Top Georgia 2020 MLB Draft Prospects
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Image credit: Georgia righthander Emerson Hancock (Courtesy of Georgia)
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State List Talent Ranking: ??????
(Stars are listed on a 1 to 5 scale relative to what the state typically produces, with 1 being the weakest)
Nat Rank | Player | Pos | School | Ht | Wt | B-T | Commit/Drafted |
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4 | Emerson Hancock | RHP | Georgia | 6-4 | 215 | R-R | Diamondbacks ’17 (38) |
A notable high school prospect out of Georgia in 2017, Hancock established himself as one of the best college arms during a tremendous sophomore season in 2019. He posted a 1.99 ERA—the eighth best mark in Georgia history—and led the SEC with a 0.84 WHIP while allowing one run or fewer in nine of his 14 starts. Scouts lauded his delivery, command and repertoire at the time, with some believing each of his pitches were plus or better. The grades on each of Hancock’s offerings weren’t quite as gaudy early in 2020, but Hancock’s command, frame, delivery and pitch mix still place him among the class’ elite. Hancock’s command, possibly his attribute, earns him potential plus grades—rare for an amateur pitcher with his stuff. He walked just 1.79 batters per nine innings as a sophomore, and that rate was down to 1.13 after four starts in 2020. He spots his entire arsenal where he wants it, which can allow everything to play up. Hancock’s fastball ranges from 93-97, though some evaluators question the underlying quality of the pitch, wondering if it has the riding life and swing-and-miss qualities you’d like to see from a frontline starter. It’s possible a lower arm slot leads to some of those concerns. After the fastball, Hancock throws a slider in the low 80s that he worked on over the offseason and gets plus grades at its best. The pitch is more often a 55-grade offering, though, while a tumbling changeup is his most consistent offspeed pitch and generates whiffs from batters on either side. Hancock also throws a curveball, though less frequently than his other three pitches. Hancock is unsurprisingly efficient considering his command, and he also fields his position well with impressive natural athleticism and a clean delivery that leaves him in good fielding position. Hancock should be one of the first pitchers off the board, but teams would prefer a frontline pitching prospect to have a no-doubt, out-pitch breaking ball and Hancock’s haven’t reached that quality as consistently as scouts would like. Either way, his athleticism, frame, command, velocity, changeup and track record in the SEC all combine to provide some safety and make him difficult to pass up. | |||||||
24 | Cole Wilcox | RHP | Georgia | 6-5 | 232 | R-R | Nationals ’18 (37) |
Wilcox was in the middle of an extremely talented Georgia prep pitching class in 2018, along with arms like Indians righty Ethan Hankins and Vanderbilt righty Kumar Rocker. Wilcox was seen as a day one talent at the time, with a projectable frame, plus fastball and two promising secondary offerings, but the depth of the class and his commitment to Georgia allowed him to slide. Two years later, Wilcox is again a potential first-round pick and one of many impressive draft-eligible sophomores in the 2020 class. Wilcox has worked with Georgia’s strength and conditioning coach, Ryan Gearhart, to add significant muscle to his 6-foot-5 frame in his two years at school. He’s now listed at 232 pounds and is one of the more physically intimidating pitchers in the country. His stuff matches his size, as Wilcox attacks hitters with a fastball that frequently gets into the 97-98 mph range and has touched 100 mph. After spending most of his time as a reliever in 2019, Wilcox entered the 2020 season as the Bulldogs’ Saturday starter behind Emerson Hancock and was off to a great start before the season was cut short. Wilcox posted a 1.57 ERA in four starts, with 32 strikeouts and just two walks in 23 innings. That walk rate is encouraging for teams, who are skeptical of Wilcox’s strike-throwing ability after he walked close to six batters per nine innings in 2019. Scouts would have liked to see him continue that trend against SEC batters, as Wilcox has a tendency to get scattered and miss the zone, but his stuff is overpowering enough that overmatched hitters would still chase out of the zone. Wilcox pitched mostly off of a 93-96 mph fastball as a starter, with a mid-80s slider that also grades as plus. He also throws a changeup in the same mid-80s range that could give him an average or better third offering. Wilcox was trending in the right direction prior to the season ending and was already a first round-type of talent entering the year, so how much a team likes his upside and buys into his improved control will determine where he goes. As an eligible sophomore, Wilcox will have more leverage than most college players and could be a costly sign. | |||||||
34 | Jordan Walker | 3B | Decatur (Ga.) HS | 6-5 | 220 | R-R | Duke |
The best high school third baseman in the class, Walker is a massive-framed, 6-foot-5, 220-pound slugger committed to Duke. He’s also the top-ranked prep prospect out of Georgia, which has been more pitcher-heavy than bat-heavy in recent years. Walker was one of the high school players who managed to get seen early and often during the shortened 2020 season. He performed at a high level against solid competition while all those eyes were on him. Walker has a solid feel to hit with plus raw power and plenty more projected as he grows into more strength. While there are some questions about his natural feel to hit thanks to the length of his arms and some swing-and-miss concerns, Walker has progressed in the right direction with his hit tool and could be an average or slightly better hitter. He moves remarkably well considering his size, though many scouts don’t think that will be enough to prevent a move to first base or a corner outfield spot in the future. Walker was something of a polarizing player last summer for scouts, largely thanks to questions about his profile, but he performed at the right time this spring and could go off the board at the end of the first round or shortly thereafter. Scouts praise Walker’s heady, cerebral nature and believe he could be a tough sign out of Duke, where he could elevate his draft stock with a few years of ACC performance. | |||||||
69 | Ty Floyd | RHP | Rockmart (Ga.) HS | 6-2 | 180 | R-R | Louisiana State |
An athletic, projectable righthander out of Georgia, Floyd was a two-way player for most of his life and thought of himself as more of a hitter than pitcher until recently. Also a talented basketball player, Floyd doesn’t have a ton of innings under his belt. Because of all those factors, there are more question marks with Floyd but also reasons to think he could take big steps forward by focusing exclusively on baseball. Committed to Louisiana State, Floyd has an explosive fastball out of a quick arm, running the pitch up into the mid-90s with an impressive riding life that gets plenty of whiffs up in the zone. At East Coast Pro last summer, Floyd got 12 whiffs on the pitch in just two innings. He typically sits in the 90-93 mph range, but scouts have noted that his velocity is inconsistent from outing to outing. Similarly, his secondary offerings are inconsistent and don’t project as anything more than fringe-average, 45-grade offerings now. He has thrown a slurvy curveball in the 70-75 mph range that he doesn’t get on top of consistently but has decent spin, and has also thrown an upper-70s changeup, though his release point drops when he throws it. With a lean, 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame, it’s easy to dream of what Floyd could be with a few years of development and training under his belt but teams that want more of a finished product might be more inclined to let him get to campus. | |||||||
116 | Luke Waddell | SS | Georgia Tech | 5-9 | 176 | L-R | Diamondbacks ’19 (32) |
Waddell does a lot of things on the field well, bringing defensive versatility, above-average running ability and on-base skills to the table. A third baseman last summer for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, Waddell was third on the team in hitting, with a .300/.419/.417 line over 16 games. Coaches were impressed with his defensive ability. Waddell reads the ball well off the bat, has reliable hands and good body control. While he plays shortstop for Georgia Tech, he probably doesn’t have the defensive ability at the position to push off better defenders and is more likely a super-utility type player who can fill in at shortstop in a pinch if necessary. Waddell was also Team USA’s emergency catcher. Offensively, Waddell has solid bat-to-ball skills and impressive zone recognition, but he lacks much power. Instead he takes professional at-bats and swings at the right pitches, doing his damage by collecting walks and slapping singles around the field. In his Georgia Tech career, Waddell has walked 13 percent of the time compared to striking out just nine percent. With a maxed out, 5-foot-9, 180-pound frame, Waddell doesn’t offer a ton of projection or impact potential, but scouts and coaches alike praise his work ethic, determination and baseball IQ. | |||||||
139 | Corey Collins | C | North Gwinnett HS, Suwanee, Ga. | 6-3 | 210 | L-R | Georgia |
Collins wasn’t seen as frequently over the summer showcase circuit after dealing with injuries, but is a strong, lefthanded-hitting catcher with power potential and solid catch-and-throw ability. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound Georgia commit, Collins is likely hurt by the shortened 2020 season more than most players because scouts simply weren’t able to get as many looks as some of the other notable prep players on the summer circuit. Those who have seen Collins see a catcher with good receiving ability and average arm strength and accuracy. The bat is more of the calling card with Collins at this point, and he’s shown plenty of natural strength, good bat speed and feel for the barrel. Collins has shown a mature, all-fields approach and is a solid runner for a catcher as well. Some scouts believed Collins was a candidate to move up draft boards with a strong spring thanks to his solid all-around toolset, but he is expected to be a tough sign in general and that could make things even more difficult for clubs who are worried about their lack of evaluations. | |||||||
151 | Marquis Grissom Jr. | RHP | Counterpane HS, Fayetteville, Ga. | 6-2 | 180 | R-R | Georgia Tech |
The son of long-time major leaguer Marquis Grissom, Grissom Jr. is an entirely different player than his father. Listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Grissom Jr. is an athletic righthander with a fastball in the 88-92 mph range that could easily tick up in the future with better usage of his lower half and additional strength. He’s got a pair of interesting breaking balls in a curveball and a split-change, and has fallen in love with the splitter after seeing some success with it over the summer. The pitch falls off the table with tremendous fade and tumbling action at its best, in the 75-78 mph range, and has plus potential. He’s shown the feel to spin his curveball as well, though it can get slurvey at times and he also has a tendency to cast the pitch. It’s another mid-70s offering with 12-to-6 shape that could be an above-average pitch as well with more power. A projection righthander with plenty of athleticism, teams could be interested in Grissom in the 3-6 round range, or let him get to Georgia Tech where he would be an eligible sophomore in 2022. | |||||||
178 | Jackson Phipps | LHP | East Paulding HS, Dallas, Ga. | 6-5 | 205 | L-L | South Carolina |
Phipps is a projection high school arm in the truest sense of the definition, with a 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame that has plenty of room to add more weight, solid stuff presently and the chance to take a significant step forward in the future with more refinement. Over the summer Phipps showed a fastball that ranged from 86-93 mph, with a promising slider in the 77-80 mph range that showed plenty of depth and movement. With the length in his frame and delivery, on top of a crossfiring action and low, three-quarter slot, Phipps’ stuff should play up if he’s able to consistently put it where he wants. He’s been erratic at times for scouts, both in terms of his velocity and with the quality of his strikes. He has early hand separation and some noticeable head whack in his finish, but has the athleticism to figure out the moving parts with continued reps. While scouts have seen flashes of everything put together with Phipps, he remains a project and in a shorter draft it could be easier for teams to let him get to campus at South Carolina, where it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make an immediate impact and make a big jump with his strike throwing and stuff. | |||||||
200 | Will Sanders | RHP | Woodward Academy, College Park, Ga. | 6-6 | 195 | L-R | South Carolina |
A projection righthander with a lanky, 6-foot-6, 195-pound frame, Sanders is a pitcher who most scouts see a lot of upside with in the future but are still waiting on him to tap into it. His stuff is mostly fringe-average at best now, but scouts love the indicators he’s shown with his athleticism and a body that should add plenty of strength and muscle in a few years. His fastball sat in the 87-90 mph range for the most part last summer, and he’s run the pitch up to 92 mph at his best. He’s also shown some feel to spin a slurvy breaking ball in the 77-79 mph range that has potential to become an above-average secondary. Sanders has also shown some promise with a 78-80 mph changeup that might wind up being his best pitch, a swing-and-miss secondary he’s shown exceptional feel for at his age. While most scouts and teams are excited to see what Sanders will be in a few years, most also would prefer to let him reach campus at South Carolina, unless he was signable somewhere in the middle of day two. If he was to sign, Sanders would be a slow-mover through a minor league system as he adds the necessary physicality to his frame. | |||||||
209 | Ryan Webb | LHP | Georgia | 6-1 | 196 | L-L | Never Drafted |
If Webb was on most teams in the country, there’s a chance he could be the No. 1 or No. 2 starter in a weekend rotation. But with an incredibly deep pitching staff at Georgia, Webb has had to settle for a prominent reliever role, where he excelled early in the 2020 season and became perhaps the biggest up-arrow player in Georgia thanks to his improved stuff and performance. Webb entered Georgia’s first game of the season in relief of Emerson Hancock and stole the show, striking out a career-best 11 batters in five lights-out innings that got scouts talking. After being more of a pitchability lefthander in high school, Webb has added velocity and improved his secondaries. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound lefty now has a fastball that has touched 94-95 mph and sits in the 89-93 mph range, with a curveball, changeup and a recently added slider/cutter. Webb’s curveball is in the 75-80 mph range with solid depth, while his more firm breaking ball is thrown in the 81-84 mph range with less movement but could be an above-average or better offering. His changeup gives him a fourth average pitch in the 82-84 mph range with fading life to his arm side. After posting a 1.06 ERA over 17 innings with 29 strikeouts and seven walks this season, it wouldn’t be at all surprising for a team to draft Webb and give him a chance to start at the next level, despite starting just seven games in college—all of which came in his freshman season. | |||||||
222 | Jaden Woods | LHP | Houston County HS, Warner Robins, Ga. | 6-2 | 190 | L-L | Georgia |
An athletic lefthander committed to Georgia, Woods is a projection pitcher who checks off a lot of boxes for scouts despite lacking premium stuff. After a bit of a down outing last summer at East Coast Pro, where Woods threw 85-88 mph with a below-average breaking ball, Woods started showing an exciting three-pitch mix. Scouts saw a fastball in the 88-92 mph range that touched 93. Woods also improved his breaking ball—a 2-to-8 slider that projects as an average offering. His best secondary might be a changeup that has above-average potential. Woods had a chance to continue trending up this spring, but he didn’t show the same velocity and also dealt with an injury. It could be tough for teams to sign Woods out of Georgia given the 2020 draft environment, but he has the athleticism and makeup to take big strides with a program that does an excellent job developing arms. | |||||||
226 | Baron Radcliff | OF | Georgia Tech | 6-4 | 239 | L-R | Braves ’17 (40) |
If you were just lining up the players in the 2020 class with the biggest raw power, you wouldn’t list many before Radcliff. A powerful, 6-foot-4, 228-pound outfielder Radcliff has plus-plus raw power that wows scouts. He used that juice to hit 12 home runs in 2019, when he made the All-ACC second team. Concerns about his hit tool have Radcliff back a bit in college and could hold him back in pro ball. While he can impact a ball exceptionally well when he times it up, he’s struggled with whiffs and consistently tapping into his power. Radcliff hit .180/.229/.348 as a freshman with a strikeout rate around 45 percent. That rate is unsustainable, and to Radcliff’s credit he improved over the next two years, but still whiffed around 30 percent of the time as a sophomore and through 16 games during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. The shortened season impacts Radcliff as much as any college prospect, as he has the upside and tools to go as high as the second round, but he needed a strong full season of at-bats to prove that to scouting departments. Without that, teams will be skeptical that he can get to even a below-average hit tool. Last summer in the Cape Cod League, Radcliff hit six home runs in 29 games, but he managed just a .237/.318/.495 line with a 34-percent strikeout rate. Radcliff runs well in a straight line and has played center field previously, but he’s a better fit for a corner outfield spot. | |||||||
258 | Alek Boychuk | C | Mill Creek HS, Hoschton, Ga. | 6-1 | 208 | R-R | South Carolina |
An offensive-inclined backstop out of Mill Creek High in Hoschton, Ga., Boychuk stands out for his consistent hitting ability. While he didn’t have the best performance last summer during the PDP League, scouts who know him well have commented that he regularly performs at a high level with the bat and noted that he improved on the offensive side of the game this spring. He got bigger and stronger over the offseason, and now has plus bat speed with a chance to get to solid-average power. Boychuk has a balanced, righthanded swing and could be an average hitter. While he trended in the right direction on the offensive side of the ball, his defensive game went the opposite direction this spring. While Boychuk does have above-average arm, he’s noisy behind the plate and doesn’t look like a big-league defender just yet. Boychuk is competing against a deep prep catching class in a shorter draft this year, which could make it easier for him to make it to campus at South Carolina. | |||||||
275 | Brady Moore | SS | Pickens HS, Jasper, Ga. | 6-2 | 190 | R-R | Coastal Carolina |
A strong, athletic shortstop with a football background, Moore had a chance to jump up draft boards with a strong spring with Pickens High in Jasper, Ga. He intrigued scouts last fall in Jupiter while playing for the East Cobb Yankees, where he showed athleticism, plus bat speed and a plus arm at shortstop. Due to a somewhat limited history, teams might be more inclined to let Moore get to Coastal Carolina with a five-round draft, but those who like Moore believe he will stick at shortstop and are excited about his line drive swing. Moore is just an average runner with average raw power, but those tools on a player projected to stick at shortstop are attractive, especially considering Moore’s standout athleticism and makeup. Evaluators love his mentality on and off the field and believe he’s a player who will make the most of his natural ability. Those who like him saw a player whose talent fit in the third or fourth round, but his lack of history might make it hard for him to get selected in 2020. | |||||||
290 | Brant Hurter | LHP | Georiga Tech | 6-6 | 252 | L-L | Never Drafted |
Scouts started getting excited about Hurter when he was an underclassman with Georgia Tech, particularly after he posted a 2.42 ERA through nine starts and 48.1 innings as a sophomore in 2019. In that stretch, Hurter struck out 58 batters while walking just 14, but he injured his elbow and had Tommy John surgery. He has a chance for an above-average fastball and slider, with the latter showing hard, late bite and is effective against righties and lefties. There is some significant effort in his delivery, however, which could raise questions about his ability to start at the next level. Even so, he showed marked improvement in strike-throwing from his freshman to sophomore seasons. Hurter will be difficult for teams to evaluate considering he hasn’t pitched in more than a year, but he does have a solid Cape Cod League track record after posting a 3.09 ERA with good strikeout and walk rates in 2018 with Yarmouth-Dennis. | |||||||
298 | Cam Shepherd | SS | Georgia | 6-1 | 181 | R-R | Rays ’19 (20) |
Shepherd has been a well-known prospect going back to his days in high school, when the Red Sox selected him in the 29th round of the 2016 draft out of Peachtree Ridge High in Suwanee, Ga. Shepherd elected to go to school at Georgia, where he hit well as a freshman and showed a high-level ability to handle shortstop despite no superior or standout tools. After hitting .307/.354/.452 in 2017, Shepherd’s offensive numbers started to slide and after four seasons and 197 games, the 6-foot-1, 181-pound senior has a career .262/.350/.417 line. Shepherd takes solid, professional at-bats and has a line-drive stroke, but he’s a fringy runner and doesn’t have significant upside according to most scouts. He’ll make all the routine plays at shortstop, which could get teams interested, but after electing to return to Georgia after being drafted in the 20th round by the Rays in 2019, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Shepherd return to Athens for one more season. | |||||||
310 | Michael Guldberg | OF | Georgia Tech | 6-0 | 171 | R-R | Never Drafted |
Guldberg has performed at a high level with the bat at Georgia Tech in each season going back to 2018. He would likely be higher on draft boards if he hadn’t been limited in playing time as a freshman in 2018 and this spring due to the coronavirus ending the season. The 6-foot, 171-pound outfielder managed a .368/.510/.579 line in 28 games as a freshman before a shoulder injury sidelined him. That led him to being the team’s designated hitter for the most part in 2019, when he hit at the top of the lineup and finished second in the ACC in hitting (.355) with almost as many walks (31) as strikeouts (32). Guldberg was off to a similar start this spring, hitting .450/.521/.533 in 16 games before the 2020 season ended. While he’s shown an impressive bat, Guldberg has little power to speak of, with three career homers for the Yellow Jackets. He’s an above-average runner, but some scouts question whether he can play center field and he also has a below-average arm. He’s spent some time at second base in college, but a left field profile seems more likely and he doesn’t have the typical power you look for at that position. While his tools aren’t super loud, Guldberg’s performance will stand out on many models. | |||||||
317 | Tucker Bradley | OF | Georgia | 6-0 | 206 | L-L | Never Drafted |
A consistent performer at Georgia, Bradley has hit over .300 each season for the Bulldogs outside of a three-game 2019 campaign that was cut short due to a shoulder injury. Now a redshirt junior, the calling card with Bradley is his bat, and he was off to one of his better seasons this spring through 18 games. He managed a career-best six home runs and was slashing .397/.513/.730 with an impressive 4-to-13 strikeout-to-walk rate. Bradley doesn’t have a gaudy toolset, and he’s undersized for a corner outfield profile at 6-foot, 206 pounds, but after tapping into more power this spring when healthy there’s a chance he could profile in left field. While Bradley isn’t a burner, he’s a sneaky good runner for his frame and he’s also an intelligent and opportunistic base stealer, with 26 steals in 32 attempts (81.2 percent) for his career. Bradley has also shown the ability to bunt for a base hit, which keeps defenses on their toes when he’s at the plate. Bradley has a unique profile and isn’t a prototypical middle-of-the-order college bat, but given his performance and developing power he would have been a top-10 round potential pick for many teams in a typical draft year. | |||||||
335 | CJ Smith | LHP | Georgia | 6-1 | 191 | L-L | Never Drafted |
Smith served as a two-way player on the mound and in the outfield for Georgia as a freshman and sophomore, but in 2020 transitioned to a full-time starting role on the mound. A soft-tossing lefthander listed at 6-foot-1, 191 pounds, Smith gets by more from spotting his stuff than overpowering hitters. His fastball sits in the 87-91 mph range and is mostly around 89. The pitch can be tough to hit with good angle when he keeps the ball down and two solid-average secondaries to keep hitters honest. Smith throws a curveball that has flashed above average and has a consistently solid changeup, but his fastball command is more solid than spectacular, which will limit his upside. He profiles more as a depth-type, swingman starter. For his career, Smith has a 3.46 ERA in 101.1 innings with 7.5 strikeouts per nine and 3.8 walks per nine. | |||||||
339 | Fernando Gonzalez | C | North Cobb Christian HS, Kennesaw, Ga. | 5-10 | 185 | R-R | Georgia |
One of the more advanced catch-and-throw backstops in the prep class, Gonzalez stood out last summer for his plus arm strength and receiving skills. He showed excellent carry and accuracy on his throws at East Coast Pro, and also showed some pull-side pop in batting practice. Gonzalez’s bat still has room for improvement. Scouts like the quality of his at-bats and his simple righthanded swing, but he can get overly aggressive and get himself out on bad pitches rather than driving the ball with authority and consistency. Gonzalez is committed to Georgia and could be a bigger name with an improved offense at the college level, though no one doubts his ability behind the plate. | |||||||
364 | Harold Coll | SS | Georgia Premier Academy, Statesboro, Ga. | 5-11 | 185 | R-R | North Carolina |
An athletic shortstop with plus arm strength and a smooth swing, Coll has a few tools that could interest teams, but it might be more difficult to sign him out of a North Carolina commitment in a five-year draft. Coll has plus defensive actions with good body control and an arm that can easily keep him on the left side of the infield, but some scouts have noted that the game can speed up on him at times, and wonder if he has the instincts and internal clock to handle shortstop at the next level. While Coll is just 5-foot-11, he has added plenty of strength over the offseason and is now listed at 185 pounds. He does have solid bat speed from the right side and a swing that some evaluators think is advanced for a prep bat, but he showed some chase tendencies at the plate last summer, and area scouts wonder how much he’ll hit at the next level. Scouts have Coll graded as an average runner. | |||||||
380 | Jaylen Paden | RHP/SS | Decatur (Ga.) HS | 5-10 | 170 | R-R | Georgia Southern |
An undersized two-way player who attends the same high school as potential day one pick Jordan Walker, Paden is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound shortstop and righthander committed to Georgia Southern. While he has a chance to play both ways at the next level in college, scouts prefer him on the mound, where he shows a solid three-pitch mix headlined by a sinking fastball that tops out in the low 90s. Paden has also shown good feel for a slider and a changeup, and brings impressive athleticism and a quick, whip-like arm to the table. While Paden might be harder to buy out of college in a five-round draft this year, unlike many high school players he should have been seen frequently enough by the right people for teams to feel comfortable despite a shortened season. | |||||||
383 | Oscar Serratos | 3B | Young Harris (Ga.) | 6-2 | 195 | R-R | Indians ’17 (14) |
Serratos was a high-profile shortstop prospect coming out of high school who showed an all-around toolset and then excelled in his first year at Georgia Tech, hitting .311/.393/.437. He’s gone in the wrong direction since then, as he struggled in the Cape Cod League in 2018 before hitting .246/.315/.338 as a sophomore. Serratos was dismissed from the team and moved to Division II Young Harris (Ga.) College, where he hit .259/.436/.466 through 18 games. Serratos is now a third baseman, which hurts his overall profile as teams believed he needed improved strength and power production even before he moved to the hot corner. He has plenty of arm strength for the position, but there were some hit questions in high school when Serratos faced better competition, and those concerns have been raised again after his struggles over the last two years. Teams are also skeptical of the 6-foot-2, 195-pound infielder’s makeup after being dismissed from Georgia Tech, adding to the list of question marks. Serratos does have pedigree going back to his high school days, so it is possible a team takes a flyer on him hoping they can get him back on track, but that’s even more unlikely in a five-round draft. | |||||||
384 | Parks Harber | 3B | Westminster HS, Atlanta | 6-4 | 210 | R-R | Georgia |
A strong, 6-foot-4, 210-pound corner infielder, Harber has a power-oriented game and was also a talented football player at Westminster High in Atlanta. He needed a strong spring with the bat after underwhelming over the summer showcase circuit in front of crosscheckers and scouting directors, so the shortened 2020 season is even more detrimental to Harber than most. Area scouts thought he improved in the fall and were looking forward to seeing more of him this spring, as some think he has a chance to be an average hitter with above-average or plus power. A third baseman now, Harber will likely have to move to first base at the next level, as his glove work and mobility at the hot corner leave evaluators wanting. He’s a below-average runner, so all of his value is tied up in the bat, and without strong summer performance to point to, Harber has a solid chance to get to Georgia where he could develop into a middle-of-the-order type slugger. | |||||||
391 | Riley King | 3B/OF | Georgia | 6-0 | 186 | R-R | Braves ’19 (26) |
A 6-foot, 189-pound redshirt junior, King raised his profile last summer after performing well in the Cape Cod League with Yarmouth-Dennis. The third baseman and outfielder hit .323/.373/.427 and showed impressive defensive ability at the hot corner. Scouts saw a player who could have been a top 10 round pick with continued performance during the spring but King hit just .203/.306/.203 through 18 games during his redshirt junior season. A gap hitter, King doesn’t have the prototypical power that a corner player possesses, which could make him a better fit at second base. He’s athletic enough to handle a number of positions, including both corner outfield spots and has the makeup and work ethic to make it work. King has performed at higher levels in the past with Georgia—he hit .295/.403/.440 as a redshirt sophomore in 2019—and has solid bat speed, but has struggled with breaking pitches. | |||||||
392 | Andy Archer | RHP | Georgia Tech | 6-4 | 220 | R-R | Never Drafted |
A 6-foot-4, 220-pound righthander, Archer missed the 2019 season due to an elbow injury—though he didn’t undergo Tommy John surgery—and got back on the mound for just 10.2 innings this spring before the 2020 season ended. A fastball/changeup pitcher, Archer works with a fastball in the 91-93 mph range predominantly, while his changeup is an above-average or plus pitch. He has worked on developing a breaking ball to give him a third quality offering, and scouts have gone anywhere from an average to below-average grade on the pitch. Archer is a solid strike thrower who comes right after hitters and has a good frame, but he doesn’t have the loudest pure stuff and his injury history could complicate his draft stock. | |||||||
398 | Brad Grenkoski | OF/RHP | Kell HS, Marietta, Ga. | 6-4 | 200 | R-R | Georgia Tech |
A physical, 6-foot-4, 200-pound, two-way player, Grenkoski has legitimate pro potential on both sides of the ball. His arm is likely his biggest asset at the moment. He threw 99 mph from the outfield at Perfect Game’s National showcase last summer and has been up to 92 mph off the mound from the right side. The Georgia Tech commit has also shown enough with the bat to give himself a real chance to hit and potentially tap into some power as well, though a deep load may disrupt his timing moving forward. As a position player, Grenkoski likely fits best in a corner outfield spot or at first base, and on the mound he is presently unrefined, but has plenty of upside. | |||||||
404 | Josh Shuler | OF | North Gwinnett HS, Suwanee, Ga. | 6-2 | 200 | L-R | South Carolina |
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound outfielder committed to South Carolina, Shuler brings athleticism and bat speed to the table, but is still working to refine his game on both sides of the ball. Shuler is twitchy in the box and is starting to grow into his frame, with present ability to ambush certain pitches, but his bat works quickly in and out of the zone with a steep path and his plate coverage is inconsistent at the moment. He’s an above-average runner with solid-average arm strength and has a chance to play all three outfield positions. Some scouts like his routes in the outfield and think he’s trending in the right direction defensively, while others believe he’ll be limited to a corner. | |||||||
446 | Ben Anderson | OF | Georgia | 6-1 | 171 | L-R | Never Drafted |
A redshirt sophomore, Anderson had to sit out for the 2019 season due to transfer rules after spending his 2018 season at Furman. While there, Anderson was a standout leadoff hitter who led the team in each triple slash category, hitting .361/.461/.530 while setting a program-record with seven triples. In the 18 games Anderson was able to play in for Georgia prior to the 2020 season ending, he continued to show impressive bat-to-ball skills. The 6-foot-1, 171-pound outfielder led the Bulldogs with a .414 average and .544 on base percentage. An above-average runner, there’s a chance Anderson could stick in center field at the next level, and he’s shown some skill in chasing down balls in the gaps, but some scouts wish he was faster. He doesn’t have loud supplemental tools, with little power and would have been drafted on the strength of his collegiate hitting performance in a typical draft. With just five rounds, perhaps Anderson instead returns to Georgia where he could continue showing his hit tool is legit. | |||||||
479 | Shep Hancock | RHP/1B | Trinity Christian HS, Sharpsburg, Ga. | 6-3 | 225 | L-R | Mercer |
A two-way player in high school, Hancock has more pro upside on the mound. A big and physical, 6-foot-3, 225-pound righthander, Hancock has a fastball that has been up to 93 and shown some potential with a top-to-bottom curveball. There is some reliever risk thanks to the effort in his delivery and scouts will also want him to maintain his body moving forward. Hancock could impact both sides of the ball at Mercer if he makes it to campus, as scouts do think he’s got a solid bat, but not one that would profile in a corner at the next level. |
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