The 2019 MLB Draft is upon us, and having covered some of the college hitters, college pitchers and high school pitchers the Red Sox might look at with either of their second round picks, all that's left to cover is the high school arms.
Prep pitchers present perhaps the trickiest proposition for scouts, as arms with extremely high upside can flame out or fail to develop the way they're projected, and half of them seem like a Tommy John surgery waiting to happen these days. Pitcher development is already so difficult to project, and it gets even harder without a couple years of consistent, reliable competition in college.
That said, those young arms can still be exciting, and some guys flash such huge raw upside that they're difficult to pass on. Here are a few of the most intriguing high school pitchers that might be on the board when Boston's on the clock.
1. Blake Walston, LHP, New Hanover HS (NC)
A bit of a project with real upside, 17-year-old Blake Walston needs plenty of work, but the potential's there. Standing 6-foot-4 and just 175 pounds, some scouts believe Walston could put on plenty of muscle to beef up his fastball, which sits 88-92 and tops at out at 93 mph.
Though he's got room to grow with his frame and his fastball, the young southpaw snaps off perhaps the best breaking ball in the draft, with an excellent feel for his curveball to go with a solid changeup and good command all-around.
NC prep LHP Blake Walston is cruising here, very long/lean, young mechanical profile but does it easy, FB working 88-90 with flashes of plus life, creates angle/plane, CB has big upside but inconsistent right now, lots of upside to the profile overall. NC State commit. #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/Y28sG46572
— Brian Sakowski (@B_Sakowski_PG) April 3, 2019A good athlete with a clean delivery, the NC State commit's case is all about projection – if he puts muscle on that frame and develops the way some scouts think he should, he's one of the most exciting talents on the mound in this year's draft.
2. Hunter Barco, LHP, Bolles HS (FL)
Another big lefty, 6-foot-4 Hunter Barco already has some of the frame scouts hope Walston can develop, with a good fastball with movement, a plus changeup and a quality slider.
Barco's pitch mix makes him an interesting prospect – the fastball sits in the low 90s and tops out at 95 mph and he throws an effective slider, but the changeup is the selling point. The changeup has a very low spin rate out of the lefty's low arm slot, and the pitch has plenty of life and is probably his best pitch.
Florida prep LHP Hunter Barco (Florida commit) is our 34th-ranked prospect for the 2019 draft. His best pitch is a plus split changeup with a spin rate below 1000 rpm. pic.twitter.com/dhhxr5ddf6
— FanGraphs Prospects (@FG_Prospects) April 30, 2019A Florida commit, the southpaw's tinkering with his arm slot – it varies from a low three-quarters delivery to almost fully sidearm – has made his command occasionally inconsistent, but there's evidence to suggest his control will be a plus attribute as he develops.
3. Bryce Osmond, RHP, Jenks HS (OK)
Similar to Walston and Barco, Bryce Osmond is what you'd call "projectable."
At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Osmond has plenty of room to add muscle to an athletic build to bolster a fastball that sits 90-93 but has touched 96 mph this spring. The fastball can work well with a slider that's flashed real potential but hasn't been consistent, as well as a solid changeup.
Bryce Osmond (rhp/ss, Jenks HS (Tulsa, OK)) was dominant in a one inning appearance. @OSUBaseball commit struck out the side by mixing 91-94 mph heat with tight 81-83 mph sliders. pic.twitter.com/6aRMqMxCe8
— Burke Granger (@burkegranger) June 14, 2018The righty is an excellent athlete that will probably play both ways if he decides to honor his commitment to Oklahoma State, but his potential as a pitcher will likely overwhelm his opportunities as a shortstop. He has a lot of upside on the mound and could develop into a very good arm.
4. Jimmy Lewis, RHP, Lake Travis HS (TX)
There's a bit of a pattern emerging here: like the hurlers that precede him on this list, Jimmy Lewis is a big, projectable pitcher with plenty of upside.
The 6-foot-6 righty has the frame and athleticism to add velocity to a fastball that sits 90-92 and tops out at 95 mph with some real movement and has already done so over the last couple of years. He also sports a good breaking ball – might be a curveball, might be a slurve – that could play well at the next level, plus a solid changeup.
Jimmy Lewis (LSU commit) holding 90-92, touching 93 w/heavy life in the 5th, slurve flashes 55 at its best, also flashed above with one changeup, super projectable, looks like a day one guy to me. pic.twitter.com/BMQDFwpdcG
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) March 16, 2019Lewis is a scout's dream, with the upside, pitch mix, frame, and athleticism to profile as a starter in the future. He's got raw potential in spades, and his build and athletic profile alone make him one of the most exciting high school arms available.
