RHP Victor Mederos, Westminster Christian HS [FL]
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DoB: 6/8/2001. Commitment: Miami.
There is a ton of high school talent in the Miami area this year, and arguably the best prospect out of everyone is right handed pitcher Victor Mederos. Mederos has a fascinating backstory, which includes fleeing Cuba with his family at six years old and spending eleven days working his way through Central America, but more relevant to scouts is that more recently, he's been a star on the summer showcase circuit. Though he's pitched for three different high schools around Miami, there's much less of a track record in school as he's missed time with injuries and a global pandemic, and he comes with a very wide ceiling/floor gap that makes him a bit of a divisive prospect.
You're definitely buying the arm strength here. He sits in the low to mid 90's and has hit 96 on quite a few occasions, with running action and natural extension from a big 6'4" frame. His secondaries are big pitches as well, as he can run his slider up to 87 and his power curveball has real depth, though the two can blend into each other. He also adds a solid changeup, and when he's on, it's one of the better four pitch mixes in the class. However, the problem has been consistency. There is some effort in his delivery, and when he reaches back for more velocity on his fastball, he can fly open and lose his arm slot, sending mid 90's velocity towards a right handed hitter's head. It can also cause him to yank some breaking balls into the dirt to his glove side, but this has been more prevalent with the fastball.
Interestingly, Mederos' command isn't actually all that bad. He does a good job of throwing strikes and hitting spots when he stays within himself, but the problems tend to arise only when he doesn't keep everything in line. Because of his tremendous arm strength, Mederos doesn't need to reach back and hurl the ball with everything he has, and trusting that arm strength and learning more body control could help him leap forward in pro ball. All of that bodes well for improved command down the line. There have been some minor concerns over Medero's larger frame and the fact that he's missed time with injuries, though nothing major. He also turns 19 two days before the draft, making him pretty old for a high school senior.
Mederos could really go anywhere in the draft, or not at all. He has high upside as a potential ace, which could entice teams as early as the comp round. However, there is tremendous risk involved due to how inconsistent he's been, which could knock him down to the second or third round on its own. Combine that with potential signability questions, as he'll be draft-eligible as a sophomore at Miami in 2022, and he may not get drafted at all. Regardless of whether he's pitching for the Hurricanes or in the minors, it's going to be a lot of fun watching Mederos grow as a pitcher.
2020 game action
2019 summer showcase action
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