SS Ed Howard, Mount Carmel HS [IL]
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DoB: 1/28/2002. B/T: R/R
Commitment: Oklahoma
If you remember back to 2014 when Chicago's Jackie Robinson West team went to the Little League World Series, Ed Howard was the shortstop. Now, he has a commitment to Oklahoma in hand as the clear-cut top high school prospect in the Midwest, currently at the same Mount Carmel High School that produced Diamondbacks top prospect Alek Thomas two years ago. He's a really interesting prospect with a combination of upside and floor, but at the same time, he's one you really have to close your eyes and dream on because he's far from a finished product.
Howard is 6'2" with an extremely athletic frame that gives him all sorts of upside. He's a glove-first prospect that will no-doubt stick at shortstop, which buys his bat a ton of time to develop. Even if it never really does develop, the defense gives him a great floor as a utility infielder as long as he hits just a little bit. For that bat, the imagination has to come into play a little bit. He shows good bat speed from the right side and is on a positive trajectory, making consistent contact against advanced pitching despite coming from a cold weather state. There's not a ton of present power, but he hits the ball hard and some added loft could do wonders. You always like to see when an athletic kid like this is on a positive trajectory, and it seems like a lot of people around the industry have a good feeling about him.
Howard's upside could develop in a number of ways, though it seems the most likely is that of a slick fielding shortstop who could be a valuable, all-around bat. That likely projects out to home run totals in the teens with plenty of doubles, though his speed does play closer to average than you'd expect from a top defensive shortstop. The lack of present power likely drops him out of the front half of the first round, but he has a good chance to go anywhere from the middle to the back half of the round. He's committed to Oklahoma.
Summer footage
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