Texas Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. could be top high school player selected.
Video: Top 25 national baseball rankings
Bobby Witt Jr. and Colleyville Heritage check in at No. 8 in the country.
In the run up to the June 3 Major League Baseball Draft, MaxPreps looks
at high school players who might be selected in the three-day
proceedings.
Shortstop is one position where there appears to be plenty of depth in the Class of 2019 and a high number of shortstops figure to go on the first day of the draft.
In
2018, 37 high school players were chosen on the first day of the draft,
which includes two rounds and several compensatory rounds.
The top two high school players expected to be chosen in the first round are shortstops and three of the top five play the position.
MLB Draft Prospects: Top 10 middle infielders
Bobby Witt Jr., Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas), 6-1, 185Generally considered to be the top high school player available in the 2019 MLB Draft, Witt Jr. is the son of former Major League pitcher Bobby Witt. Unlike his father, Witt is a five-tool prospect as a shortstop and is considered to be the type of player who can hit for power and average at the next level. Witt is also one of the fastest players in the draft and has one of the most powerful arms for the position. He's batting .500 on the season (63-for-126) with 14 doubles, eight triples and a nation best 15 home runs. He has a 1.09 slugging percentage with 54 RBI and 62 runs scored.
Draft prospect: The majority of mock drafts have Witt going with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.
CJ Abrams, Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 6-2, 182Like Witt, Abrams is fast and athletic with a good enough arm to play shortstop at the next level. He is one of the fastest players in the draft and stole 33 bases this year. Unlike Witt, Abrams doesn't hit for power. He hit .410 with 17 doubles, but had only two home runs on the season.
Draft prospect: Mock drafts generally have Abrams as the No. 2 high school player chosen, going somewhere among the top five players.
Rece Hinds, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 6-4, 210Hinds has, perhaps, the best power potential of any of the shortstop candidates. He had only two home runs this year playing a mostly national schedule, but he had 13 home runs as a junior at Niceville and 11 as a sophomore. Also battled Witt for the home run derby championships at the Perfect Game All-American Classic. Plays shortstop in high school, but likely moves to third base at the next level. Has one of the most powerful arms at the high school level.
Draft prospect: Will likely go among the top 10-15 picks.
Anthony Volpe, Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.), 5-11, 180Known as a strong fielder with good speed who can hit for average, Volpe has added power hitting to his resume. After hitting only two home runs in his career, Volpe has blasted seven round-trippers as a senior. He's batting .514 on the season, but only nine walks.
Draft prospect: He could be tough to sign away from Vanderbilt, but mock drafts have him going anywhere from the end of the first round to the third round.
Gunnar Henderson, Morgan Academy (Selma, Ala.), 6-3, 195Henderson ranks as one of the top hitting shortstops at the high school level, but there's a chance he doesn't stick around at shortstop at the next level. Henderson batted .559 as a senior, driving in a national-best 75 runs to go with 69 runs scored, 17 doubles, 9 triples and 11 home runs.
Draft prospect: Headed to Auburn, but could still sign. He could go somewhere in the third round.
Connor Walsh, Niceville (Fla.), 6-2, 185Imagine if Rece Hinds had not transferred to IMG Academy, Niceville would have had the best pair of infielders in the nation. Walsh actually had better numbers than Hinds this year, batting .435 with four doubles, seven triples and four home runs.
Draft prospect: Committed to Ole Miss, Walsh could be chosen around the sixth round.
Jamari Baylor, Benedictine (Richmond, Va.), 5-11, 193Baylor has been a quick riser among the national rankings for shortstops and his success on the field and at the plate is one reason Benedictine won the VISAA Division 1 championship. Although it's possible he could move to third base, Baylor is athletic and has good power at the plate. Baylor hit .417 with six home runs and nine doubles during the season.
Draft prospect: Not many mock drafts have Baylor listed among the top 10 rounds, but with this stock rising at the end of the season, don't be surprised to hear his name during the second day of the draft.
Kyren Paris, Freedom (Oakley, Calif.), 6-0, 167One of the smaller draft prospects at shortstop, Paris has little power at the plate, however he is athletic and quick and could fill a need at second base. He batted .306 with three doubles and three triples.
Draft prospect: The lack of power hasn't deterred teams from looking at him as he is projected to go in the fourth round.
Cade Doughty, Denham Springs (La.), 6-1, 195Doughty brings a lot of all-around ability to the position, which leads one to believe that he could play any of the infield positions. A smooth fielder with a strong arm and a contact hitter with some power, he batted .505 with 11 doubles and six home runs.
Draft prospect: Doughty probably won't last past the second round.
Brooks Lee, San Luis Obispo (Calif.), 6-1, 180Lee has been one of the better hitting shortstops in the Class of 2019, averaging .437 for his high school career including .405 as a senior. Good footwork and good hands, although not quite the velocity across the infield as the other shortstops at the top of the list.
Draft prospect: Some mock drafts have Lee going as early as the second round.
