2017 Draft Preview: Nick Pratto

1B Nick Pratto (Huntington Beach HS, CA): 6'1", 195 lbs, born 10/6/1998.

Overview

Hit: 65. Power: 50. Run: 45. Throw: 55. Field: 60.

A teammate of fellow top 50 draft prospect and two-way player Hagen Danner at Huntington Beach High School in California, Pratto has positioned himself for a likely top 20 selection on Monday. Coming into the spring, like his teammate, scouts were split on whether his future lay on the mound or at the plate, but unlike Danner, he has clearly established himself as a hitter. Among high schoolers in this draft, Pratto has the cleanest swing, the best hit tool, and the best pure hitting ability around. He has been tied to the Yankees a lot, and will likely go somewhere in the teens to early 20's range.

Strengths
Pratto shows an extremely advanced feel for the game at a young age, which helps him have the high floor typically attributed to college players while still maintaining the high ceiling that naturally comes with high schoolers. He's hit over power at this point, as unlike other top prep players such as Jordon Adell and Austin Beck, scouts have no worries about his ability to hit high level pitching. He controls the strike zone, hits his pitch when he gets it, and has been adding power as of late. He has a very clean swing that could maybe be tweaked to stay in the zone just a bit longer, and his power breakout early this spring has caused the most optimistic scouts to think of Joey Votto. Obviously, Votto's feel for hitting/power combination is once-in-a-generation, and it wouldn't be realistic to project Pratto as the next Votto, but anything can happen with high school guys and the profiles match up. Afterall, Votto was the 44th overall pick in 2002, and Pratto could go 30 spots higher. He's also athletic around the bag at first base with an above average arm, so he will be able to impact the game on defense as well.

Weaknesses
Though Pratto himself carries remarkably little risk for a high schooler, his demographic, that of a high school first baseman, is an inherently risky one. First basemen absolutely have to hit in order to advance, and though Pratto is a pretty safe bet to do so, he has little margin for error. Throw in that he's likely not a 30 home run guy, and he really has little margin for error. I, along with most scouts, am optimistic about Pratto's future power production, but his power did slump a bit in the second half of his high school ceiling. The main takeaway from this draft profile: if Pratto hits merely to expectations, he could be a star. If he doesn't, his value evaporates.