For the third and final installment of the hometown pick series, we'll take a look at the AL and NL East divisions to see which local kids they have a chance of keeping home. You can find the West and Central already on the site.
Atlanta Braves: 3B Cam Collier, Chipola JC
Hometown: Austell, GA. My rank: #14.
The Atlanta area is absolutely loaded with premium talent this year, but because the Braves don't pick until #20, they have virtually no shot to select Druw Jones (Wesleyan HS via Suwanee), Termarr Johnson (Mays HS, Atlanta), or Dylan Lesko (Buford HS). Even so, I think they would be elated to take a shot at Cam Collier if he falls that far. Collier grew up in the western suburb of Austell on the Cobb/Douglas county line, originally playing at Mount Paran Christian HS up in Kennesaw. Following in the footsteps of one Bryce Harper twelve years earlier, he graduated early and skipped both his junior and senior seasons to head to Chipola JC in the Florida Panhandle. Despite being just 17 years old playing against mostly 19-20 year olds, he hit .333/.419/.537 across 52 games to solidify himself as one of the best pure hitters in the class. Collier is a pro hitter through and through. He has a thick, strong, mature 6'2" frame that should only continue to add strength as he finishes out his teens, and he combines that strength with a professional approach in the box to make repeated hard contact to all fields. He works counts like a veteran and makes contact with all kinds of pitches, with a smooth swing that helps him produce above average game power. It's not the most explosive offensive profile, but if anybody in this class could reach the big leagues before they can legally buy alcohol, it's probably Collier. He's also an average defender at third base with a strong arm, so he should stick there. He's committed to Louisville next year and will be draft-eligible again at 20 years old, so he will not be a cheap sign if he makes past the halfway point in the first round. Given the way he's trending, it's not necessarily a likelihood he'll still be around.
Other options: RHP Landon Sims (Mississippi State via Cumming, GA), LHP Tristan Smith (Boiling Springs HS, SC), 3B Tucker Toman (Hammond HS, Columbia, SC), RHP Kumar Rocker (Tri-City ValleyCats via Athens, GA), 2B Chandler Simpson (Georgia Tech via Atlanta, GA)
Baltimore Orioles: 1B Tyler Locklear, Virginia Commonwealth.
Hometown: Abingdon, MD. My rank: #66.
The Orioles like to draft position players and they like college bats in particular, and Tyler Locklear provides them as potent a bat as you can find. Locklear grew up in Abingdon in southern Harford County, just down the road from Cal Ripken Jr.'s hometown of Havre De Grace. He knows Baltimore well, though, having commuted every day down I-95 to Archbishop Curley High School just a couple miles northeast of the Inner Harbor. Since reaching campus at Virginia Commonwealth down in Richmond, he has been a one man wrecking crew, slashing .345/.515/.686 as a sophomore and now on pace to beat all three slash numbers as his junior season winds down. Locklear hits the ball as hard as anybody in the game, showing plus-plus raw power that he taps in games combined with a patient approach that helps him deploy it strategically. His crazy numbers have come against so-so competition in the A-10 Conference, but he also hit .256/.333/.504 in the Cape Cod League and his plate discipline has been so strong that the Orioles should be plenty comfortable projecting him as an impact bat. That bat has a pretty clear first round value on its own, but his lack of defensive value may drop him out of the first round, despite that he closed his season on an absolutely torrid run. He's a divisive prospect but the fact that he hit absolutely everything in sight once the calendar turned to May is probably turning even his detractors into fans, which means he would fit best to the Orioles at pick #33 if he's still around, or #42 at worst.
Other options: 3B Trey Lipscomb (Tennessee via Urbana, MD), OF Chase DeLauter (James Madison via Martinsburg, WV), C Jack Bulger (Vanderbilt via Bowie, MD), RHP Matt Wyatt (Virginia via Towson, MD), 1B Maxwell Costes (Maryland via Baltimore, MD)
Boston Red Sox: C Dominic Keegan, Vanderbilt
Hometown: Methuen, MA. My rank: unranked.
2021 was a banner year for talent hailing from New England, and more broadly the Northeast as a whole, but this year is a bit of the opposite. The region's top native prospect coming into the spring, Northeastern right hander Sebastian Keane, has been inconsistent to say the least, but another man has risen to take his place and that's Vanderbilt catcher Dominic Keegan. Keegan was actually a part of that special class last year but elected to return to school rather than accept a 19th round selection by the Yankees (a slide induced by signability), and he would fit in very well with the Red Sox if they want to make the Yankees pay this year. Boston loves established, well-rounded hitters with track records of performance and the ability to hit for power, which makes this reunion all the more possible. Keegan grew up in Methuen, about 26 miles almost straight north from downtown Boston, and attended Central Catholic HS in nearby Lawrence. He hit .345/.427/.638 against a tough SEC schedule as a junior and like Tyler Locklear has a shot to beat all three slash numbers this year. Also like Locklear, he shows off plus-plus raw power, coming from a ridiculously strong six foot frame that gives him the ability to just flick the barrel through the zone with tremendous force. He struggled with strikeouts last spring and punched out at nearly a 28% rate, but he has cut that down this year and now has a chance to project as an average hitter if things click in pro ball. Keegan moved behind the plate this spring and has been adequate, but like last year's fifth round pick Nathan Hickey, he'll have to work to remain a catcher up to the majors. He's a senior this year but is very young for his class, so he still won't turn 21 until after the draft. He'll likely be one of the hottest senior sings this spring and may not take a huge discount, and he would make sense for Boston starting in the Comp B round (pick #79) and on to the third and possibly fourth rounds.
Other options: RHP Sebastian Keane (Northeastern via North Andover, MA), 2B Luke Gold (Boston College via Ballston, NY), LHP/1B Reggie Crawford (Connecticut via Frackville, PA), RHP Cam Schlitter (Northeastern via Walpole, MA), C/OF Brendan Tinsman (Wake Forest via Cape Elizabeth, ME)
Miami Marlins: OF Roman Anthony, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, FL
Hometown: North Palm Beach, FL. My rank: #51.
The Marlins pick at #6 this year, which is probably a bit too early to take first round prospects Brandon Barriera (American Heritage HS) and Zach Neto (Campbell via Miami), but their second round pick at #46 brings a great opportunity to keep fast rising outfielder Roman Anthony home. Anthony grew up in North Palm Beach but played his high school ball a bit farther south at the power Stoneman Douglas program in Parkland, where he has set the world on fire as a senior. Anthony possesses huge raw power from an intimidating 6'3" frame, unleashing a beautiful left handed stroke that can really send the ball impressive distances. He swung and missed a lot over the summer, but he's been much more consistent this spring against tough South Florida competition and has firmly calmed scouts' worries about his hit tool, looking the part of a well rounded hitter in addition to a slugger. He may not stick in center field but has plenty of arm strength to be an asset in right field, giving the Marlins a lot of incentive to keep him from heading to Ole Miss for college. In the second round, they should be able to make it work without having to go too crazy far above slot.
Other options: LHP Brandon Barriera (American Heritage HS via Hollywood, FL), SS Cameron Smith (Palm Beach Central HS, FL), 3B Sal Stewart (Westminster Christian HS via Miami, FL), LHP Carson Palmquist (Miami via Fort Myers, FL), SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (Champagnat Catholic HS, FL via Curacao)
New York Mets: RHP/SS Nazier Mule, Passaic County Tech HS, Wayne, NJ
Hometown: Paterson, NJ. My rank: #77.
The Mets have five of the first ninety picks, so they have some leeway to take risks as well as spread some money around. Across the river in New Jersey, they have an opportunity to roll the dice in a big way and hope for a huge outcome. Nazier Mule is a Paterson native playing for Passaic County Tech northwest of Manhattan, and there might not be a player in the country outside the first round range with more raw talent. Mule can pop triple digits with his fastball and comfortably sits in the mid to upper 90's, with a ton of run that makes it even harder to square up. He also snaps off some above average sliders but isn't as consistent with the pitch, while his changeup is more advanced than you might expect for a flame throwing 17 year old considered raw by most evaluators. Presently, he's much more thrower than pitcher, with a high effort delivery featuring a ton of head whack as he hurls the ball towards the plate, negatively impacting his command. That would typically make you think of the 6'2" righty as a relief prospect, but he's extremely young for the class and won't turn 18 until October, making him nearly a year and a half younger than some of the older prospects in the class. Because of his extreme youth that would make him belong age-wise in the 2023 class, in addition to being a cold weather arm that doesn't get to throw as often, I'm willing to cut him some slack and give him a shot at becoming an impact starting pitcher down the line. There's a lot to do, notably cleaning up his delivery and getting more consistent with his offspeed stuff, but the arm strength and raw talent are absolutely tremendous. He's also a shortstop with a ton of bat speed from the right side of the plate, but his swing isn't the smoothest and his approach is very raw at the plate, as you'd expect given his youth and focus on pitching. Mule is committed to Miami and will be draft eligible again at 20 years old in 2025, but the Mets will have plenty of bonus pool money and could pop him as early as the second round or in the second compensation/third round range.
Other options: LHP Trey Dombroski (Monmouth via Manasquan, NJ), LHP Michael Kennedy (Troy HS, NY), 2B Luke Gold (Boston College via Ballston, NY), RHP Connor Staine (Central Florida via Branchburg, NJ), RHP Henry Williams (Duke via Darien, CT)
New York Yankees: RHP Connor Staine, Central Florida.
Hometown: Branchburg, NJ. My rank: #74.
From Clarke Schmidt to Richard Fitts, the Yankees don't shy away from banged up college arms, and they could be in the market again at pick #61 if they want to bet on a local product. Connor Staine has his hometown variously listed as Branchburg, a far western suburb in Somerset County, New Jersey, or Clinton, which is two towns further west in Hunterdon County. Regardless, he attended West Morris Central High School in neither of those counties, a bit to the north in far western Morris County, and grew up not a Yankees or Mets fan but a Rays fan. From there, he began his college career at Maryland before transferring to UCF this year, getting off to a red hot start by not allowing an earned run over his first 33.2 innings into mid April. Things have been a bit more up and down since then as he's battled back and blister issues, but it's easy to envision an impact MLB starter. The 6'4" righty sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and has touched as high as 97, while his slider is an above average pitch and he rounds out his arsenal with a curve and changeup. His command has gotten better as he's grown into his big frame, allowing him to finally get the most out of his loud stuff, and the whole package has a lot to like. He may fall to the Yankees there in the second round because of the nagging injuries that have allowed him to complete four innings just once since early March, but if they can get him healthy, he can be a #3 starter.
Other options: 2B Luke Gold (Boston College via Ballston, NY), C Adonys Guzman (Brunswick HS, Greenwich, CT via Valley Cottage, NY), RHP Henry Williams (Duke via Darien, CT), RHP Caden Dana (Don Bosco HS, Ramsey, NJ via Montgomery, NY), 1B Jayden Hylton (Palm Beach Gardens HS, FL via Basking Ridge, NJ)
Philadelphia Phillies: C Cade Hunter, Virginia Tech
Hometown: Mount Laurel, NJ. My rank: #67.
The last time Virginia Tech had a position player go in the top three rounds, it was a South Jersey product in Mark Zagunis (Riverton native, Holy Cross HS). Tech could have as many as three go in that range this year, with one being another South Jersey native in Mount Laurel's Cade Hunter (Lenape HS). Hunter played just 31 games over his first two seasons in Blacksburg, but just like the Hokies team as a whole, he broke out in a big way in 2022 to push himself way up draft boards. He possesses plus raw power from the left side that manifests into huge exit velocities, something that's very hard to find in a true catching prospect. The hit tool is a bit behind the power and he'll need to continue to learn to handle high octane pitching as he moves up, but he's making a ton more contact than 2021 (when he struck out 32% of the time) and given that he hasn't seen the field much until this year, it's not terribly surprising. Behind the plate, Hunter is a great athlete who can pop out of the crouch in a hurry and turn in average run times. For now, that athleticism doesn't always manifest into consistent agility back there, but he's improving. As he continues to get more feel for the position, he should be able to stick back there with a strong arm, especially if we get robot umpires in the near future. This is a potential middle of the order bat at a premium position if the Phillies can help him clean up a couple of things, and while they don't pick between #17 and #93, there's a chance he's still around at the latter selection.
Other options: SS Max Martin (Moorestown HS, NJ), LHP/1B Reggie Crawford (Connecticut via Frackville, PA), LHP Noah Dean (Old Dominion via Little Egg Harbor, NJ), RHP Jake Madden (Northwest Florida State via Enola, PA), OF Chris Newell (Virginia via Newtown Square, PA)
Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Bryce Hubbart, Florida State
Hometown: Windermere, FL. My rank: #35.
Bryce Hubbart has fallen a little bit since I had him at #35 on my rankings and he'll appear a bit lower the next go around. The Rays currently pick at #29, #65, #70, and #71, with the former representing his ceiling if he pitches well in the NCAA Tournament and the latter three looking closer to his most likely range if he does not throw well. Regardless, this is a Rays profile through and through. Hubbart grew up in the western Orlando suburb of Windermere and attended Windermere HS, then headed north to Tallahassee to pitch at Florida State. There, he forms one of the best one-two punches in the country with Plant City native Parker Messick, another lefty. Hubbart has the kind of fastball the Rays covet, an invisiball that sneaks past hitters with riding action, though its velocity has been inconsistent. He touched as high as 97 on the Cape, where he was one of the league's most dominant pitchers, but more often this spring he's been down in the 89-91 range, where it is still effective due to its movement. On the Cape, Hubbart flashed a pair of plus breaking balls in a curveball and a slider, but he hasn't used them as often this spring as he has more consistent feel for his fastball. He also rounds out his arsenal with an average changeup. A bit undersized at a skinny 6'1", he comes from an uptempo delivery that might have some evaluators pointing to the bullpen, but his command has steadily improved to average and I still see a starter for now. He's also young for the class and will only turn 21 shortly before the draft, giving him extra time to sort things out, and he impressed me in this interview with Prospects Live as a student of the game who understands the art of pitching. We're not quite sure who the real Bryce Hubbart is yet, but if he ends up in this system, you can bank on the Rays turning him into the absolute best version of himself. Given how he threw on the Cape (0.87 ERA, 45/8 K/BB in 31 IP), that's a scary thought.
Other options: LHP Parker Messick (Florida State via Plant City, FL), RHP Walter Ford (Pace HS, FL), OF Jud Fabian (Florida via Ocala, FL), LHP Carson Palmquist (Miami via Fort Myers, FL), RHP Brandon Sproat (Florida via Pace, FL)
Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Jacob Zibin, TNXL Academy, FL
Hometown: Langley, BC. My rank: unranked.
Jacob Zibin's hometown of Langley, British Columbia may be more than two thousand miles from Toronto, but that doesn't mean it's not firm Blue Jays territory. Between him and Oregon's Adam Maier (a North Vancouver native), the Vancouver area has given us two very good arms in this cycle. Zibin grew up in Langley, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of downtown Vancouver near the US border, but headed more than 2,500 miles across the continent to TNXL Academy in the Orlando area for high school. He then reclassified from the 2023 class to the 2022 class, making him the only player on my radar born in 2005. That's even younger than my dog. Despite his youth, the Canadian righty has plenty of present stuff. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can scrape the upper 90's at best, with some run to boot. His sweepy slider provides a reliable out pitch for now while his changeup is very advanced for a 17 year old, giving him a well rounded arsenal to work with. Zibin throws plenty of strikes from a simple delivery, with plenty of present strength but more room to grow into his 6'3" frame. The combination of arm strength, pitchability, and size is very hard to find at that age, and while he will need some refinement, the Blue Jays can get a nice and early start if they draft him in the second to third round range. Committed to Kentucky where he would be draft eligible again shortly after his 20th birthday, he might get expensive quickly if they let him get much farther than those compensation picks between the second and third rounds.
Other options: RHP Adam Maier (Oregon via North Vancouver, BC), OF Owen Diodati (Alabama via Niagara Falls, ON), 1B David McCabe (Charlotte via Oshawa, ON), LHP Antoine Jean (Alabama via Montreal, QC), RHP Eli Saul (Sacramento State via Vancouver, BC)
Washington Nationals: SS Nick Morabito, Gonzaga HS, DC
Hometown: McLean, VA. My rank: unranked.
The Nationals' farm system hit rock bottom prior to the 2021 draft and subsequent major league selloff, but they've begun to restock the system with a focus on young bats. From the international side, we have Jeremy De La Rosa and Viandel Peña starting to make some noise, while Brady House, Sammy Infante, TJ White, and Daylen Lile have come in through the draft. They'll likely add more prep bats in this draft, and one of them could come from right in their backyard. Nick Morabito is a product of McLean, Virginia, an inner DC suburb home to many congressmen and other high ranking officials, and he commutes across the Potomac River to attend Gonzaga HS on H Street in Washington's NoMa neighborhood. Like fellow Northern Virginia infielder James Triantos a year ago, Morabito has really come on strong this spring and is rising quickly up boards. He's a bat-first prospect with a lightning quick swing from the right side, driving pretty much everything in site lately. It's a compact operation that especially helps him do damage up in the zone, in contrast with many of today's low ball hitters, and he has a chance for above average power down the line despite a smaller 5'11" frame. The glove will need more work, as he isn't quite explosive enough to stick at shortstop and may be forced to second base or left field in the long run. That puts some pressure on the bat, but he has a lot of believers. Another slight ding on his profile is age, as he already turned 19 more than two months before the draft and is more in line with the age of a college freshman. Committed to a Virginia Tech program fresh off an ACC regular season title, he'll be eligible again in 2024 as a sophomore if he goes that route and will be expensive. He makes sense for the Nationals in the second or third round.
Other options: RHP Jacob Watters (West Virginia via Rocky Gap, VA), LHP Levi Huesman (Hanover HS, VA), SS Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech via Williamsburg, VA), RHP Jack O'Connor (Bishop O'Connell HS, Arlington, VA), LHP Nate Savino (Virginia via Sterling, VA)
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