The Athletic posted a MLB mock draft this morning (by Melissa Lockard) and they have the Padres selecting Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge HS (Glendale, Ariz.) What Melissa had to say about him:
I'll never get mad at a high school pitcher with a high ceiling, and being compared to Kolby Allard isn't the worst thing in the world. Shaun P Kernahan did a nice profile on Liberatore on SB Nation that can be found here. You'll find some similar stuff from above including two strong secondary pitches: a 12-6 curve and a Cambio that will be a plus pitch at the pro level even though he doesn't use often now because "it slows into a lot of high school bat speed."General manager A.J. Preller loves his high-upside players and Liberatore has plenty of ceiling. The left-hander isn’t a flamethrower yet like McClanahan (LHP from USF, selected one slot above in mock), but he has flashed 95 at times and sits comfortably in the 88-92 mph range. As he matures physically, he’s likely to add a few ticks to his average velocity. What makes Liberatore special is his feel for his secondary offerings. He has a profile similar to current Braves prospect Kolby Allard. High-upside high school prospects Nolan Gorman and Carter Stewart will also be considered at this spot.
Here's the Curve (watch before the 00:26 mark to see hisfastball featured):"He also features a 12-6 curve that is just plain not fair for most high school competition" - Kernahan
At the 00:40 mark in the video above you also saw a glimpse of the change-up at 78mph (127 kph in video). In addition he was consistently hitting 88-92 mph (142-148 kph) with his fastball as Lockard described. His 6'5" frame should welcome some muscular development and hopefully add on to his velocity.
From what I've read scouts are intrigued by his high floor for a HS kid rather than his ceiling, which tops out at a No. 2 pitcher. He is described as a potential quick mover through the minors, and a good bet for a solid No. 3 pitcher.
While you can never have enough pitching, my question is: should the Padres be considering the hot corner with the seventh overall pick?
In the Padres top 30 Prospects List you'll find one guy listed strictly as a 3B - #15 Hudson Potts. This is a big Hudson Potts house, especially after I saw him live in Lake Elsinore. 805 staffer Brown Padres also featured Pottsy in his Padres Prospects list where he stated that "If Hudson was born 4 days later he would have been in high school last year, instead he hit 20 HRs in Ft. Wayne." Pretty eye opening stuff; Potts is only 19 years old.
In the Top 30 you'll also find a couple of guys who profile at multiple positions, with one of them being 3B, in #10 Esteury Ruiz (19yrs old) and #25 Luis Almanzar (18 yrd old). Both of those guys are in Fort Wayne, one level below Potts. So not a whole lot of hot lava depth at third. Sure Tatis Jr can potentially move over, but that's more in the long term plans.
I bring up this issue because there seems to be more than one player in this year's draft that plays 3B and could be worthy of the 7th pick. Here's three of examples:
Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State (taken 4th by CWS in Athletic Mock)
Two sentences about Bohm from the Athletic: “Bohm has a strong approach at the
plate and plenty of power to all fields. He isn’t likely to win any Gold Gloves
at third base, but he has enough arm and athleticism to at least stay at the
position."
This guy probably won’t be around at seven but I included
him anyways since I save in the Sporting News mock he fell to the 12th pick. He wasn't drafted out of high school but he has been killing it at every level (college/summer leagues) since then. Coming from college he could immediately depth to the position.
Nolan Gorman, 3B, O’Connor HS (Phoenix) - (taken 8th by ATL in Athletic Mock)
Two sentences about Gorman from the Athletic: “Although the
Braves (8th pick)
traditionally target pitching, Gorman fits the profile of prep hitting
prospects they covet, as well. Although there are some questions about the hit
tool and his defensive abilities, Gorman’s power rates at the top of the class
for high school picks available in this draft.
Apparently this is Liberatore's bff, as the two have been battling it out in AZ during their high school careers. Liberatore got the best of Gorman back on 4/20/18, as Gorman went 0-3 at the dish. Gorman has the most buzz of any hitter in this year's draft. he has won multiple All Star Game Home Run Derbies. Coming out of high school he would be behind other players in the Padres top 30 (as in years away from MLB), but nevertheless he would bolster the position depth.
Here a video of Gorman caaaaarushing a HR at Petco Park in the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic. He would go on to win MVP of the game:
Jonathan India, 3B, Florida (taken 11th by BAL in
Athletic Mock)
Two sentences about India from the Athletic: “Not that
replacing Manny Machado will be easy, but India would give the Orioles a
polished prospect at the third base slot who could move quickly through their
minor league system. The Florida star has risen up the draft rankings all
season and is batting .376/.520/.759 with 16 home runs in 52 games this season.”
India, like Bohm, provides another option that could arrive to
the Bigs sooner rather than later. He was drafted in the 26th Rd by
the Brewers out of high school in 2015, but opted to go to UF where he was
inserted in the starting lineup right away. He is the most polished defensive
3B out of the three, as some scouts believe he could play SS, but his improved
bat has him jumping up the Big Boards.
The MLB draft begins June 4th.
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