Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Draft League Scouting Notes - June 8

June 9, 2021
Mike Rosenbaum
Senior Prospect Analyst

Mahoning Valley @ West Virginia

LHP Mitch Bratt (Newmarket HS, Ontario) turned in his best Draft League performance to date as he racked up eight strikeouts over five innings against Mahoning Valley in his third Black Bears start. He allowed two runs on five hits, walking two. After a strikeout-less first inning, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound southpaw proceeded to punch out two batters in each of the next four frames while showing an advanced feel for executing a three-pitch mix. Bratt, a Florida State commit, was particularly effective with his heater, which sat 89.7 mph and topped out at 92.1 in his longest Draft League start. He posted an excellent 41.9% whiff rate (40.7 CSW%) with the pitch, inducing 13 whiffs on 31 swings while throwing the pitch 54 times, and he used it well to attack right-handed hitters on the inner half. Altogether, hitters mustered an average exit velocity of 80.1 mph against Bratt’s fastball on Tuesday. The improvement in Bratt’s fastball command only enhanced the quality of his secondary offerings, as he generated whiffs with both his changeup and slider while also mixing in a quality upper-70s curveball.    

RHP Luke Summers (Fontbonne) allowed an unearned run, striking out and walking two batters apiece over two innings in relief of Bratt. He flashed a solid fastball-changeup combo, with the former reaching 92.4 mph and the latter parking in the upper 70s. RHP Zach Ottinger (West Virginia) ran his heater up to 93.9 mph during a scoreless eighth, and RHP Michael Hobbs (Saint Mary’s) bumped 93.9 while striking out the side in the ninth. 

C Paul McIntosh (West Virginia) made an immediate impact in his Draft League debut with a four-hit, three-RBI performance. Two of McIntosh’s hits were doubles, and they both left the right-handed hitter’s bat with an exit velocity in the 96-98 mph range. C/1B Tucker Mitchell (State College of Florida) swung the bat well from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-5 with an RBI double that banged high off the wall in left-center field. The Black Bears’ Wabash Valley contingent of Ryan McCoy and Freylin Minyety continued to impress at the plate, with the duo combining for three hits and five runs in the 10-3 victory. McCoy reached base four times from the cleanup spot, going 1-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored. Minyety notched a two-run single in the first inning and later hit a triple to right-center field to finish 2-for-5 with two runs scored. 

UTL Buck Anderson (Cerritos College) was 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI to pace the Scrappers’ offense in the loss. He leads the Draft League with 15 walks through 12 games, during which he’s reached base at a .522 clip. OF Bobby Sparling (Daytona State) continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance that included a double and a walk. Among Draft League players who have appeared in at least 10 games, Sparling is pacing the circuit in hitting (.438) and owns a share of the lead in total bases (18). 

Making his Draft League debut, RHP Aaron Haase (Wichita St.) flashed some impressive stuff coming out of the Scrappers’ bullpen. His 91-94 mph fastball had a max spin rate of 2789 rpm and averaged 2540 in the 1.1-inning appearance, and he spun his 84-85 mph slider as high as 2919 while averaging better than 2700. LHP Nathan Lavender (Illinois) fanned four across two scoreless frames in relief of Haase. He sat 92-94 with a Max IVB of 20.3 inches with his fastball, generating six whiffs on eight swings with the pitch (63.6 CSW%). RHP Jacob DeLabio (Carthage) was tagged for three runs (two earned) on three hits but still recorded five of his six outs via the strikeout, all while showing the same velocity (T95.1) and spin rates he has throughout the season. 


Williamsport @ State College

The Crosscutters got the best of Spikes starter Andrew Moore on Tuesday, pushing across six runs against the hard-throwing righty in the first three innings. C Kyle Smith’s (St. John’s River St. College) two-run double down the left-field line in the second put Williamsport on the board, and he added a sacrifice fly in the subsequent frame to finish 2-for-3 with three RBI. OF Dakota Kotowski (Missouri State) and INF Michael Turconi (Wake Forest) both collected multiple hits and UTL Noah Hemphill (Missouri Baptist) was 1-for-4 with a two-run double.

Quincy products OF Lance Logsdon and INF Nolan Wosman added a noticeable jolt to the Crosscutters’ offense in their respective Draft League debuts. Logsdon reached base five times and scored a pair of runs from the three-spot in the lineup, going 3-for-3 with a 105.6-mph single and a pair of walks. Wosman, meanwhile, went deep in his second at-bat of the day, connecting on a 395-foot solo shot to left field that had an exit velocity of 103.4 mph.


RHP Troy Taylor (Cypress College) allowed three runs over the first two innings before settling in to complete five innings. He scattered six hits with one walk in the outing, fanning five. In addition to running his fastball up to 95.7 mph, Taylor impressed with his ability to hold his velocity deep as he averaged 93.6 while throwing his heater 72 times. He posted a 26.4 CSW% with the pitch and a 42.9 CSW% (100% whiff rate) with his low-80s curveball. LHP Hunter Kloke (IU-Southeast) sat 88-89 mph over two scoreless frames, allowing one hit and striking out two in relief of Taylor. RHP Zach Klapak (Lackawanna) fanned three batters over the final two innings to seal the win. Klapak was highly efficient in his Draft League debut, retiring the Spikes in order in back-to-back frames while throwing just 19 pitches. He topped out at 93.8 mph and averaged 92.4, spinning his fastball north of 2300 in the appearance.

Moore didn’t dominate Tuesday as he did in his previous start, when he struck out nine in four innings, but there still was plenty to like in the Chipola righty’s performance. First and foremost, Moore produced the day’s top pitch velocity at 97.4 mph and was still popping 97 as late as the third inning. Overall, he sat 94.4 mph while throwing his heater 54 times in the outing and induced at least one whiff with his changeup, curveball and slider.  

RHP Kiernan Higgins seemingly has improved his Draft stock with every appearance -- a trend that continued Tuesday with the Shippensburg righty striking out two in two scoreless innings in relief of Moore. He showed four distinct pitches, complementing his 92-94 mph fastball with a pair of high-spin, swing-and-miss breaking balls and an 84-88 mph changeup with fade. RHP Mason Mellott (Penn St.) posted a 41.2 CSW% with an 82-84 mph slider that flashed plus in his Draft League debut. RHP Drew Garrett (Missouri) bumped 95.3 mph during a scoreless ninth.  

Offensively, Spikes CIF Marques Paige (NW Oklahoma St.) went deep for a second straight game. With a 3-1 count, Paige unloaded on a 93-mph, outer-half fastball, driving it 439+ feet at 103 mph over the batter’s eye in center field. He added a 101-mph double off the right-field wall in the fourth to finish 2-for-3 -- the lone Spikes hitter to collect multiple hits.


OF Hylan Hall (Wabash Valley) showcased easy plus wheels in his Debut, going 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI and stolen base. 3B Zion Pettigrew (Illinois-Springfield) smashed a triple to right field in his first Draft League at-bat. Defensively, C Kenny Piper (Columbia College) put his plus arm strength on full display by cutting down a pair of runners at second base -- the second of which completed a very athletic and heads-up double play.

Premium Content Area

This article is only available to PBRPlus Subscribers. If you wish to continue reading this article:

Login to the Subscriptions Website.
To purchase a NEW SUBSCRIPTION, please click here to go to our subscription products page.