First Round Draft Prospects the Phillies Have Their Eye On This Week
We should be watching the Phils leading the East right now, with Bryce in MVP form and Nola back to being a true ace. Thanks to the owner’s greed we may not even have a season. But, we do have some baseball to look forward to as the draft is taking place this Wednesday and Thursday. The Phillies are picking 15th in the first round. A huge opportunity comes with this pick, looking back at some previous first round picks the Phil’s have made, the 15th pick this year could become a future cornerstone for the franchise. In fact, twenty years ago with the 15th overall pick Chase Utley was selected. Along with Utley, Mike Lieberthal, Pat Burrell, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, and Aaron Nola have all been first round picks.
Looking at the needs the Phillies could try to address with this first round pick, starting pitching and outfield seem to make the most sense. The farm system looks pretty strong at shortstop and catcher. Top prospect Alec Bohm can play first and third base, so the infield seems deep enough. The inability to draft and develop starting pitchers have left the Phils in a bad spot regarding the future, sounds like another Philadelphia team’s issue with drafting a certain position. With Andrew McCutchen being 33 and Adam Haseley not a sure thing yet, outfield could also be where the Phils end up going. Let’s take a look at some prospects that could be rocking red pinstripes in a few years.
Nick Bitsko, RHP, Central Bucks East HS
The most popular name being talked about is local right handed pitcher Nick Bitsko. He’s from Doylestown and went to Central Bucks East. Bitsko’s got a mid 90’s fastball, was clocked as high as 97, and a good curve. He’s one of the top rated high schooler’s in the draft. Bitsko’s only 17, graduated early to become draft eligible after verbally committing to the University of Virginia. He also loves hitting, he told The Intelligencer. “He wants try to keep hitting until someone says, Put the bat down.'” The kid can rake, he hit .450 with 5 home runs last year. It doesn’t hurt to have a pitcher who can swing the bat. Looking at what Bitsko can become, a few scouts have said that his ceiling is Justin Verlander. I’m sure all fans would be happy with that from him. He’s ranked in the mid teens on most draft boards so there’s a good chance he’s available at 15. Everybody loves a local kid story so it’ll be interesting to see if the Phils feel the same way.
Cade Cavalli, RHP, Oklahoma
Another righty the Phillies are being connected to. Cavalli’s got one of the best sliders in the draft, has hit as high as 90, along with a fastball in the mid 90’s and has clocked in at 98. He looks the part of a guy who can become a good starting pitcher in the majors. But something hasn’t translated as his outings haven’t been great, 4.18 ERA in his four games this season. Cavalli’s biggest problem is his lack of command, which has gotten him in trouble at times. His inability to throw strikes at times could lead to a bit of a fall to the later mid end of the first. He’s also had some injury history, missing most of his senior season in high school with a back issue. Cavalli’s been projected to the Phillies by a few analysts.
Austin Hendrick, Outfielder, West Allegheny HS
Hendrick has good grades overall but his power is what’s going to make him a first rounder. He’s got arguably the best power in the draft with elite bat speed. He’s got the arm and speed to be a good corner outfielder. The concern with Hendrick is his strikeout rate. He’s shown his power against good competition but also has shown his habit of striking out. He’s a top 15 ranked prospect and I’ve seen him as high as a top 10 pick and as low as early 20’s in mocks. The fall that could happen would be from team’s not believing he can hit for a good enough average in the majors. His power might be too much to pass up on though. If he’s on the board it’ll be interesting to see what side the Phillies view Hendrick.
Pete Crow Armstong, Outfielder, Harvard Westlake HS
Armstrong is arguably the most polished prospect in the draft. He’s got great fundamentals in every aspect and the tools to hit .300 in the majors. He’s one of the best defensive outfielders in this class. The concern with Pete is his power, which is viewed as below average by a lot of scouts. Some see his lack of power being a serious enough issue to lead to him falling into the later part of the first round. Armstrong and Hendrick are opposite in regards to the concerns scouts have. If both are still on the board at 15 and the Phil’s decide to go with an outfielder, it’ll be interesting to see how they view these two prospects
Garrett Mitchell, Outfielder, UCLA
Mitchell was drafted in the 14th round out of high school by Oakland but decided to head to UCLA instead. After struggling as a freshman, hitting .280, slugging for .331, and an on base percentage of .337, he’s improved every season. As a sophomore he started to break out hitting for a .349 average, .566 slugging with six home runs, and had an OBP of .566. This past season he only had the chance to play 15 games before the season was canceled but was hitting for a .350 average with a .425 OBP. He’s got great speed and defensive ability that will give him the ability to start in center field. He’s shown his power in batting practice but hasn’t really been able to transfer that to game action. Some scouts do have issues with his swing and don’t think he’ll be able to hit for power in the majors. Mitchell’s being projected as a mid first round pick, so there’s a decent chance he’s on the board when the Phil’s pick at 15.
Garrett Crochet, LHP, Tennessee
After being selected in the 34th round out of high school by the Brewers in 2017, Crochet decided to go to the University of Tennessee instead. He’s a tall lefty standing a 6’6” with a fastball in the mid to high 90’s and has hit 99 a few times. Along with his power pitch he’s got one of the better sliders in the draft and has thrown a decent change up and curve. Crochet looks like he could become a solid to potentially great pitcher in the big leagues. The issues with him are that he hasn’t had a track record of starting, with only 12 career starts in his three college seasons. He also had shoulder soreness this season and scouts are worried about his ability to become a starting pitcher. If he can’t make it as a starter he could always move to the bullpen and develop into a closer. Some teams might not be interested in using an early first round pick on a bullpen pitcher, but the upside is there if he can make it and stay in the rotation as a starter.
Mick Abel, RHP, Jesuit HS
Abel had arguably the best improvement between his sophomore and junior seasons of all pitching prospects. As a sophomore Abel showed velocity that could potentially get him drafted in the future but really struggled with command. As a junior Abel looked like a potential early first round pick after going 10-0 with a 1.26 ERA and leading his school to a state title in Oregon. He’s got a fastball in the low to mid 90’s that has clocked 97 a few times along with the best breaking ball in the draft, voted on by major league scouting departments. His slider really has put his game at the next level and given him the chance of being a top pick. He’s got all the tools to become a number one guy in a rotation. The concern with Abel is his entire senior season was canceled due to Oregon being one of the first states to lockdown. So scouts haven’t gotten to see him pitch live for a while now. He’s arguably the top high school pitching prospect and could be gone before the Phillies make their pick. If teams are worried about a long layoff or the draft falls a certain way Abel could still be on the board at 15.
Jared Kelley, RHP, Refugio HS
Kelley is one of the top high school pitching prospects in the draft. He’s got a mid 90’s fastball that has gotten up to 99 more than a few times along with a great changeup. A lot of scouts see his changeup as actually his best pitch to go along with his powerful fast ball. The lack of a real third pitch could hurt Kelley come the draft. His breaking ball has improved over the years but is still viewed as below average by most scouts. Kelley is another high school arm that could be available for the Phil’s at 15.