While in Georgia to watch baseball I had the chance to see a handful of draft prospects for the 2019 MLB Draft. Obviously you know my feelings on Daniel Espino already, but that was the beginning of the list of guys I saw.
I started out my trip seeing a Blessed Trinity HS playoff double header, getting the opportunity to watch top shortstop CJ Abrams play. Then ended my trip with a game at Georgia Tech, where I saw Clemson’s first round shortstop Logan Davidson and a Georgia Tech team led by catcher Kyle McCann. There were some others that were seen, and they will be covered below.
CJ Abrams, SS, Blessed Trinity HS
Note that I didn’t catch an entire game of CJ Abrams. I arrived late to the first game, coming from a Rome Braves game, and left early to attend a Gwinnett Stripers game. That didn’t matter a ton, because Blessed Trinity just beat up on their first round playoff opponent in both games of the double header.
The first thing about Abrams that stands out is his speed and athleticism. They matched up to everything you hear, and it was just fun to watch him use that speed on the bases as he is a true double plus runner and is more than capable of disrupting a pitcher with his threat to steal a base at any time.
Defensively, I only got a short look and could see him being an adequate shortstop at the next level based on the limited look. I’m hesitant to grade the defense because I didn’t see much from him in game, so I wanted to stay general here based on the opportunities I did see as well as the way he moved warming up in the field. There is talk of him moving to center field, and if you saw his speed you could understand why that option might appeal to some teams. I’m not sure he has to move. If he does move, I didn’t get a chance to watch him in the outfield, but am sure that with some work on learning the finer points he could develop there because of his speed.
The bat looked solid, but I also didn’t see the hit tool I would have liked to see from a guy in the mix to be a Top 3 draft pick next month...and I believe he’s in the mix for a pick that high after standing next to Chicago White Sox scouts also taping some of his at-bats. He does have a bit more pop in his bat than some give him credit for, but this isn’t a future 20 home run bat.
I’ve been running with this comparison on Abrams since I saw him: he’s Dee Gordon with less of a hit tool, but more power. This is certainly a player with value, but not a guy who screams out Top 3 pick.
Logan Davidson, SS, Clemson
Logan Davidson came in as one of the hottest shortstops in the country with a long on base streak, and didn’t disappoint. The athletic 6’3”, 185 pound shortstop looked the part of a first round pick. He showed off his athleticism as well as his defense and arm. Offensively he kept making good, hard contact- but he did so against mostly a bullpen from Tech, as their starter lasted all of one inning before leaving with an injury.
The question with Davidson isn’t if he can hit at the college level, it’s about if he can hit with the wood bat against top competition. His 2018 Cape Cod League numbers (.194/.292/.266) definitely give you pause, and with what I saw with the college bats against lesser arms from Tech, I can’t say I was able to have my opinion influenced one way or the other.
The positive with Davidson is that all he needs to do is get his hit tool to a 45 grade in order to be a very effective big leaguer. That is because he has power, defense, and athleticism in his total package, and just hitting a bit will allow the rest of his tools to play.
Kyle Wilkie, C, Clemson
One guy who caught my eye more than I expected was Clemson’s catcher, Kyle Wilkie. Wilkie wasn’t a very high profile guy, but what I saw opened my eyes a bit. I had always known he was a strong defensive catcher, but seeing him catch and throw actually improved my opinion of him defensively. The glove may be ahead of the bat, but Wilkie held his own at the plate and has enough hit tool and power to play when you consider his defensive value.
Wilkie is probably a Late Day 2/Early Day 3 pick, and profiles best as a backup catcher moving forward since the bat isn’t going to be enough for him to be a starter and the defense is more good than Gold Glove caliber.
Kyle McCann, C, Georgia Tech
One of the biggest risers this spring on the college side has been Kyle McCann, as he has filled into the job vacated by last year’s #2 overall draft pick, Joey Bart. McCann has always hit, even last year he hit 15 homers with a 1.023 OPS, but it was the fact his defense has improved this year that has really helped boost his stock.
McCann’s defense has improved this year for sure, but he’s still a well below average catcher to me with the glove. He does have a solid arm, but the rest of the package defensively is where the questions exist. My own opinion is that he probably isn’t going to be good enough defensively to start, but he could add a ton of defensive versatility with the ability to play some catcher as well as first base. When he’s not catching he would definitely be limited to third base as he’s a bit of a liability in terms of his run tool- in some ways he compares to Seth Beer a year ago.
McCann’s carrying tool is clearly his bat, and that shouldn’t surprise anyone with the .307/.472/.716 triple slash line he’s produced this year, going with 21 homers. He strikes out a bit more than you’d like(57 in 235 plate appearances), but he’s also walked a lot(51 walks).
McCann is the type of guy that a team could draft much higher than anyone expects, because if you believe in the defense he becomes a catcher with significant offensive upside, as opposed to a first baseman and occasional catcher.
Tristin English, 1B/DH/LHP, Georgia Tech
Tristin English was actually very highly rated coming into college, and it was for his pitching. However, after dealing with his share of injuries at Tech, he profiles best as a power bat as a pro. I caught English on a day when he hit a pair of homers, and the power is very much real in his bat to go with enough of a hit tool where you don’t have to worry about him. English has actually cut his strikeout rate significantly this year and has managed to strike out just 26 times in 206 plate appearances. That’s dropped his strikeout rate from 20.5% to 12.6% since last year.
English held his own at first base, but that’s really all I can say about his glove. While he didn’t have a poor showing, he also isn’t going to add much value at first base.
English is a Day 2 pick as a power bat with a track record for hitting in the ACC. The fact he doesn’t strikeout a ton but has easy plus power is attractive, but the fact he’s a first base only prospect puts a ton of pressure on him to keep hitting at a high level. It also doesn’t help him that he rarely walks- he’s walked 13 times in 206 plate appearances this year, which is actually up from the 8 walks in 244 plate appearances a year ago.