Jack Leiter unquestionably has been essentially the most dominant school participant within the first two months of the season. If he isn’t essentially the most well-known prospect within the 2021 Draft, then he is a really shut second to fellow Vanderbilt right-hander Kumar Rocker.
Will Leiter go No. 1 general to the Pirates after they make that choice on July 11? As of now, he is the favourite and ranks atop MLB Pipeline’s newly released Draft Top 150. However there are also three different sturdy candidates and practically three months for others to emerge.
Leiter turned down first-round curiosity from golf equipment as a New Jersey excessive schooler in 2019 with a view to attend Vanderbilt, and his determination could not have turned out a lot better. After shedding most of final season to the coronavirus pandemic, the son of two-time All-Star and World Sequence champion Al Leiter has been spectacular.
Leiter no-hit South Carolina in his first-ever Southeastern Convention begin and held Missouri hitless for seven innings earlier than departing in his second. He at present leads NCAA Division I in strikeouts (94), whereas rating second in wins (seven), hit fee (2.eight per 9 innings) and WHIP (zero.70) and fifth in ERA (zero.98) and whiff fee (15.three per 9 innings). He has a devastating fastball that performs above its 90-97 mph velocity, a plus curveball and two extra strong choices in his slider and changeup.
The one query with Leiter is how nicely he’ll maintain as much as a full-season workload of begins, one thing he hasn’t been capable of reply as a result of he pitched simply 58 2/three innings as a New Jersey highschool senior in 2019 and 15 2/three as a freshman a yr in the past. He has gotten stronger and now carries 205 kilos on a 6-foot-1 body that is somewhat smaller than desired for a starter. If he retains pitching like this all season, will probably be exhausting for Pittsburgh to move on him.
“Leiter’s dynamism and the way quickly he appears to have the ability to enhance give me a number of confidence that he would not allow you to down as a 1-1,” stated an American League assistant scouting director whose membership picks too low to have a shot at Leiter. “He has actual front-end weapons and the kind of pitchability that can enable for a really lengthy profession. The fastball life is elite for Jack and it seems like there’s going to be an actual array of choices in his arsenal as a starter.”
Leiter’s closest challengers at this level are his teammate Rocker and a pair of highschool shortstops, Jordan Lawlar from Jesuit Prep (Dallas) and Marcelo Mayer from Eastlake Excessive (Chula Vista, Calif.). Lawlar is the consensus greatest place prospect within the Draft — there is not a university bat near worthy of going No. 1 — and possibly the most important risk to dethrone Leiter at this level.
Prime 10:
Jack Leiter, RHP (Vanderbilt)
Jordan Lawlar, SS (Jesuit Prep, Tex.)
Kumar Rocker, RHP (Vanderbilt)
Marcelo Mayer, SS (Eastlake, Calif.)
Brady Home, SS (Winder-Barrow, Ga.)
Jackson Jobe, RHP (Heritage Corridor, Okay.)
Henry Davis, C (Louisville)
Sal Frelick, OF (Boston School)
Gunnar Hoglund, RHP (Mississippi)
Ty Madden, RHP (Texas)
Complete list »
As a five-tool prep shortstop from the Dallas space, Lawlar attracts inevitable comparisons to Bobby Witt Jr., the No. 2 general decide in 2019, and a few evaluators invoke Derek Jeter’s title when discussing him. He is a extra polished hitter than Witt on the identical stage and possesses plus uncooked energy, pace and arm energy. He baffled scouts by placing out 16 instances in his first 79 plate appearances this spring, although he has settled down and hasn’t whiffed in his final eight video games.
“If the Draft had been at this time, final week or three months from now,” a Nationwide League scouting official stated, “I would take Jordan Lawlar 1-1 and sleep fairly good. He has too many strikeouts, however I would nonetheless take him 1-1.”
Rocker entered the yr because the Draft’s consensus high prospect and now ranks third on MLB Pipeline’s record behind Leiter and Lawlar. His mid-80s slider stands out as the nastiest secondary pitch in all the Draft, although his fastball velocity dipped into the low 90s for 3 begins earlier than returning to 93-98 mph final Friday, when he shut out Tennessee for seven innings. Scouts nonetheless wish to see him enhance his changeup and command and dominate extra persistently, but he leads NCAA D-I with eight wins to go along with a 1.64 ERA, 81 strikeouts (third within the nation) and a .151 opponent common in 55 innings.
“Kumar’s potential to land and draw whiffs along with his two plus-plus breaking balls are a separator, and the fastball is enjoying higher than it did in highschool,” an AL scouting director stated. “His fastball command is not at Jack’s stage but it surely’s sufficient, and he is realized to hunt on the high of the zone late for Ok’s. Each are potential frontline arms, however there’s extra horsepower to the Rocker repertoire and the physique is constructed for the lengthy haul.”
Whereas followers could not know Mayer in addition to the Vanderbilt pitchers and Lawlar, there are golf equipment who assume he is essentially the most gifted participant within the Draft. In comparison with Lawlar, he will get the sting as the higher pure hitter (he did not strike out till his 13th sport of the season) and defender at shortstop, although he isn’t fairly as highly effective or fast. If all the things comes collectively, he might present a mixture of Corey Seager’s offense and Brandon Crawford’s protection.
“It looks like Mayer is the best potential influence bat on this Draft,” a NL crosschecker stated. “It is a actually good hit/energy combo and potential for each to be plus with good protection. The one knock I’m listening to on him is foot pace, however everyone seems to be in love along with his precise glove and talent to make it look straightforward and clear.”
In a yr through which a number of high prospects haven’t carried out as much as expectations, scouts have appreciated the fixed excellence of Leiter, Lawlar, Rocker and Mayer. For quite a lot of causes, this Draft crop is taken into account weaker than ordinary, particularly by way of school hitters. The highschool arms have not stood out both, with the notable exception of Heritage Corridor (Oklahoma Metropolis) right-hander Jackson Jobe, who may need a greater pitch combine than any collegian or prepster out there.
“It is a actually powerful draft,” one NL crosschecker stated. “With [Covid-19], guys misplaced at-bats, innings and reps. There have been a number of accidents and mentally, some guys will not be in a superb place. It is a yr of challenges with combined opinions on a number of guys.”