It’s been 45 years since the Cougars of Washington State University have appeared in the College World Series. That said, Head Coach Brian Green has them better positioned than ever to make a push for Omaha this year. The Cougs have a trio of guys on big league scouts’ radars. Indeed, Pullman, Washington may welcome in more clipboards and stopwatches this season than in quite some time.
The school isn’t lacking in big league bloodlines. Wazzu has produced the likes of John Olerud, Scott Hatteberg and Aaron Sele in “recent” history, but by and large the Cougs aren’t a staple in war rooms during most draft years. Washington State simply isn’t accustomed to guys getting drafted inside the top ten rounds of most MLB Drafts.
You have to go back to 2013 and outfielder Jason Monda to find the last Coug drafted inside the top ten round of any draft. Monda, a 6th round pick of the Phillies, didn’t sign and returned to school. He went undrafted in 2014.
But 2021 brings first baseman/outfielder Kyle Manzardo, as well as hard-throwing righties Zane Mills and Brandon White to the stage.
The Cougs are off to a hot 5-1 start. The Pac-12 appears down this year, and most schools are struggling to score runs. But not the Cougs. Manzardo has been a boon for Washington State since arriving in 2019, and this season is no different. In 2020, over 16 games, Manzardo hit .435/.500/.694 with three homers and seven doubles. In 2021, he’s slashing .429/.469/.714 with two more homers and two more doubles.
The Couer d’Alene, Idaho product is revered for his plate discipline and his approach. He doesn’t expand the zone and more often than not attacks pitches in a specific zone that he’s hunting. Manzardo doesn’t punch himself out either. He’s run a K-rate under 15-percent for his career and a walk rate around 10-percent the last two seasons. He’s a mature hitter who simply doesn’t get himself out.
As for the tools, Manzardo is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds and fully matured with some barrel-chest to his frame. He’s an average runner with fringe-average athleticism. Two scouts I spoke with believe the hit tool to be a solid average. There’s at least average raw power in the tank, though one evaluator slapped a solid average, 55-grade on it. Defensively, he’s a below average corner outfielder, though he’s more capable of handling a fringe-average first base on a regular basis. Manzardo’s arm is below average.
He’s almost certainly a bat-over-everything type prospect at the next level, but if he continues hitting at the torrid pace he’s put himself on over the last two seasons for the remainder of 2021, teams won’t hesitate to snag him off the board inside the top ten rounds.
White is a tall, strong, long-levered 6-foot-8 frame that really works down hill. He’s worked really hard to get bigger and stronger since arriving to campus three years ago. He’s added 35 pounds to his frame and 8-10mph on his fastball because of it. White usually sits 93-95, touching 97 with a heavy, bowling ball heater that has a bit of arm-side run to it. His curveball can flash above average with 11-5 shape and good depth. It can get loopy at times and White is still developing feel and command for it. He works in a changeup as well that’s seen positive developments in terms of arm speed and conviction.
White has really seen his mechanics improve for the better over the last two years. The tempo of his delivery has been shored up and stabilized and the consistency in the timing of his hand-break and his “load and go” are more sync’d up. Additionally, his arm action has shortened up a bit since arriving on campus.
White’s first start of the season against UC Davis lasted 5 innings. He punched out 6 batters and walked two, surrendering two hits and no runs. If the Cougs are to make a push toward Omaha this season, White may be the X-Factor.
It’s the fourth-year junior Mills who takes the ball friday nights for the Cougs though, and he’s been nothing short of exemplary early on. Across two starts, Mills has 13.1 innings under his belt. He’s punched out 16 and walked just three batters. His one earned run on the season accounts for his 0.68 ERA.
Mills is a more of a prototype arm on the bump. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he’s certainly “built like ya like to see em”. The Portland, Ore. hurler is a sinker-slider profile who usually sits 90-93 with the fastball, touching 94 last fall. The slider has really made strides over the last calendar year and can now be relied upon as an out-pitch against righty bats. He also works in a changeup that’s fringy more often than not.
Mills makes his hay by commanding the baseball and staying away from damage. He induced a lot of ground balls and works deep into games, staying away from long at-bats. His body is well-proportioned with sloping shoulders and moderate athleticism.
Both Mills and White are in-play inside the top ten rounds of July’s draft; Mills as the steady, proven performer and White as the super-projectable big-arm archetype.
If the Cougs are to make a push for Omaha this season, something they haven’t done in almost a half-century, it likely starts on the mound. But with guys like Manzardo, as well as unmentioned slugger Tristan Peterson and bluechip true freshman shortstop Kyle Russell, Wazzu could shock some teams in 2021. Regardless of the outcome, the Cougs should be better-represented at the draft than they have been in almost a decade.