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College  | Story  | 6/1/2019

Regional Draft Pack: Day 1

Patrick Ebert     
Photo: Drew Mendoza (Ken Lanese/FSU Athletics)

The college baseball postseason, as it always does, coincides with the annual MLB Draft, set to take place Monday through Wednesday, June 3-5. During the weekend of Regional play we will track the performances of some of the top prospects from the college ranks while sharing some of the reports produced as part of our draft preview content. Be sure to visit some of the links listed below to access Perfect Game’s scouting-centric coverage of the MLB Draft.

Regional Preview | Draft Preview Index | Prospects 1-610 | College Player Database


Top Prospects
Listed below are the college players ranked among PG’s top 100 prospects that are still playing during the NCAA Tournament.


Hitters
Player Pos. School Friday (May 31) Results
Adley Rutschman C Oregon State 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2B
Andrew Vaughn 1B California  0-3, 1 R, BB
JJ Bleday OF Vanderbilt 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 2B
Hunter Bishop OF Arizona State 1-4, 1 R
Shea Langeliers C Baylor 0-4
Michael Busch 1B North Carolina 1-5, 1 R, 2B
Josh Jung 3B Texas Tech 2-3, 2 R, 2 BB
Logan Davidson SS Clemson 1-2, 3 R, 2 BB, 2B
Will Wilson SS NC State Game postponed
Brady McConnell SS Florida 1-4, 1 R, BB, 2B
Chase Strumpf MIF UCLA 0-3, 1 R, BB
Matt Wallner OF Southern Miss 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR, HBP
Greg Jones SS UNCW 0-3, 1 R, BB
Braden Shewmake SS Texas A&M 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 SB
Drew Mendoza 3B Florida State 3-6, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B, 2 HR
Josh Smith SS LSU 0-1, 3 R, 2 BB
Jordan Brewer OF Michigan Did not play
Michael Toglia 1B UCLA 1-4
Logan Wyatt 1B Louisville 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB
Zach Watson OF LSU 1-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, HR
Davis Wendzel INF Baylor 0-2, BB
Aaron Schunk 3B Georgia 2-5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR
Dominic Fletcher OF Arkansas 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Tyler Fitzgerald SS Louisville 2-4, 2 R, 2B


Pitchers

Player Pos. School Friday (May 31) Results
Nick Lodolo LHP TCU Did not pitch
Alek Manoah RHP West Virginia Did not pitch
Seth Johnson RHP Campbell Game postponed
Isaiah Campbell RHP Arkansas Did not pitch
Tommy Henry LHP Michigan Did not pitch
Ethan Small LHP Mississippi State Did not pitch
John Doxakis LHP Texas A&M 7 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 9 K, 0 BB (L)
Matt Cronin LHP Arkansas Did not pitch
Ryan Garcia RHP UCLA 8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB (W)
Erik Miller LHP Stanford Did not pitch
Alec Marsh RHP Arizona State 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 7 K, 3 BB (L)
Mason Feole LHP UConn 5 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 8 K, 3 BB (L)
Tyler Baum RHP North Carolina 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 4 K, 1 BB (ND)
Aaron Schunk RHP Georgia Did not pitch
Ryan Jensen RHP Fresno State 7.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB (W)
Tony Locey RHP Georgia 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K, 1 BB


Prospect Breakdown



Drew Mendoza, Florida State
Mendoza, a PG All-American during the summer of 2015, had a big opening day for Florida as part of a dynamic overall offensive attack for the Seminoles in a 13-7 win over Florida Atlantic on Friday. Mendoza hit three of FSU’s 20 total hits, with a double and a pair of home runs and he also scored three times and drove in four. The first home run came in the second inning as part of a three-home run, five-run inning.

Mendoza, a once slender, well-tapered athlete, added a considerable amount of size and subsequent strength in college, particularly from his sophomore year to this season, and profiles well as a lefthanded slugger with a naturally leverage stroke that fits well on an infield corner, more likely first base than third given the way his body has developed. He is now hitting .315 on the year with 16 bombs and 54 RBI serving as FSU’s No. 3 hitter.

Mendoza is ranked 62nd overall for Monday’s draft. Read more about Mendoza by following these links:

MLB Draft Report
College Player Database Report
Feature: Mendoza, FSU eye end of era


 — NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) May 31, 2019


Matt Wallner, Southern Miss
Wallner has hit his stride recently, perhaps at the perfect time with the draft approaching come Monday. Southern Miss ended up routing Arizona State in their opening game Friday, and in the middle of a 12-run fifth inning Wallner hit a two-run bomb and an RBI single as part of a 2-for-4, three RBI performance. He has now hit six home runs in his last eight games, giving him 22 on the year while going 16-for-29 (.552) during that stretch with 13 RBI.

A big and physical lefthanded slugger, Wallner is ranked 53rd overall heading into Monday’s draft although he could be taken higher based on his recent surge in power. With his size and power, along with big arm strength, he profiles perfectly as a prototypical right fielder and a middle-of-the-order run producer.

MLB Draft Report
College Player Database Report



Aaron Schunk, Georgia
Schunk stands out on a baseball field, with a physical 6-foot-2, 205-pound build, and he made his presence known on Friday during Georgia’s convincing 13-3 win over Mercer. Schunk went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and five driven in, and both of his hits travelled over the fence with a two-run shot in the first – in which the Bulldogs got out to a fast 8-0 start – and a three-run shot in the third that put the game well out of reach.

While Schunk is a two-way performer at the college level, and has professional promise in both capacities as both a position prospect and as a pitcher, it’s at the plate, and in the field at third base, where his upside is greater. With a direct swing path and a level swing plane, Schunk makes consistent hard contact as shown by his 27 extra-base hits on the year, 13 of which have been home runs, including the two he blasted on Friday.

MLB Draft Report
College Player Database Report


Tony Locey, Georgia
Starting on the mound for Georgia, and turning in yet another solid performance in the Bulldogs’ 13-3 win over Mercer, was junior righthander Tony Locey. Locey was a PG All-American during the summer of 2015 and showed the same combination of size and stuff that continues to make him an appealing prospect this year. He’s ranked 98th overall among those eligible for this year’s draft.

At 6-foot-3, 239-pounds, the physicality is evident. He’s also a pretty good all-around athlete, making a few athletic plays off the mound in addition to providing five scoreless innings on the mound in which he allowed just one base hit and one walk while fanning seven opposing hitters. Locey can dial his fastball into the mid- to upper-90s at times but works comfortably in the 90-94 mph range while mixing in a sharp curveball and a changeup, giving him the three requisite pitches to start.

MLB Draft Report




JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt
Named one of four finalists for the Golden Spikes Award this week, Bleday had a big performance at the SEC Tournament last weekend (as shown in the video above) and he hasn’t slowed down one bit. The oddest part of his 2-for-3 performance was the fact that he didn’t hit a home run, but he did hit a pair of doubles while scoring a run and driving in another in a 8-2 win over Ohio State.

Bleday is ranked fourth overall among all players eligible for this year’s draft with many believing he’ll go to the Marlins fourth overall after Derek Jeter, among other front office execs, were in to see him last in Hoover. A powerfully built lefthanded slugger, Bleday has the bat speed, strength, hand-eye coordination and approach to continue to make a different at the next level as a potential, perennial all-star.

MLB Draft Report
College Player Database Report (May 22)
College Player Database Report (Feb. 20)


Zach Watson, LSU
Draft-eligible as a sophomore a year ago, Watson decided to return to Baton Rouge, along with several other key contributors that had some unfinished business with LSU, after falling to the last round (40th) of the 2018 draft. Watson has hit over .300 in each of his three seasons with the Tigers, and has very quietly enjoyed another successful season this year, although the power hasn’t been as consistently on display this season.

That changed with a single swing on Friday, blasting a two-run shot as part of a four-run second inning in what turned into a 17-3 route of Stony Brook. He also was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving him three RBI in the game. Watson has an intriguing blend of power and speed with very good athleticism that serves him well in center field. He’s made several highlight plays throughout his career, including during his freshman season as part of LSU’s runner-up finish in Omaha, and figures to go much earlier in the draft this year.

MLB Draft Report
College Player Database Report




Ryan Jensen, Fresno State
Jensen entered the year with a fair amount of hype as a live-armed righthander and he took his game to another level with improved control and overall command, drastically cutting down the number of baserunners he has allowed (both hits and walk) by throwing more strikes and staying ahead in counts to let his big fastball do the talking. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning as part of the Bulldogs 9-2 win over UC Santa Barbara, allowing two earned runs on fours hits and a walk while striking out eight.

The fastball sits in the 93-96 mph and he maintains the velocity deep into starts, touching higher early in the game and when he needs to reach back to a little more. He also throws both a mid-80s slider and changeup, a pair of pitches that both regularly flash big potential while giving him the needed three pitches to start. Jensen has very good arm speed with an athletic, repeatable delivery and he did a lot this spring, and in this start, to improve his overall profile heading into Monday’s draft as the 94th overall draft prospect.

MLB Draft Report
College Player Database Report




Ryan Garcia, UCLA
Garcia’s season has been nothing short of amazing for the No. 1 Bruins, and he continued his success into his Friday start against Omaha in a 5-2 victory. Garcia picked up his 10th win of the year, now with a perfect 10-0 record, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out six in 8 1/3 innings. Per usual he showed his full four-pitch repertoire that includes a 89-93 mph fastball, a mid-80s slider, a low- to mid-80s changeup and a mid- to upper-70s curveball.

For as good as Garcia’s stuff is it’s the command and ability to sequence between his four pitches that really sets him apart. After opening the year on the shelf with an injury, UCLA slowly built him back up into the team’s staff ace, starting out in the bullpen before moving to the Sunday starting role and eventually re-claiming his spot on Fridays. Although he’s ranked 57th overall, Garcia’s ability to pitch, like so many UCLA pitchers ahead of him, helps increase his profile as his floor is higher than most.

MLB Draft Report
College Player Database Report (April 17)
College Player Database Report (March 19)
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