VA/DC 2021 MLB Draft Preview
July 12, 2021
Follow @PBRVirginiaDC
Facebook + Instagram
Sunday night, Major League Baseball began its 2021 Rule 4, or Amateur Draft. Only the First Round and Competitive Balance A picks were made Sunday night, a total of 36 players being selected. The draft resumes on Monday at 1 pm with Rounds 2-10 and then concludes on Tuesday with Rounds 11-20. While longer than last year's Covid-shortened five round draft, this year's draft is again shorter than the traditional 40 rounds.
No players from Virginia or DC were selected on Sunday night, but there are a few prep players that are in the mix to be selected on Monday and Tuesday, and we will spotlight them below with recent video from the high school season. A few players that have garnered Draft buzz at different points this spring but have either signaled that they will go to school or have already reported to school, and are unlikely to be drafted, will be excluded from these spotlights.
The total number of prep players from Virginia selected this spring might be lower than in a normal year where there is a handful of guys who are unlikely to sign drafted in the 36th-40th rounds, there is a chance that we see Virginia's highest drafted prep player since Jamari Baylor (Benedictine) in the third round in 2019 and Joe Rizzo (Oakton) and Khalil Lee (Flint Hill) in the second and third rounds in 2016, respectively.
Here are a few Virginia/DC High School alums who also could get picked over the next two days:
-Woodbridge 2019 RHP Magnus Ellerts (Patrick Henry CC)
-Halifax County 2017 LHP Andrew Abbott (Virginia)
-Liberty Christian 2018 C Wesley Clarke (South Carolina)
-Collegiate School 2017 LHP Evan Justice (NC State)
-Miller School 2018 IF/RHP Ethan Murray (Duke)
-St. Anne's-Belfield 2018 SS Nic Kent (Virginia)
-Millbrook 2017 RHP Anthony Simonelli (Virginia Tech)
VA/DC Prep Players to Watch
Scouting Report
DCPL Scout Blog
Lunsford-Shenkman has an athletic frame with strength present and projection left to it. Throws from a three-quarters arm slot, short loose quick arm action, easier effort to his delivery, shoulders are level and closed, lands slightly open with an athletic finish. Fastball was 88-91 with downward plane and some boring action to armside. Showed a curveball with good armspeed and sharp hard 11/5 break at 76-77, pitch had some shape to it. Change-up had good armspeed and heavy late fade at 80-81. Showed ability to command all three pitches in all parts of the zone, looked like he was in mid-season form already. Can bury breaking ball at back foot of lefties.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Shenkman didn't look great overall, but it was his first outing against live hitters in 2020 and it is very early in the season and there were some things to like. Overall, he looks like he has thinned out a bit, his frame is still strong but he looks more athletic this spring. Arm action looked clean and easy, looks healthy and is working up to game speed, which is all very good. Fastball was 84-87 with more movement than he had showed in the past. He was around the zone but had trouble getting strike calls and was working behind hitters. It didn't help him that Patriot's lineup is very good with commanding the strikezone. Only threw a few curveballs being behind in the count and early in the spring, but the ones he threw looked very good. Good armspeed, pitch came in at 72, sharp 11/5 break, showing as a swing and miss pitch now. Overall the results weren't good, but for a first outing it was fine and Shenkman looks ready for a good 2021.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Shenkman has a big strong frame with some projection left to it as he continues to add muscle to it. Shenkman throws from a high three-quarters arm slot with a short, loose arm action and a very quick arm, normal effort to his delivery. Shoulders uphill and closed, lands on line with an athletic finish. Shenkman's fastball sat 82-88 on the day with some downward plane and late run. In the first inning, he worked 86-88 from the windup, but was 82-85 in the slide step. That velocity held in the third inning, 86-88 in the windup and 83-85 in the stretch. He started to tail off in the fifth, working at 82-84 in the windup, but he found a second wind in the sixth, sitting 84-86. Showed ability to move pitch to both sides of the plate, but command within the strikezone is the next step for him. Curveball was 68-73 with between 10/4 and 11/5 break and some armspeed. Pitch looked best when he got on top and it was 72-73 with 11/5 tilt, showing sharp break and some armspeed. Pitch has a chance to be swing and miss as he gets more consistent with it.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Shenkman threw a short relief stint and was in the stretch the whole time. Strong athletic frame. Throws from a high three-quarters slot with a loose quick arm and some effort. Fastball had a bit of late sink to it and sat 85-87. Drop and drive delivery created a flatter plane, worked down in the zone during his whole outing. Only threw fastballs, will be a very interesting prospect to check in on again as he continues to develop.
Scouting Report
VA/DC Scout Blog
We got a chance to see Woolfolk last week and you can tell he is getting better with each start. Better feel for the zone with the fastball. Woolfolk worked 90-92 throughout and touched 93 twice with the fastball. The separator on the day was the slider. The slider was 79-82 through his three innings and missed bats on a consistent basis. Present swing and miss with late hard bite. Showed what appeared to be a curveball later on that was 74-75 mph and could throw that for strikes consistently as well. The curveball has similar shape, but takes a little bit off and gets up and down a little more. Showed one changeup during a longer at bat versus Collegiate's Hayden Rollison, that changeup was 84 mph.
VA/DC Committed Combine
Wagner is 6-5 with an athletic frame that has some strength present and some projection left to it. He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot, long loose quick arm action and normal effort to his delivery. Shoulders are uphill and slightly closed, lands slightly open with an athletic finish. Fastball was 89-91, with downward angle and boring action to armside. Curveball was 76-78 and had sharp 11/5 break and good armspeed and some shape. Change-up was 78-79 with good armspeed and hard armside run to it.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Woolfolk showed his ability to be a legitimate high level two way prospect tonight. At the plate he was two-for-three with a triple to right center and a line drive homerun out of center field. He flashed present power and ability to drive the ball to all fields. On the mound his velo was as good as we have seen it, getting up to 92-93 mph multiple times in his three innings of work. Fastball sat at 88-91 for the first few batters, but after that he seemed to find a different gear and overpowered multiple hitters the rest of the way. The breaking ball was at 78-81 and showed hard late life at times. Woolfolk is a big time player and earns every ounce of his top player positioning in the 2021 class for the state of Virginia.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Woolfolk sat 87-88 and flashed 89 a few times. He had all four pitches working on the day as the slider was at 81-82 mph which is a little firmer than the last time we saw him. Curveball was 73-74 mph and utilized the changeup a little more this time with it sitting at 80-81 mph. Pitched into the sixth and the velocity never faded.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Woolfolk is a strong athletic build standing around 6-foot-1. Solid two way player that probably sticks on the mound at a high major school down the road, but showed ability at the plate as well. Hits from the right side with a balanced upright stance, hands load back in rhythm, and shows a slight arm bar at separation. Small pickup and stride forward with a firm front side. Swing gets on plane early with a flat path and hands work across the body at contact, but shows high level hand and barrel strength at contact. Has present power to all fields with the speed to stretch a play for extra bases. On the mound works primarily out of the stretch with a low balance point. Closes lower half and shoulders before driving down the mound with the back side. Full arm circle with quick hand and arm speed throwing from a high three-quarter arm slot. Fastball sat between 88-90 mph throughout his four innings pitched and touched 91 quite a few times. Showed solid feel for two offspeed pitches and had ability to throw both for strikes at any time. Curveball was 74-75 mph with 11/5 shape and depth. Threw a cutter at 78-79 that had late life, but showed a little more slider depth. Is a high major two sport prospect that should continue to add velo as he continues to add strength to an already impressive frame.
9.16.17: Woolfolk is a multi-sport athlete who starts at quarterback as a freshman at Benedictine. He has an athletic projectable frame. Very good actions at short, very fast exchange and good hands. Quick feet, throws from a low three-quarters arm slot with an easy loose arm action. At plate, open athletic stance, short stride on line, explosive lower half and some balance to swing. Quick short level swing, uses whole field and showed ability to barrel consistently, power potential. Ran a 4.51 home to first.
Scouting Report
VA/DC Scout Blog
Robinson is a Texas Tech commit with a lanky 6-5 frame that has a lot of projection left to it. Throws from a low three-quarters arm slot, long loose very quick arm and easier effort to his delivery. Some drop and drive in his delivery, hips and shoulders tilt up and closed, strides out to an open landing, hips fire after footstrike, athletic complete finish to his delivery. Fastball was 88-91, touching 92 five times in his outing, pitch gets gradual boring action to armside with some late sink to it as well. Change-up was 83-84 with good armspeed and heavy late fade to it. Slider was 75-79 with good armspeed and sharp hard 11/5 break, shows some swing and miss and still could sharpen more into a true swing and miss pitch.
Robinson did not start the game, but entered to start the fourth inning with a 4-2 lead. He was dominant in his first two innings, threw fastball only in his first inning of work, sitting 89-91 and touching 92 twice while striking out two hitters and getting a weak groundout to short. In his second inning, was mostly again dominant aside from pitching around Kampschror and walking him, fastball held its velocity and he began to show the breaking ball. In his third inning of work, he worked around a hit batter and a single to put up another scoreless inning, fastball was 87-89, touching 90, in the inning. In the seventh, with the lead 7-2, he lost the strike zone a bit, falling behind and giving up a leadoff single and then issuing a walk. After the next batter reached on an error to load the bases, Robinson reached back and kicked up a notch. His velocity had been 87-90 to the first three hitters, and it went back up to 90-91, touching 92, to the final hitters of the inning. He did issue another walk with the bases loaded, but the umpire had lost the strike zone too by that point in the game. 67th and final pitch of the game was again 92 for a strikeout. Struck out 7 in his 4 innings, kept the ball out of the air, only two line drives, all other contact was on the ground. 39 strikes in 67 pitches.
DCPL Scout Blog
Robinson has a tall and very lanky frame with a lot of projection left to it, long limbs create easy leverage, prototypical pitcher's frame. Throws from a lower three-quarters arm action, longer loose very quick arm action, very easy effort to his drop and drive delivery, shoulders uphill and closed, lands on line, athletic complete finish to his delivery. Fastball was 88-90, touching 91, pitch has a tough angle for righties and some late armside run that gets a bit of depth. Tight slider had late sharp 10/4 break with good armspeed and was 81-82, flashed swing and miss. Change-up had good armspeed and was 83 with late fade.
Started for Nationals and pitched three perfect innings, striking out one. Long, skinny frame. Medium leg kick, short arm stroke in the back before coming through high-3/4 slot with solid arm speed. Short stride, slight effort late in delivery. Works quickly. Fastball was 88-91. Showed feel for fading changeup at 81-82, maintaining arm speed. Curveball was inconsistent, but showed 11/5 shape with depth and early break at 74-75.
Scouting Report
VA/DC Scout Blog
Triantos is a North Carolina commit and the top prospect in Virginia in the 2021 class. He didn't get a chance to do much at the plate in the game, walking once, striking out once in a long at-bat, and then was intentionally walked in his other PAs. On the mound, was 89-90 in the first two innings, touching as high as 92. Gave a few ticks in the stretch, working 86-88 there. Slider/breaking ball was 78-80 with sharp break, flashed swing and miss. Showed a hard change-up in the 84-86 range as well.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Triantos got minimal opportunities at the plate on Friday night, but I wanted to see him positionally as much as I did at the plate. Smooth, consistent defender at shortstop, above average arm strength across, and accurate. Showed nice lateral range that was on display when a Centreville hitter lined one over the third baseman's head in the hole and Triantos ranged over to keep it in the infield saving a Centreville run that would have scored from second. Easy to see the baseball IQ on this kid. Dropped a line drive early on trying to induce a double play, strike zone discipline, and aggressive on dirt balls. Simply has a feel for the game. In my opinion is the best and most complete player in the 2021 class in the state. Has the ability to make an early impact at UNC.
VA/DC Scout Blog
It has been a pretty regular occurrence this spring to go to a game, or be around other scouts and hear how much they like Triantos and it is easy to see why. Triantos plays the game at a different speed. He does not appear to be some high energy/high effort kid, he just plays the game hard all the time. On contact he looks for two out of the box and has the speed to stretch an extra bag on a hit, but also shows plenty of power in the swing. Square athletic stance, hands relaxed, and makes a quick load before a short level path to contact. Triantos has advanced feel for the barrel and adjustability in the swing. Was 4-4 on the night with one intentional walk. Led off the game with a line drive that got out of left field in a hurry. His next at bat he hit a first pitch line drive through the left side. In his third at bat he took an outside fastball out of right center field. In his fifth and final at bat of the night he worked a 3-2 count and you could tell he just wanted a chance to hit. His 3-2 pitch was a fastball about three balls off the plate and he flipped the barrel out hitting a ball into right center that he would get a hustle double on. Triantos got the start on the mound as well. It is a simple efficient delivery with low effort throughout. From the full he works with pace, especially when in a rhythm and consistently around the zone, which he was in the third and fourth innings. It is a full arm swing from a three-quarter arm slot. Early on the fastball was 86-89 and touched 90, but as he went deeper into the outing the velo was more 87-89 and touched 91 twice and 92 once. The offspeed command was not there early, especially the breaking ball, but it got better as the game progressed. Was more fastball-changeup early on and the slider started to play really well into the third and fourth innings. The changeup was 74-78 mph with gradual arm side fade and worked mostly to the arm side and he used it effectively to right handed and left handed hitters. The breaking ball had more of a slider profile to it and stayed between 77-80 mph with occasional late depth and swing and miss potential to it. Spin rate to the slider ranged from 2580-2766. Triantos is a UNC commit that offers plenty of intrigue as we creep towards the draft with the biggest question being arm or bat first.
VA/DC Scout Blog
Triantos has an athletic frame that has projection left to it. On the mound, throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. Short very quick arm action, normal effort to his delivery. Ball jumps out of hand, fastball was 84-88 on the day, sitting in that 86-88 range early. Change-up has heavy fade and good armspeed at 81-82. Curveball is best pitch and he shows advanced feel for it. Throws two versions, one to get a strike and then a wipeout swing and miss version. Overall pitch is 70-76 with sharp 11/5 break, when in the 75-76 range pitch is spectacular. At the plate, hits from the right side, short swing with some batspeed, used whole field and is a line drive hitter now with some gap power and the potential for more as he continues to get stronger.
12/2018
Triantos is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound framed athlete out of St. John's college. UNC commit. Compact controlled delivery with nice tempo. works down to out with some shoulder tile upon separation. Sound, clean arm action with fast arm speed through release. Pitches with some effort. Fastball shows later life on the pitch and jumps on hitters. Breaking ball is a quality pitch and shows swing and miss ability with near fastball arm speed. Has depth and 11/5 shape on the pitch with later action. Change up shows fade to the pitch and slows down on the pitch. Nice feel for his arsenal.