39 F
Pittsburgh

Draft Prospect Watch: Two Players Rising Up the Draft Charts

Published:

The 2017 MLB amateur draft is now just under two months away. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the 12th overall pick, which has been the focus of our draft coverage. I wanted to switch that up a little and look at two players who could be options for their 42nd overall pick, which was the compensation pick for not signing Nick Lodolo last year. Both of these players have made some moves up the draft ladder recently, so it may be too soon to completely write them off for the 12th overall pick, but to do that, they would need to continue to show improvements and impress scouts. If you missed it from last week, the Pirates received their official slot totals and their pool increased over the estimated totals from earlier this year.

Baseball America recently highlighted two interesting players, Nate Pearson, a right-handed pitcher out of Central Florida (Juco) and Quentin Holmes, a high school center fielder from New York. Holmes was ranked #33 by MLB Pipeline coming into the season, while Pearson didn’t make their top 50 list.

We start with Pearson, and his rise up the charts. He first started getting noticed last year when he hit 100 MPH, which will get anyone notice. He was throwing low-90s in high school, but he was just getting by with commanding his fastball and no secondary pitches. He transferred this year to Central Florida to work on his secondary pitches (slider, curve and changeup). He’s also filled out by adding good weight to his big frame, now standing 6’6″, 245 pounds. While he isn’t going to be hitting 100 MPH regularly, he’s still got the frame of a workhorse starter, a plus fastball, and now the makings of three secondary pitches. Of the two players, I’d say he’s the most likely to be available when the Pirates make their second pick at #42 overall. For him to really move up the charts, the off-speed pitches are going to have to continue to improve.

I’ve include this video of Pearson. The start is in slow motion so you can really see the mechanics, but it picks up about a minute into it.

Despite being a high school player in a cold weather state, Holmes is more of a known commodity than Pearson. Baseball America got a live look at Holmes last Saturday and had some nice things to say about the total package. I’ll note that MLB Pipeline gave him an 80 grade for speed, which is as good as it gets. That also helped his defensive rating in center field, as the speed gives him plus range. The arm, hitting and power all ranked average or below, so you’re talking about a difference maker on the bases, who can play center field, but may not hit enough to make the majors.

Those were the preseason ratings, but Baseball America had some nice things to say about Holmes now. They said he looks stronger and has filled out some, so that should help the 40 power grade. He also showed excellent plate patience and didn’t swing and miss at any pitches in five plate appearances. The speed is still a plus tool and they like the arm strength in the outfield, noting that it’s at least average. I’ll note that Holmes is also young for the draft class, turning 18 in July.

I included this video from Prospect Pipeline, though it’s important to note that it was shot before this off-season when he filled out:

**I expect some mock drafts and new rankings to soon start popping up from major sources, which will increase the draft coverage. It’s still considered early with the first day of the draft now 58 days from today, but the mock drafts and rankings will give us a better idea of which players to focus on for coverage. You might not see the Pirates take any of the specific players who line up with them, but you get a good sense of the talent level you can expect with their 12th overall pick. You can also pick your favorite player, then be wildly disappointed when he’s passed over and the team you hate ends up taking him instead.

**D1Baseball has their list of the most improved college players (subscription required) over the first half of the season. Shortstop Logan Warmoth from North Carolina has to be the most intriguing name, as a middle infielder who could possibly stick at shortstop and is projected to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases a season in the majors. D1Baseball rated him seventh overall in college, which would line him up closely with the 12th overall pick. I’m sure we will talk more about him as the draft gets closer.

**Vanderbilt’s Jeren Kendall and Florida’s Alex Faedo are two of the top college prospect at their positions. Kendall is a toolsy outfielder, while Faedo is a tall, right-handed pitcher. The two met up on Thursday night and Faedo won the first two match-ups with strikeouts, before Kendall homered off him in the fifth inning. Faedo ended the duel with a ground ball in the sixth inning. Faedo has a 2.84 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 57 innings, while Kendall has a .295/.375/.591 slash line in 149 at-bats, but he also has an alarming 46 strikeouts.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

Related Articles

Article Drop

Latest Articles