Team Doherty Mock Draft Recap - Part 2
May 20, 2020
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Long Beach, CA - Thursday May 7th the Prep Baseball Report - California staff conducted a three-team virtual mock draft consisting of California high school players from the class of 2020. Draft lottery determined draft positioning for the snake format with Team Clemmens picking first, followed by Team Shannon and Team Doherty. The virtual mock draft was conducted on Instagram Live with each team having sixty seconds to make their pick for a total of thirty-nine players selected over thirteen rounds. Similar to any draft in sports we saw predictable and unpredictable picks, risers and fallers, early round reaches and late round steals, making for an entertaining and enjoyable draft that had a high viewership rating.
Team Doherty went into the draft looking to build an accomplished team concentrated up the middle around tools, athleticism, key left-handed bats with the ability to score runs with producers, and preventing runs with front line starting pitching. Of the thirteen players selected, ten players participated in the 2019 Area Code games. Draft selection highlights include the #1 ranked pitcher in the state of California, the #6 ranked player in the country in Crow-Armstrong; the #2 ranked catcher in the state, and a bevy of all-around athletes that have high ceilings and want to win. Part 2 of the Team Doherty draft recap takes a look at the remaining position players in a starting lineup scenario.
PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG - HARVARD-WESTLAKE - VANDERBILT
The 4th overall pick (2nd round) in the Mock Draft scenario, leading off, and playing center field. The Vanderbilt commit is the top high school outfield prospect in the State of California, period. The tools jump off the page, and so does his highlight reel. Athletic, physical, instinctive, "big game player" are words to describe him. That’s not all; from all accounts the make-up is even better. Crow-Armstrong started fast and was on a torrid pace to put up some huge numbers this season before the stoppage. The hype machine at beginning of year put him inside the first 10 picks for the June draft. As things started to settle down it seemed more like 10-20. No matter what the case is, he will receive a life changing amount of money.
D’ANDRE SMITH - SAN DIMAS - USC
With the 15th pick overall (5th round) in the Mock Draft scenario, Smith has demonstrated and improved his overall game so much since a year ago. The athletic, rangy, and very strong middle infielder shows great hands, footwork and glove-work to go with a strong, accurate arm. Many believe he has the tools to play shortstop, but may profile best at second base in professional baseball. Exhibits his power at the plate in the form of hard hit line drives to the gaps with high doubles totals. There’s sneaky power in there too. Had a standout performance for the Brewers Area Code Team last summer and has put him self in MLB draft discussion.
NICK YORKE - ARCHBISHOP MITTY - ARIZONA
With the 6th round pick (16th overall) in the Mock Draft scenario, batting 2nd, playing second base, and one of the biggest heists of the draft, Yorke is a cornerstone infielder for Team Doherty. The Arizona commit is a monster with the bat producing loud contact and driving balls deep into gaps consistently with explosive bat speed. The defensive actions at 2B are smooth and controlled with strong footwork. We have regularly seen him take strong angles to the baseball allowing his athleticism to have the range to play up. During the 2019 spring, he showed the ability to track and chase down balls in CF where he's got great first step quickness and the hips to open up and cover a ton of ground. The makeup is off the charts with a great understanding of the game and the type of personality you want from players on any team. Two strong seasons in one of the top leagues in Northern California, Yorke has a bright future either at Arizona or in the MLB.
JAKE VOGEL - HUNTINGTON BEACH - UCLA
The 19th overall pick (7th round) in the Mock Draft scenario, batting 3rd, and playing right field, Vogel is a steal for this caliber of player. The UCLA commit may be small in stature, but plays bigger than his physical size. Vogel created a huge buzz in the industry when he ran a 6.2 60 yard dash at the beginning of the summer of 2019, then succumbed to injury and could not participate in the Area Code Games. Many eyes settled on Vogel at the start of the season and he impressed by putting his 5-tool game on display. Vogel will provide above average performance, year in and year out and could have the best run tool in the whole 2020 class. Drawing comparisons to Marc Kotsay from a R/R profile.
TREVOR TISHENKEL - POWAY - CALIFORNIA
A 10th round steal in the Mock Draft scenario, batting 7th, and playing left field, Tishenkel is a natural, patient hitter that displays an advanced feel for the barrel with lots of loud, consistent contact. In all my views over three years, he takes aggressive in-game at-bats, and shows secondary pitch recognition. Displays plus bat speed, tremendous balance and extension through contact, and already exhibits some pull side power. In game power is still more to gaps presently and will develop into over the fence power as he matures and adds strength naturally. Tishenkel’s athleticism certainly plays up in the outfield and shows tools that will serve him well in college and/or professional baseball. His first step and reactions to the ball off the bat are consistent and reveals his ability to lock into a pitch-to-pitch philosophy with range into the gaps. Has the speed to cover mistakes and can make deviations easily in his routes to balls. Arm really took a jump forward this season and plays up because of his ability to get to balls quickly and get rid of it quickly. Throws are accurate with carry the majority of the time, has some arm side tail, often one-hopping the mitt.
MVP - 2019 Jesse Flores Memorial All-Star Game - Southern California Scouts Association
JONJON VAUGHNS - STY. JOHN BOSCO - UCLA
In the 11th round I needed another power bat on my squad to solidify a well balanced lineup. Vaughns is a freak athlete at 6-foot-2, 220-pounds. The two-sport standout (committed to UCLA for both football and baseball) is raw but incredibly projectable. I have drawn comparisons to Vaughns with Lawyer Milloy, a 15-year strong-safety in the NFL who also played 2-sports in the PAC-10 (12). Like Milloy, Vaughns exhibits natural talent with everything he does and shows a strength to his game that makes you stand on the edge of your seat when he toes the box. The left-handed stroke shows plus bat speed, and has the ability to do serious damage with potential light-tower power. All of Vaughns contact is noticeably louder than the rest.
TANK ESPALIN - ORANGE LUTHERAN - USC
With my last pick (13th round) in the Mock Draft scenario, I wanted to go with a swiss-army knife, plug and play utility player that you can put anywhere in the lineup top to bottom, and insert him anywhere on the field from the infield to the outfield and feel comfortable with the decision. The USC commit checks in at an athletic 6-feet, 180-pounds, proportional build with room to add strength. Approach is to all fields with average raw power and the ability to occasionally hit the ball over the fence to the pull side. Has excellent plate discipline and gives you a quality at-bat every time. Demonstrates tremendous bat-to-ball skills and a natural feel for hitting. Espalin is a solid everyday utility player. I see a home at third base for him at the college and professional levels.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Of course given the Covid-19 pandemic, future event dates/locations could change. If they do, we will alert all registered players and make adjustments to our calendar.
SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
Norcal Underclass Games (INVITE-ONLY) | CA | 06/06 | Islanders Field - Lathrop |
Northern California ProCase (INVITE ONLY) | CA | 06/13 | Folsom Lake College or Islanders Field |
SoCal Underclass Games (INVITE ONLY) | CA | 06/13 | Hart Park |
SoCal ProCase (INVITE ONLY) | CA | 06/14 | Hart Park |
California State Games | CA | 07/25 | Southern California |
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