Day Two Recap Of The BlueJays MILB Draft With BA Scouting Reports

[jays4life19]

3.(102) Zach Jackson RHP Arkansas

BA: A well-built 6-foot-3, 195-pound righthander with an extreme stab in his delivery, a long arm action and trouble repeating his delivery, Jackson battles his near bottom of the scale control in most every outing. Jackson has walked 5.5 walks batters per nine innings in his career and his control has shown little improvement during his three seasons with the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks have tried starting Jackson, but his pitch inefficiency always scraps the experiment-he made it out of the fifth inning in only one of his five Southeastern Conference starts this year. So why is Jackson rated so high? It's because he has one of the best breaking balls in the draft, an outstanding tight 12-to-6 downer curve which grades as at least a plus offering. Too often he misses his fastball by feet, not inches and even when he's locating it in the zone, hitters often seem to be able to time his 90-93 mph fastball when he's up in the zone. He also mixes in a below-average changeup. There are many nights where Jackson has more feel in his curveball than his fastball. As good as the arm is, it will take a significant optimist to believe that Jackson can tone down his delivery enough to start, but his combination of a plus curveball and a plus fastball (it sits 92-96 mph out of the bullpen) has played better as a reliever and would play with even below-average control.

 

4.(132) Joshua Palacios OF Auburn

BA: Palacios comes from a baseball family, as his uncle Rey played parts of three seasons in the major leagues with the Royals. He's from Brooklyn and attended San Jacinto (Texas) for two seasons before transferring to Auburn, where he was the Tigers' top hitter before a wrist injury on April 7 ended his season. He's a left fielder for Auburn who has a good swing and potentially above-average bat thanks to his natural rhythm at the plate and feel for hitting. He's an average runner who fits a tweener profile, with his power falling below what scouts look for in a corner profile, so he'll likely be tried in center field as a pro to see if he can be a future fourth outfielder.

 

5.(162)Cavan Biggio 2nd Notre Dame

BA: As you would expect for the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, Cavan Biggio has a very intelligent approach to the game. His understanding of the game is arguably his best attribute, as his tools are modest. Biggio is an average runner and stole 14 bases in 14 tries during the regular season. Biggio, who has a plenty of pre-swing movement that he may need to tone down as a pro, has below-average power with an all-field approach that gives him a fringe-average hit tool. His advanced batting eye helped him walk in 21 percent of his plate appearances this season, helping him to post a .473 on-base percentage. Defensively, he's struggled with his reliability as a junior. His range is limited but he turns a good double play.

 

6.(192) D.J. Daniels OF Fike HS, Wilson, N.C.

BA: A three-sport star in high school, Daniels is a James Madison football and baseball signee—a dual-threat quarterback and an outfielder. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Daniels projects as a corner outfielder with strength and power potential, and he has plus hand-eye coordination. Though an average runner, Daniels boasts plenty of athleticism, having also played basketball in high school and drawing football interest from schools in the ACC. Daniels didn’t play in the fall due to a broken left wrist.

 

7.(222) Andy Ravel RHP Kent State

BA: While Eric Lauer became one of the stars of the 2016 college season, Ravel just kept rolling along as a reliable member of the Flashes' rotation. Ravel's stuff hasn't changed much over the past three seasons. He sits in the upper-80s but will touch 92-93, and he succeeds by mixing a fringe-average curveball with an above-average slider that's been his putaway pitch. He also will throw the occasional fringy changeup.

 

8.(252) Kyle Weatherly RHP Grayson (Texas) CC

BA: A skinny 6-foot-3 righthander, Weatherly managed to go 9-2, 2.62 in a league where a 5.00 ERA is a good showing. Grayson's team ERA was 5.54 and Grayson's opponents posted an 8.86 ERA. Weatherly is a redshirt sophomore who is committed to LSU for next year if he doesn't sign with a pro club. Weatherly generally does a good job of controlling an 91-93 mph fastball and a average slider. He profiles best in pro ball right now as a reliever. Weatherly will turn 22 in October, so he's as old as most college juniors, but there's still room for him to fill out more. If he can add some more strength and continue to refine his below-average changeup, there's a chance he could remain a starter.

 

9.(282) Nick Hartman RHP Old Dominion

BA: Hartman's performance for Old Dominion this year was a bit underwhelming; he posted a 4.81 ERA over 48 2/3 innings. However, Hartman's fastball can reach the mid-90s, with some reports of him touching 96 mph. Hartman also throws a slider in the low 80s. He'll have to learn how to use his stuff better going forward, but he has the raw arm strength to develop as a righthanded reliever.

 

10. (312) Kirby Snead LHP Florida

BA: Snead has been an integral part of Florida's bullpen since arriving on campus. Entering the draft, he has made 99 career appearances, the sixth most in program history. Snead throws from a three-quarters arm slot that makes him tougher on lefties and adds movement to his fastball, which typically sits 88-90 mph. He throws a solid breaking ball and has a changeup to combat righthanded hitters. Snead has built a strong track record at Florida and can be an effective middle reliever, but should at least be able to find a role in pro ball as a lefty specialist.

 

 

Zach Jackson - Hard throwing, good stuff RP (93-96 MPH FB and hammer curve), but walks and poor command, has said that he is going to sign. College guy

Josh Palacios - Speedy CF, Contact/line drive doubles guy. College guy

Cavan Biggio - Son of Craig Biggio, High OBP 2B, has said that he is going to sign. College guy

DJ Daniels - Corner outfielder with pop, great athlete, and was a standout QB in high school in addition to playing baseball. Could be a tough sign. High school guy

Andy Ravel - 3 pitch SP, could be a back of the rotation guy in the MLB, none of his stuff really stands out but he knows how to pitch. College guy

Kyle Weatherly - 90-94 MPH fastball, changeup, slider, could start in pro ball but they could also just use him as a reliever. College guy

Nick Hartman - "90-95 MPH fastball with a decent curveball" College reliever

Kirby Snead - College lefty reliever, LOOGY type guy

 

That's the rundown, essentially, from what I've learned.