McLean among top Saturday PDP League performers
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BRADENTON, Fla. -- Nolan McLean is more than a two-sport star who hopes to play both baseball and football in college. He's also one of the top two-way prospects in the 2020 high school class.
A third baseman/right-handed pitcher from Garner (N.C.) Magnet High, McLean homered on the first day of play at the inaugural PDP League on Thursday. He has started all three games in the No. 3 hole for Team Howard, batting .333/.600/.833. He reached base in all three of his plate appearances in Saturday morning's 7-2 victory over Team Jeter, getting hit by two pitches and drawing a walk.
McLean also was impressive in his first inning of work on the mound. He fanned American Heritage High (Plantation, Fla.) shortstop Jorge Carrion on a fading changeup and Biloxi (Miss.) High DH Colten Keith on a 93-mph fastball, permitting only a walk in a scoreless seventh inning. He exhibited some of the higher spin rates seen in PDP play this week, exceeding 2400 rpm with his heater and 2800 rpm with his curveball.
McLean said he doesn't have a preference between hitting and pitching and wants to keep doing both for as long as he can.
"Whatever I'm really doing at the time is what I enjoy more," he said. "I just enjoy the competition of it.
"I don't really know [which I'm better at]. I want to say hitting because I've done that for longer. I haven't always pitched as much as I do now. I was a catcher until about two years ago."
Similarly, McLean says he enjoys whichever sport he's playing at the time. A three-year starter at quarterback for Garner, he passed for 2,419 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior. He's entertaining two-sport offers from North Carolina State and other colleges but has yet to commit.
For now, he's focusing on making the most of the three-week PDP League experience, a collaborative effort between MLB and USA Baseball. Eighty of the top prep prospects for next year's Draft have come to the IMG Academy and will play three games per week and receive instruction from All-Stars and Hall of Famers such as Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, Chipper Jones and Barry Larkin.
Forty participants will get selected to play in a July 6 High School All-Star Game in Cleveland as part of All-Star Weekend. USA Baseball also will use the League to help choose players for September's 18-and-under World Cup in Busan, South Korea.
While DHing in Team Howard's opening game on Thursday, McLean said he tried to soak up knowledge from team captain Howard and coach Lance Berkman, who combined for nine All-Star Game appearances and two World Series championships during their big league careers.
"Every time I was in the dugout, I was trying to learn as much as I possibly could," McLean said. "Mainly just their mentality at the plate, what they're looking for in certain counts. Especially with the arms we're facing, you've got to find some kind of advantage."
Bradfield shows off speed
The fastest player in the PDP League, American Heritage High's (Plantation, Fla.) Enrique Bradfield, ran a 6.26-second 60-yard dash at the Perfect Game National showcase at Chase Field last week. He showed off his speed in Team Jones' 6-3 defeat of Team Larkin in Saturday's nightcap, reaching base three times, scoring three runs, stealing two bases and effortlessly gliding to track down balls in center field.
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Bradfield endured a difficult first two days of PDP play, going 1-for-7 with five strikeouts. He said the coaches told him to focus on his gameplan rather than worry about his early performance, and that advice paid off. Even when he was struggling, he said he was enjoying the opportunity that the PDP League provides.
"It’s a great stage to be on," said Bradfield, a Vanderbilt recruit. "The people around me push me to be better, the coaches here have done a great job in the first week, being able to coach us and make us better every day."
Other standouts
West Allegheny High (Imperial, Pa.) right fielder Austin Hendrick (Team Howard) continued his power display by hitting Saturday's only home run, turning around a 91-mph fastball from East Paulding High (Dallas, Ga.) right-hander Jackson Phipps with an exit velocity of 102 mph. The only PDP Leaguer with two home runs in the first three games, he also leads in runs (four), RBIs (six), doubles (two), extra-base hits (four), slugging (1.200) and OPS (1.700).
On a day with ragged defensive play, only two pitchers worked multiple innings without permitting a run. De La Salle High (Concord, Calif.) left-hander Kyle Harrison pitched three scoreless frames for Team Howard, pitching efficiently with an 89-91 mph fastball and recording two strikeouts, one each with his heater and curveball. Monticello (Ark.) High lefty Nick Griffin threw shutout innings for Team Jeter with four whiffs, one on an 89-mph fastball, two on 83-mph sliders and one on an 83-mph changeup with fade.
Brother Martin High (New Orleans) first baseman/right fielder Tre Morgan singled twice for Team Jones, making him the lone PDP Leaguer with two multihit games in the first week. Morgan ranks first in batting (.625), on-base percentage (.700), hits (five) and doubles (two).