Top Oklahoma 2020 MLB Draft Prospects

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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
22	Cade Cavalli	RHP	Oklahoma	6-4	226	R-R	Braves ’17 (29)
If you were creating the blueprint for an ideal pitcher’s body, Cavalli might look like the end product. A towering, 6-foot-4, 218-pound righthander who looks like an All-American quarterback, Cavalli on paper has everything you’d want to see in a frontline arm. He can dial his fastball up to 98 mph and the pitch sits in the mid-90s with ease. After that, he has a devastating slider in the 87-90 mph range with impressive lateral movement and serves as an out-pitch to both lefties and righties. Next, he has a curveball and a changeup that are solid-average with growth potential. Cavalli throws everything out of a picturesque arm action and delivery as well. While the stuff, delivery and frame are all easy check marks, there are a few question marks. Perhaps because of how clean Cavalli’s operation is, hitters tend to square up his fastball more than the velocity would suggest. Scouts wonder if he has any deception in his delivery. While the fastball has 70-grade velocity, it plays down at least a grade and perhaps more, and he has a history of erratic control that makes it more difficult to work to his secondary offerings. He improved in the strike-throwing department through four starts this spring (just five walks in 23.2 innings) but he’s never posted a WHIP lower than 1.27 in his career and gives up plenty of hits. Additionally, he has a troubling injury history going back to his high school days. He rarely pitched during his senior year because of lingering back issues and also missed time in 2019 due to a stress reaction in his arm. While Cavalli has first-round pure stuff, big upside and one of the better bodies in the 2020 class, he could fall into the second round because of concerns about how that stuff plays, the quality of his strikes and questions about durability. He was trending up prior to the end of the season and never got a chance to put everything together, but enough scouts have seen him synched up in short stints to dream about his future potential.
52	Daxton Fulton	LHP	Mustang (Okla.) HS	6-6	225	L-L	Oklahoma
The 2020 prep lefthander class looked exceptionally strong last summer with Virginia lefthander Nate Savino and Fulton in the mix. But the demographic took big hits when the former enrolled early at Virginia and the latter suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery and ended his high school career. When healthy, Fulton had legitimate first-round chances as a super projectable, 6-foot-6, 225-pound lefthander with a big breaking ball. While Matthew Liberatore was more advanced at the same time, some scouts have drawn comparisons with the two because of those elements. Over the summer, Fulton’s fastball mostly ranged from 89-93 mph out of a clean, three-quarters arm action. His breaking ball is a big, deep bender in the mid-to-upper 70s with terrific spin and depth. At the Area Code Games, Fulton posted spin rates in the 2,600 rpm range and the pitch looked like a future plus offering. It’s particularly tough on lefthanded hitters thanks to the angle Fulton creates in his delivery. He showed solid feel to land the pitch despite its movement, and at the Perfect Game All-American Classic he landed three in a row to Florida outfielder Zac Veen to strike him out looking. In addition to his fastball and curveball, Fulton occasionally showed a mid-80s change, though he needs to develop more feel for that pitch. Scouts were impressed with the progress that Fulton was making throughout the summer before he got injured, as he had a lot of moving parts in his delivery that he cleaned up and also improved the consistency of his curveball. His draft status is now clouded because of his injury, though a team could still buy into his upside enough to take him on day one. If not, he will head to Oklahoma, where he could re-establish his first-round potential in 2023.
65	Cade Horton	SS/RHP	Norman (Okla.) HS	6-2	190	R-R	Oklahoma
Horton has a variety of different paths forward in his athletic future, and not all of them involve baseball. Committed to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball, Horton is a talented high school quarterback and a legitimate two-way player on the diamond. Horton was a third-team preseason All-American as a pitcher, but there are teams who prefer him as a position player. He’s an athletic shortstop with a natural feel for the game and an impressive internal clock. He’s a twitchy athlete who isn’t necessarily a pure shortstop, but he has the athleticism and arm strength to make it work with continued reps and focus, while third base is a possibility as well. At the plate, Horton has a heavy opposite-field approach with a short bat path that limits his extension at times. On the mound, Horton’s arm works well and he can reach back and get to 94-95 mph, though his velocity tends to fall off fairly quickly. He’ll dip into the low 90s and down into the upper 80s more than scouts would like. He has a natural feel to spin a breaking ball and knows how to use it, with the pitch projecting as average. Almost everyone agrees that Horton could become significantly better in either area if he focused exclusively on pitching or hitting, but teams aren’t sure which he prefers or even if he’s ready to give up football. Because of that there’s a good chance he makes it to campus, but he has plenty of upside as a projection arm and a talented hitter and defender.
109	Nate Wohlgemuth	RHP	Owasso (Okla.) HS	5-11	195	R-R	Arkansas
Wohlgemuth has been a high-profile prep arm for several years. The Arkansas signee put an exclamation mark on his showcase season by no-hitting the Langley Blaze at Jupiter. Wohlgemuth’s average fastball can touch 96 mph and he’ll mix a four-seamer and a two-seamer that he likes to work in on lefties, leaking it back over the plate. His four-seamer can be too straight and he doesn’t create plane or angle. Unlike most prep fireballers, Wohlgemuth already has solid feel for an above-average changeup. He maintains his arm speed and the pitch drops off at the plate. His average curveball is less consistent. Throwing from a three-quarters arm slot, Wohlgemuth manages to get some depth on it at times, but it also can get slurvy. With three average or better pitches, Wohlgemuth is pretty advanced, but he also doesn’t have much room to grow and his control is below-average. He’s 5-foot-11 and has already filled out, with a muscular lower half. The shortened season makes it hard for teams to fully evaluate him and he carries plenty of reliever risk.
134	Dane Acker	RHP	Oklahoma	6-2	189	R-R	Diamondbacks ’19 (23)
Cade Cavalli is the most famous name in the Oklahoma rotation, but all three members of the Sooners weekend rotation have impressed. Acker had the most impressive performance of the trio. He was the first pitcher to ever no-hit Louisiana State in a nine-inning game. Acker struck out 11 in a 117-pitch complete game at the Children’s College Classic in Houston. Acker has long been a name to watch. He was 5-2, 4.20 as a freshman at Rice. He transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC where he was a very reliable starter, going 10-0, 2.36 while impressing with his feel for pitching. The D-Backs drafted him in the 23rd round in 2019, but he opted to head to Oklahoma instead. Acker isn’t flashy, but the sum of the parts makes everything work very well. He’s durable, he has above-average command and he carries his stuff deep into games. His average fastball can touch 94 mph, but he generally pitches more at 91-92, showing plenty of sink (he can elevate a four-seamer as well). His 78-81 mph average curveball is a big breaker while his fringe-average slider is cutterish, with modest break aiming to avoid the sweet spot of the bat. He also has shown both feel and confidence in his average changeup that has some late fade. There are plenty of college pitchers with more upside than Acker, but he will outlast plenty of them in pro ball because he has a clean delivery, is durable and is a better pitcher than most.
141	Jace Bohrofen	OF	Westmoore HS, Oklahoma City	6-2	195	L-R	Oklahoma
An Oklahoma signee, Bohrofren is one of the better power prospects in the high school class. He has plus raw power and an average arm with a quick release that fits in either corner outfield spot, and he can even play center in a pinch. But a team willing to draft and sign him out of high school is taking a chance that his noisy setup and leverage-based lefty power will be able to play against more advanced pitching. Few doubt Bohrofren’s ability to get to 20-25 home run power as he matures, but his bat does not stay on plane in the strike zone for very long and his bat speed is average at best, which is why a number of scouts see him as a below-average hitter—one whose pitch recognition should allow him to post solid on-base percentages. Bohrofren has a good frame and is an average runner with some twitchiness. He likely makes it to Oklahoma, although his power potential fits in the fourth round if he proves signable.
153	Levi Prater	LHP	Oklahoma	6-2	175	B-L	Never Drafted
A lawnmower accident when he was 2 years old left Prater with only two fingers on his right hand. To adjust, he just cinches up the strap on his glove significantly tighter—he has made only one error in his time at Oklahoma. He even showed he could switch-hit in high school. He’s been an extremely effective competitor on the mound. He went 10-0, 0.35 ERA as a high school senior and led the Sooners’ starters in ERA (3.26) as a sophomore after a solid freshman year pitching out of the bullpen. Prater has long impressed with his toughness and competitiveness. He’s a sum of the parts pitcher. All three pitches will flash average, but everything plays up because he creates solid angle (especially against lefties) working from the first base side of the rubber, and he creates some deception with his closed-off delivery. Prater’s fastball sits 90-91, but can touch 93-94. His slider gets a little loopy at times, but it’s tough for lefties to pick up and he’s shown he can back foot it to righties. He also uses a moderately effective changeup. Prater is small (6-foot, 184 pounds) and his slender frame won’t likely allow him to add much more weight. Prater projects as a back-end starter in pro ball who may eventually be better off as a mid-inning reliever, where his fastball may tick up a little bit.
236	Kaden Polcovich	OF/2B	Oklahoma State	5-8	180	L-R	Never Drafted
The son of MLB utility infielder Kevin Polcovich, the younger Polcovich hit .305/.426/.473 with Orleans in the Cape Cod League last summer, and was just as impressive this spring in his first season with Oklahoma State. He was hitting .344/.494/.578 when the season ended. A switch-hitter with a solid swing from both sides of the plate, he shows average raw power in batting practice, although he’s more of a line-drive hitter in games. He’s an aggressive hitter with a short stroke and excellent barrel control and projects as a plus hitter with solid on-base skills. The flashes of pop give hopes that he can be a 10-12 home run hitter. A 5-foot-8, 160-pounder, Polcovich has no clear defensive home—he’s played second and third at Oklahoma State and played center field and left field additionally in the Cape. His fringe-average arm limits him in the infield, and while he’s a 55 runner now, there are concerns he’ll slow down as he matures. He shows some feel for tracking balls in center and is just as aggressive out there as he is at the plate. Polcovich may end up being fringe-average defensively at two infield spots and multiple outfield spots, but his hitting might make up for any defensive shortcomings. He’s likely to outlast some toolsier players in pro ball because of his feel and that switch-hitting ability.
256	Tanner Tredaway	OF	Oklahoma	5-11	181	R-R	Never Drafted
The shortened season muddled the draft status of Tredaway. He was coming off an ineffective sophomore season that saw him hit .260/.368/.303 with only six extra-base hits in 146 at-bats. He showed a significantly stronger bat in 2020 and was hitting .378/.392/.689 with 13 extra-base hits in 74 at-bats when the season ended. Tredaway isn’t particularly big or physical (5-foot-11, 181 pounds), but he showed some line-drive power this year to go with his plus speed. Even with his improved offense, he’s more of a bottom-of-the-order bat with a fringe-average hit tool (and a solid batting eye) to go with his present 5-10 home run power and some doubles. Tredaway has struggled to catch up to top-notch velocity. He runs well enough and has shown the reads to be an average defender in center field.
266	Jaxon Wiggins	RHP	Roland (Okla.) HS	6-6	205	R-R	Arkansas
Wiggins was still playing basketball when the Oklahoma state basketball tournament was cancelled because of coronavirus, so he never got on the baseball field. An all-state 3A forward who averaged 16 points a game as a senior, Wiggins is a 6-foot-6 righthander with plenty of athleticism and projectability. An Arkansas signee, Wiggins started to show more consistency in locating his above-average 90-94 mph fastball and he has an advanced changeup for an Oklahoman prep arm. Scouts haven’t seen much feel for spinning a breaking ball yet. In a five-round draft, he’s more likely to get to school, where he’ll have some time to fill out, gain consistency and try to learn a slider or curveball.
312	Dominic Johnson	OF	Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe HS	5-9	175	R-R	Oklahoma State
One of the faster runners in the 2020 high school class, Johnson has plus-plus speed, but there’s enough concern about his offensive approach that he’s likely to get to Oklahoma State. Johnson has quick wrists and a loose swing, but he has struggled at times to hit against quality competition and projects as a below-average, bottom-of-the-order hitter with well below-average power. He’s 5-foot-9, 175 pounds without much strength to his swing. The hope was that a strong spring could alleviate some of those concerns, but he never got a chance to do so. His speed gives him the tools to be a center fielder, but he has to work on reads and routes.
325	Adam Oviedo	SS	Oral Roberts	6-0	200	R-R	Twins ’17 (35)
Oviedo was a notable high school prospect, ranking 133 on the BA 500 draft list in 2017. The Twins drafted him in the 35th round out of high school, but he opted to head to Texas Christian. He was the Horned Frogs everyday shortstop for two seasons before transferring to Oral Roberts in 2020. Oviedo has proven to be a reliable shortstop who makes the routine play but lacks the arm to make the play to his backhand consistently. As a hitter, Oviedo is a fringe-average hitter with below-average power. He hit .252/.356/.354 last summer in the Cape Cod League but did hit five home runs in just 16 games with ORU this spring after hitting three home runs in two seasons at TCU.
372	Trevor Martin	RHP	Asher (Okla.) HS	6-5	225	R-R	Oklahoma State
A tall, 6-foot-5 Oklahoma State signee, Martin has shown present velocity in the 90-94 mph range and the ability to spin a slurvy, high-70s curveball. He has present physicality, but some scouts worry he will end up as a reliever long-term thanks to his delivery and slow-twitch body.
382	Brendan Girton	RHP	Shattuck (Okla.) HS	6-1	210	R-R	Texas Tech
Girton can run his fastball up to 94-96 mph thanks to a high-energy delivery with significant effort. That effort and his below-average control lead to plenty of reliever projections. The Texas Tech signee is already filled out and physical at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds. He needs to improve the consistency of his breaking ball, but he shows feel for spin.
386	Parker Scott	LHP	Oklahoma State	6-1	175	L-L	Never Drafted
Scott is clever and crafty, which has made him one of the toughest pitchers in the Big 12 when he’s healthy. But he’s had trouble staying healthy. He had ulnar nerve surgery that ended his freshman season in 2017, then needed Tommy John surgery in 2018 and a follow-up surgery on his elbow. Scott returned to action as a redshirt sophomore in 2019, posting a 2.18 overall ERA and a conference-best 1.11 in conference games as he relieved and started. This year he dominated UT-Rio Grande Valley and struck out 13 in seven shutout innings against Brigham Young, but was hit around by UCLA, the only blemish in his 3-1, 2.16 season. Scott lacks a plus pitch, but the lefty spots 90 mph, locates his breaking ball and has an average changeup. His above-average control is his best asset thanks to his ability to spot multiple pitches around the edges of the zone.
399	Zack Matthews	RHP	Oklahoma	5-11	202	B-R	Never Drafted
Matthews hasn’t had much as far as results yet. He has a 5.22 career ERA at Oklahoma thanks in part to seven home runs allowed in 39.2 career innings. But the stuff will keep getting him chances as he can sit 95-96 with a hard, dirty high-80s slider.
424	Tyler Hardman	3B	Oklahoma	6-2	218	R-R	Rockies ’17 (37)
A three-year starter for Oklahoma, Hardman’s eight home runs last summer was tied for third most in the Cape Cod League. He didn’t have as strong a spring, hitting .277/.345/.413 and he’s always struggled with strikeouts. He can get caught guessing too much as a hitter. Hardman played plenty of third base last summer in the Cape and showed better than expected actions and mobility, although he’s a bit slow twitch for the position. He’s a solid first baseman.
459	Cooper Harris	C	Choctaw (Okla.) HS	6-2	215	R-R	Wichita State
Harris’ baseball skills are more impressive than his tools, but he gets the most out of everything he has because he’s a baseball rat who loves to catch. He’s an above-average receiver who works well with pitchers. As a hitter, he doesn’t project to be better than having fringe-average power or a fringe-average bat, so he almost assuredly gets to Wichita State where he’ll have a chance to develop.