2017 Summer Collegiate Baseball Content:
Player of the Year | Team of the Year | All-America Teams
While scouts did have the opportunity to double-dip on the college prospects while in North Carolina for the Tournament of Stars in late June, with the Collegiate National Team games continuing to mid-July, there were some notable players missing from the action. Because Florida won the College World Series neither Brady Singer nor Jackson Kowar pitched this summer – presumably for Team USA if they had. A few of the other premier college arms in the nation were also shut down for the summer, including Shane McClanahan, Colton Eastman, Sean Hjelle and Adam Hill.
Casey Mize did continue to establish himself as a first-round pick, carrying his strong spring over to the summer while throwing heat for the Red, White and Blue, and there were some interesting pieces up the middle of the field, and on the outfield corners.
Team USA College National Team Top 20 Prospects
| Rk. |
Player |
POS. |
B-T |
HT |
WT |
Hometown |
ST |
2018 School |
YR |
Class |
Last Drafted |
| 1 |
Casey Mize |
RHP |
R-R |
6-3 |
208 |
Springville |
AL |
Auburn |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 2 |
Nick Madrigal |
2B |
R-R |
5-8 |
160 |
Elk Grove |
CA |
Oregon State |
JR |
2018 |
Indians '15 (17) |
| 3 |
Tim Cate |
LHP |
L-L |
6-0 |
187 |
Manchester |
CT |
Connecticut |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 4 |
Travis Swaggerty |
OF |
L-L |
5-11 |
180 |
Mandeville |
LA |
South Alabama |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 5 |
Steele Walker |
OF |
L-L |
5-11 |
190 |
Prosper |
TX |
Oklahoma |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 6 |
Sean Wymer |
RHP |
R-R |
6-1 |
190 |
Flower Mound |
TX |
Texas Christian |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 7 |
Steven Gingery |
LHP |
L-L |
6-1 |
210 |
Huntington Beach |
CA |
Texas Tech |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 8 |
Nick Sprengel |
LHP |
L-L |
6-1 |
185 |
Placentia |
CA |
San Diego |
JR |
2018 |
Nationals '15 (31) |
| 9 |
Jake McCarthy |
OF |
L-L |
6-2 |
200 |
Scranton |
PA |
Virginia |
JR |
2018 |
Pirates '15 (23) |
| 10 |
Konnor Pilkington |
LHP |
L-L |
6-3 |
225 |
Hurley |
MS |
Mississippi State |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 11 |
Jeremy Eierman |
SS |
R-R |
6-1 |
205 |
Warsaw |
MO |
Missouri State |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 12 |
Seth Beer |
1B/OF |
L-R |
6-3 |
200 |
Suwanee |
GA |
Clemson |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 13 |
Cadyn Grenier |
SS |
R-R |
5-10 |
185 |
Henderson |
NV |
Oregon State |
JR |
2018 |
Cardinals '15 (21) |
| 14 |
Dallas Woolfolk |
RHP |
R-R |
6-2 |
225 |
Southaven |
MS |
Mississippi |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 15 |
Braden Shewmake |
2B/3B |
L-R |
6-4 |
180 |
Wylie |
TX |
Texas A&M |
SO |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 16 |
Luca Dalatri |
RHP |
R-R |
6-6 |
238 |
Wall Township |
NJ |
North Carolina |
SO |
2019 |
Rockies '16 (40) |
| 17 |
Grant Koch |
C |
R-R |
6-0 |
195 |
Fayetteville |
AR |
Arkansas |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 18 |
Kenyon Yovan |
RHP |
R-R |
6-3 |
222 |
Beaverton |
OR |
Oregon |
SO |
2019 |
Mariners '16 (32) |
| 19 |
Jackson Lueck |
OF |
B-R |
6-1 |
190 |
Orlando |
FL |
Florida State |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
| 20 |
Jon Olsen |
RHP |
R-R |
6-3 |
202 |
Rancho Cucamonga |
CA |
UCLA |
JR |
2018 |
Never drafted |
After throwing 83 2/3 innings during the spring for Auburn Casey Mize didn’t throw much this summer, but when he did take the mound he left quite the impression. In just two appearances spanning seven innings Mize struck out eight batters and didn’t walk anyone thanks to his lively fastball that peaks at 95 and can sit comfortably in the 93-95 mph range. During the spring he did a nice job maintaining that velocity deep into ballgames, and also throws a mid- to upper-80s splitter that serves as his change-of-pace and a low- to mid-80s slider.
At 5-foot-8 middle infielder Nick Madrigal certainly isn’t a perfect prospect, but his style of play and feel for the game routinely endears him to scouts, and pretty much anyone that watches him play. His hands receive the most attention, as they serve him extremely well both in the batter’s box and on defense. Madrigal has some of the best bat-to-ball skills in all of college baseball, and while he doesn’t have the desired arm strength for shortstop, making second base a better fit for him, his instincts and first-step quickness are nearly unrivaled.
Due to the fact that they’re both somewhat smaller lefthanders with signature secondary pitches that played together for UConn during the 2016 season, Tim Cate frequently draws comparisons to current New York Mets farmhand Anthony Kay. With Kay’s departure Cate stepped into the ace role this past spring and excelled, carrying that success over to the summer, posting a 20-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 innings of work, allowing just one earned run. He has three solid pitches that includes a 90-92 mph fastball that touches 93, his sharp upper-70s to low-80s curve and an improving mid-80s changeup that tumbles out of the zone.
Travis Swaggerty might have done the most to help his draft profile this summer, finishing third on the team in batting (.328) while showing solid tools across the board. While only his speed rates above average on the scouting scale, the rest of his tools are right in the 50-55 range, making him a well-rounded player. Swaggerty has enjoyed two solid seasons at South Alabama, and a good summer for Team USA, which could point to a huge junior campaign next spring.
A player that has created a lot of mixed opinions on due to his play on the field as compared to some perceived hustle/intensity concerns, Steele Walker certainly has shown to be more than comfortable with a bat in his hand. He was the leading hitter in the Northwoods League a year ago, hitting over .400, and followed that up with a .333/.413/.541 sophomore season at Oklahoma and a nearly identical .333/.417/.514 campaign for Team USA. While he’s not a burner he has good baserunning instincts and takes good routes in the outfield. He played right field this summer but his arm is probably better suited for left, but his bat is his carrying tool regardless of what position he plays.
Most scouts expect Sean Wymer to assume a starting role for TCU this spring given his full four-pitch repertoire, and of his three appearances this summer one was a start after serving in an expanded bullpen role during the spring. Wymer regularly creates uncomfortable at-bats for opposing hitters, and rarely gets squared up by changing the timing between his low-90s fastball, low-80s slider, changeup and curveball.
Steven Gingery has already established himself as one of the best pure pitchers at the college level, with an upper-80s to low-90s heat and the ability to throw strikes with three distinct pitches. He went 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA in four appearances, three of which were starts, and while his ceiling isn’t particularly high he offers one of the highest floors and is a sure bet to produce at the next level.
Both Nick Sprengel and Jake McCarthy could be poised for big spring seasons after showing glimpses of promise this summer. Although Spregnel does have some command concerns, and he also needs to further develop his changeup, he had one of the liveliest arms on the Team USA capable of producing easy 90-94 heat from the left side to go along with a sharp, late-breaking low-80s curveball.
McCarthy’s tools have similar promise as an offensive player, with a tool package highlighted by his speed and enough power in his lefthanded swing to make a difference in the batter’s box. While he hit only .232 on the summer he played regularly alongside Swaggerty and Walker in the outfield, and also hit .338/.425/.506 this spring for Virginia.
Similar to most of the other players that suited up for Team USA, Konnor Pilkington may not be without warts as a prospect, he certainly helped formed a productive ‘Big Three’ with Patrick Raby and Steven Gingery. Pilkington’s 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame causes some concern moving forward, but he does command his low-90s fastball, that peaks around 94 routinely, well. He’s at his best keeping the ball down in the zone, throwing with some downhill trajectory, although his heater is fairly straight. Neither his curveball nor his changeup is a swing-and-miss offering, but he mixes in both well to upset opposing hitters’ timing.
Seth Beer is expected to be the most polarizing subject next spring leading up to the draft. While his incredible freshman campaign made Beer the biggest storyline of the 2016 season, his numbers dramatically fell off during his sophomore year, and he didn’t do much at the plate during the summer either. When he does connect with the ball he can hit it a country mile, and his plate discipline at the plate is also very impressive, with the ability to get on base via a base on balls even when he’s not collecting base hits. That said, his floor would be similar to that of Ben Grieve as a powerful and patient lefthanded hitter with some contact concerns that also without a true position on the field.
The playing time dwindled for both Jeremy Eierman and Braden Shewmake once Nick Madrigal and Cadyn Grenier arrived after Oregon State’s appearance in Omaha. Both Eierman and Shewmake enjoyed All-American campaigns in the spring, and while neither was particularly productive for Team USA, they flashed enough bright spots to keep scouts interested heading into the spring. Eierman is the more toolsy of the two players, highlighted by his exciting power potential, while Shewmake could be the more natural pure hitter, with a level, sweeping swing path similar to that of current Houston Astros' farmhand Kyle Tucker.
As for Cadyn Grenier, he continued to show high-level defensive play at shortstop but there are long-range concerns about his bat and swing-and-miss tendencies. Most believe he would be better off establishing more of a contact-first approach after hitting .275 in the spring and .158 this summer.
In regards to pure arm strength, Dallas Woolfolk stood out for Team USA, and he has all of the ingredients to be a successful short reliever as the next level. A big, burly righthander, Woolfolk's fastball sits in the 92-94 mph range and touches higher from a straight over-the-top delivery, aggressively challenging hitters while mixing in a low-80s slider.
Luca Dalatri comes close to matching Woolfolk in size, although it’s more well-proprtioned strength in his 6-foot-6, 238-pound frame. However, Dalatri isn’t as much of a power pitcher as one would think, instead relying on the command of his low-90s heater to record outs.
Should Grant Koch continue to enjoy success at the plate, like he did during the first half of his sophomore season at Arkansas as well as this summer for Team USA, leading the squad in hitting (.372) and tying with Steele Walker for the lead in home runs with two, than he could get drafted higher than expected simply because he can catch. While he has room for improvement defensively, he does showcase a rocket of an arm and does a nice job carrying strong pre-game BP sessions into games.
Although Kenyon Yovan didn’t make the cut and subsequently headed to the Northwoods League, he showed considerable future promise. Once of the top freshmen in the nation for Oregon during the spring, Yovan opened eyes with his strong and athletic 6-foot-3, 222-pound frame, low-90s heat and sharp breaking ball.
On a team full of promising outfielder Jackson Lueck didn’t get much of a chance to show what he’s capable of, but he did hit the ball consistently hard with a gap-to-gap approach while displaying some over-the-fence pop and solid overall athleticism.
After going 7-1 with a sub-3.00 ERA for UCLA this spring, Jon Olsen tossed 10 1/3 innings out of the Team USA bullpen this summer showing his usual low-90s heater and mid- to upper-70s curveball. Similar to other effective Bruins starters in recent years, command is a strength for Olsen, as is his ability to spin a curve.
Here are some quick hits on players that just missed the top 20 ranking:
• Andrew Vaughn had one of the better and more aggressive offensive approaches on the team. Similar to Team USA and fellow Pac-12 standout K.J. Harrison, Vaughn may be a first baseman by default, but could hit enough to stick there.
• Patrick Raby didn’t allow an earned run in 19 1/3 innings as the team’s de-facto staff ace. He throws his fastball mostly in the upper-80s, peaking at 90-91, while occasionally mixing in a slider.
• Ryley Gilliam has always had a live arm, with one of the faster arm speeds of the Team USA hurlers from a smaller package. He sat in the 93-94 mph range with sharp curveball.
• There’s plenty to like about lefthander Bryce Tucker with a 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame, 90-92 mph fastball, low-80s slider and repeatable three-quarters arm action.
• Tyler Holton had one of the team’s best changeups, a pitch that served him well throughout the spring, although a pitch he can throw too often at times. He sits in the upper-80s and peaks at 90, and can mix in a decent curveball at times as well.
• While there is definitely intriguing power potential in Johnny Aiello’s swing, there is also some significant swing-and-miss concerns. If he refines his approach during his junior year at Wake Forest he’s a name to keep in mind for the early rounds of next year’s draft.
College Player Database
Read first-hand reports and watch select video of the Team USA players listed above from the spring in the Perfect Game College Player Database.
Casey Mize, 5/24/17
Nick Madrigal, 2/18/17
Tim Cate, 5/12/17
Nick Sprengel, 3/4/17
Jake McCarthy, 5/22/17
Sean Wymer, 3/9/17
Konnor Pilkington, 5/24/17
Jeremy Eierman, 2/27/17
Seth Beer, 3/27/17
Steven Gingery, 3/5/17
Dallas Woolfolk, 3/6/17
Braden Shewmake, 3/8/17
Luca Dalatri, 4/11/17
Grant Koch, 3/7/17
Jackson Lueck, 3/27/17
Jon Olsen, 3/6/17
Patrick Raby, 4/14/17
Ryley Gilliam, 3/27/17
Tyler Holton, 3/25/17
Johnny Aiello, 4/9/17