These 5 Draft prospects are on the rise
MLB Pipeline just dropped its expanded and updated Draft Top 200 and several players made significant climbs on the list. The highest-ranked newcomer is Connecticut high school left-hander Frank Mozzicato at No. 51, as he has wowed scouts with his plus curveball, improved fastball velocity and projectable 6-foot-3 frame.
On this week's Pipeline Podcast, we discussed five other players who joined the list in top-three-or-four-rounds territory after not cracking our Draft Top 150 a month ago. Here's a breakdown of those additions, listed in order of their Top 200 ranking:
Michael Robertson, OF, Venice (Fla.) HS (No. 98)
Scouts have always liked Robertson’s plus speed and his ability to play center field very well, but there had been some questions about his offensive profile, with his ability to impact the baseball the main concern. He’s still a slasher, contact-first type, and he’ll need to add some strength and learn to turn on pitches, but he was showing enough improvement at the plate for him to climb Draft boards.
Tyler McDonough, OF, North Carolina State (No. 111)
Draft-eligible as a 21-year-old sophomore in 2020, McDonough would have gone in the top five rounds if not for signability concerns. He will this time around because he's an efficient hitter with 15-homer power, solid speed and the versatility to play all three outfield spots and second and third base (not to mention he has experience at catcher as well).
Cooper Kinney, 2B, Baylor School (Chattanooga) (No. 112)
One of the most advanced high school hitters available, Kinney repeatedly barrels balls with a quick left-handed swing and mature approach, and he could develop average power as he gets stronger. The question is where he'll play defensively because he's a well-below-average runner with fringy arm strength, and the best-case scenario is that he becomes an adequate second baseman in the mold of Daniel Murphy.
Pierce Coppola, LHP, Verona (N.J.) HS (No. 114)
Left-handed pitchers with Coppola’s size (6-foot-8) don’t come around very often, so it’s not too shocking that the Florida recruit was getting a lot of attention in a surprisingly deep class of New Jersey high school arms. He’s all about projection, with a 90-93 mph fastball that can touch 95 and a low-80s sweeping breaking ball, both of which should improve as he adds strength to that large frame.
Mason Albright, LHP, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (No. 115)
Albright jumped on the map as a pitchability high school lefty with strong performances at summer showcase events, showing off a good feel for throwing three pitches for strikes. He was up to 93 mph over the summer, though his stuff had backed up a bit this spring with some concern about a long arm action.