add good weight onto his highly projectible build.
Karros has a lengthy swing at the plate, but gets his arms extended and does generate easy loft off the bat. There’s some raw power in his game that should improve as he continues to add muscle onto his build. The hit tool lacks, but for a kid his size, the physicality alone that might come with more maturity is very intriguing. Defensively, there were some question marks a few months ago as to whether Karros could stick at third base moving forward or if a move across the diamond was inevitable. He’s put those to rest and has the makeup of a solid defensive third baseman with an above-average arm. Karros is probably going to college, but a professional team could fall in love with his build and make him an over-slot pick at some point in the draft.
TJ Nichols, RHP, Oakmont, Arizona commit
If there was one arm on this list, or in this draft class, that I had to put my money on shooting up draft boards come next June, it would be TJ Nichols. He’s a 6-foot-3, 170-pound right-handed arm with a loose arm action and pretty easy velocity on the mound.
Nichols has fairly raw stuff on the mound. His fastball touched 96 mph this past August and sits between 93-95 mph with some jump. The slider is hard with tight break, but he doesn’t consistently throw it for strikes enough. His changeup is still raw and is rarely thrown. Nichols is raw, but any professional scout is going to see the potential with him. He’s a guy that I would expect someone to take a shot on at some point in the draft and could even sign given his fairly recent commitment to Arizona.
Michael Brown, 1B, Vacaville, Washington commit
Prep first baseman aren’t usually coveted by teams in the draft, especially guys who are first base only types. There’s really only two things from a first baseman that will catch scouts eyes: a left-handed bat with true raw power.
Fortunately for Brown, that’s exactly what he is. He’s the top-ranked first baseman in this class and is a physical 6-foot-5, 220-pound specimen. Brown is a pure power hitter with double plus raw power and absolutely crushes the baseball to his pull-side. There isn’t much of a hit tool, which is why I think he won’t get drafted, but Brown is someone that absolutely has to be on this list. Defensively, he’s relegated to first base or a DH role and is actually a quality defender at first base with some athleticism. He’s going to make it to college, but Brown is going to absolutely mash for the Huskies.
Christian Rodriguez, RHP, Orange Lutheran, Cal State Fullerton
Rodriguez is another arm, just like Nichols, who could climb his way up draft boards at the end of his senior season. He’s an imposing figure on the mound, standing at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds with more room to mature and grow.
Rodriguez repeats his delivery well for someone as tall as he is and creates great downhill extension. His fastball will touch 93 mph, but primarily sits between 88-91 mph with sink. Rodriguez throws a 12/6 breaking ball that plays in the low-70s with good spin and tunnels well off his fastball. His changeup has natural downward actions and is thrown from the same arm speed as his fastball, giving Rodriguez a legit three pitch mix. He’s a guy that teams are going to fall in love with when they get more looks at him in high school and is a draft risk.
Oregon
Mick Abel, RHP, Jesuit, Oregon State commit
Oregon doesn’t have many guys who are at risk of being selected in the draft outside of Mick Abel. With that being said, Abel is the top prep arm in the entire class in my opinion and should be a top five pick in this upcoming draft.
Abel is a 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-handed arm with more room to mature and fill out. His mechanics are so clean and he repeats his delivery with ease. Abel’s fastball plays between 92-95 mph and will get up to 96 mph with occasional cut. He features a tight slider with late break that plays between 82-86 mph and is already a swing-and-miss pitch. He’ll feature a curveball that he gets on top of and has more vertical break to it than his slider. The changeup, to me, is the most impressive pitch, with natural downward actions that play perfectly off his fastball. Abel has the potential to have a true, above-average four pitch mix with two plus pitches once he’s fully developed.
There’s never been a prep right-handed pitcher that’s ever been selected number one overall in the history of the draft. I’d venture to say that Abel has a chance to be that guy this June and that’s saying something given the arms that are available in this 2020 class. He’s a special arm.
Washington
There are not many any players in Washington that I believe to be true draft risks.