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Minors  | General  | 12/13/2018

PG in the Pros: AL East

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Clarke Schmidt (Perfect Game)

As part of Perfect Game's recurring PG in the Pros series David Rawnsley will take a look at some of the top prospects in minor league baseball and their impact on the sport prior to their professional careers. This will be done in a six-part series, one feature for each division in Major League Baseball while identifying one of the top prospects for each team. Links are provided below to past installments of the PG in the Pros series for other reports on prospects, both past and present.

Previous 2018-19 PG in the Pros features: AL Central | NL Central | NL East


Baltimore Orioles

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Hunter Harvey, Chance Sisco, Christian Walker, Josh Hart
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Mychal Givens
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Ryan Mountcastle
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Cedric Mullins

 DL Hall, LHP

Hall, whose full name is Dayton Layne Hall, first started appearing regularly at Perfect Game events after his freshman year while pitching for Chain Baseball. Although a slender 5-foot-11, 160-pound athlete at that point, he immediately established himself as a potential top prospect, working up to 88 mph as a 15 year old. He took a big jump to definite top prospect during his sophomore summer, moving his fastball up to 90-93 mph and gaining just as much velocity and power to his breaking ball.

Closer to 6-foot-1, 185-pounds during his junior summer, Hall had the physical strength and maturity to take it up one more step, working at 93-94 mph consistently and topping out at 96 mph at the 2016 Perfect Game All-American Classic. The Florida State commit continued to refine both his fastball command and his changeup, but it was his mid- to upper-70s curveball that really set him apart.

Many young pitchers seem afraid, or their coaches calling the pitches seem afraid, to have lefthanded pitchers throw their breaking ball to righthanded hitters. Hall was the opposite. His curveball was not only one of the best breaking balls in the 2016 class, he had better command of the pitch than his often straight fastball and had already mastered the ability to both back-door and back-foot the pitch to righthanders. When he was in rhythm, which was happening more and more frequently, he worked off his curveball rather than his fastball.



Early in the summer at the 2016 PG National Showcase, Hall was just beginning to show this skill and comfort level, something that kept increasing throughout the summer circuit. His report from that event read:

Strong athletic build, still projectable but looks to be bigger than his listed size. Stays over the rubber well in his delivery, explodes to the plate, bit cross body at release, delivery has smoothed out with less effort since previously seen. Fastball topped out at 95 mph early, settled in at 92-93 mph, mostly straight but explodes on hitters. Mid-70s curveball is tight with hard biting 1-to-7 shape and will buckle knees. Rare changeup. Tends to drift from the stretch and lose command. Mastering fastball command will be key to his development, all the other tools are there.

Things were much the same during Hall's senior year as he showed dominant southpaw stuff and fastball command that was improving but still had a ways to go. He was ranked sixth in the final PG class rankings and lasted to the 21st overall pick to the Orioles, signing for an even $3 million bonus.


Boston Red Sox

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Jackie Bradley, Henry Owens, Garin Cecchini, Blake Swihart, Mookie Betts
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Rafael Devers, Matt Barnes, Brian Johnson
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Michael Kopech
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Andrew Benintendi
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Michael Chavis

 Bobby Dalbec, 3B

Dalbec is a native of Parker, Colorado, just southeast of Denver, and participated in the first Perfect Game Rocky Mountain Showcase in 2012. He stood out for his strong 6-foot-4, 220-pound build and his plus righthanded bat speed and received a 9 PG Grade in his evaluation. However, Colorado prospects didn't circulate nationally as much as they do today and Dalbec wasn't a well-known prospect. He hit .380-9-29 as a senior at Legend High School and ended his high school days ranked 327th in the PG rankings with a scholarship to Arizona.

A secondary pitcher in high school who didn't take the mound at the Rocky Mountain Showcase, Dalbec played in both roles as a freshman at Arizona, beginning a very unusual progression as a two-way player through college. He hit .266-2-30 in 47 games as a position player and went 3-5, 2.13 with a pair of saves in 22 games out of the bullpen.

Although Dalbec had a solid year on the mound as a sophomore, going a deceiving 3-7, 3.21 with five saves in a swing role on the mound, he exploded as a hitter, posting .319-15-53 numbers during the spring to identify himself as one of the top power hitters in college baseball, then surpassed that by hitting 315-12-30 with wood bats in the summer Cape Cod League.



That reversed itself as a junior, as Dalbec struggled all spring at the plate, hitting .260-7-40 and striking out 80 times in 63 games as scouts talked about unnecessary changes he'd made to his swing mechanics. The exact opposite happened on the mound, as he went 11-5, 2.65 with seven saves while throwing 95 innings and working mostly out of the bullpen. Dalbec worked up to 94 mph with his fastball while showing quality to his slider and changeup. Teams were up in the air as to whether his future was on the mound or in the righthanded batter's box. It was almost a given that Dalbec's draft stock had dropped over the last 12 months.

The Red Sox liked him best and liked him as a hitter and third baseman, picking him in the fourth round and signing him to a $650,000 bonus.


New York Yankees

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – J.R. Murphy, Tyler Austin, Greg Bird
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Ian Clarkin, Rob Refsnyder
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Aaron Judge
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Justus Sheffield
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Nick Solak

 Clarke Schmidt, RHP

No background on Yankees 2017 first round pick Clarke Schmidt is complete without including his brother, fellow righthander Clate Schmidt, who is two years older.

Clate was the high school superstar who was supposed to be the future first round pick. He was a Perfect Game All-American who threw up to 96 mph in high school and was a top-level hitter as well. A strong commitment to Clemson made him pass on the 2012 draft despite being ranked 31st in the PG class rankings. Schmidt was on track to be a solid 2015 draft pick when he was diagnosed with lymphoma during his junior year, with an understandable impact on his baseball career. Clarke passed on summer baseball in 2015 to spend the time with his recovering older brother. Recovered from the cancer, Schmidt had a successful year in A ball in the Tigers system in 2018.

Clarke didn't mature physically as fast as his older brother did and generally pitched in the 86-88 mph range until the end of his high school career when he started bumping 90-91 mph. His arm was loose and easy and he had athleticism and solid command of his pitches. He was ranked 230th in the final PG class rankings and went to South Carolina without being drafted. His freshman year in Columbia was solid as he posted a 2-2, 4.81 record in 58 innings between the bullpen and mid-week starts.



The strength and physical maturity caught up as a college sophomore. Schmidt was listed at 6-foot-1, 160-pounds in high school and had filled out to 190-pounds. His fastball was now working up to 95-96 mph with lots of life from a mid three-quarters arm slot and his slider was now in the mid-80s with lots of two-plane depth. Schmidt went 9-5, 3.40 with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings as a sophomore and was even better through nine starts as a junior, going 4-2, 1.34 and only allowing 41 hits in 60 innings.

Scouts had already detected some subtle changes in Schmidt's arm action and stuff during his last two or three starts, however, and it was determined that Schmidt had torn his UCL and he eventually underwent TJ surgery in mid-April. Many teams do not back off established college pitchers who have had elbow surgery, however, and Schmidt's draft stock hardly stirred despite his injury. The Yankees picked him 16th overall, signing him to a $2,184,300 bonus.


Tampa Bay Rays

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Jake Odorizzi, Andrew Toles
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Justin O’Conner, Nathan karns, Taylor Guerrieri, Justin Williams
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Blake Snell, LHP
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Ryne Stanek
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Josh Lowe

 Brendan McKay, LHP/1B

McKay grew up in a very small Western Pennsylvania town north of Pittsburgh and had virtually no national baseball imprint when he left high school to attend Louisville. He was understandably a local baseball legend, including going 18-1, 0.27 during his three-year high school career, including allowing only one run combined in his junior and senior years, along with hitting .449-5-38. But his only appearance at a Perfect Game or other national level event was at the 2014 WWBA World Championship with, ironically, the DBacks Scout Team out of British Columbia. It was an inauspicious path for the player who would become one of the best college performers of all-time.

McKay was a starter as a position player from Day 1 at Louisville, hitting .308-4-34 with 38 walks as a freshman. It took him a month to work into the starting rotation, a time when he saved four games in seven outings, but he ended up starting 13 games and going 9-3, 1.77 in 96 innings overall. After a strong sophomore year on both sides of the ball, McKay really developed as a hitter, posting .341-18-57 numbers with 45 walks versus only 39 strikeouts as a junior while going 11-3, 2.56 on the mound with 146 strikeouts in 109 innings.



With McKay's developing power, teams were torn between which was his best future position, although it was a foregone conclusion that he was a first round pick, and potentially a high first round pick, on both sides of the ball. On the mound, McKay didn't have power stuff, with a fastball that occasionally worked up to 93-94 mph but often was 89-91 to go with a plus curveball and top-of-the-chart command and pitchability. As a first baseman/hitter, McKay was often compared to Adrian Gonzalez. It was a natural thing for scouts to wonder how quickly he would have developed if he stopped doing one or the other.

With the increasing anticipation of Shohei Ohtani's arrival in Major League Baseball and his seemingly unique talent, there was a third previously rarely discussed option for McKay: Do both. Tampa Bay, thinking outside the box as they often do, did exactly that, picking McKay fourth overall in the 2017 draft with plans on developing him both ways. He signed for a $7,005,000 bonus.


Toronto Blue Jays

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris, Chase DeJong
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Rowdy Tellez
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Sean Reid-Foley
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Anthony Alford

 Bo Bichette, SS

Not only did Bichette, who was named after Bo Jackson, have to follow his big league star father, Dante, as he developed as a player, he also had to follow his five-year older sibbling, Dante Jr., who was the 51st overall pick in the 2011 draft. Add to that a slower development path physically than his brother and one can see why the youngest Bichette wasn't always considered a top-level prospect.

Through the first half of his high school career, Bichette had a big lower half physically and was limited to third base defensively, with even that being a question mark long-term due to his speed, as he was regularly 4.8 to 5.0 seconds from home to first base from the right side. He had big raw bat speed but his hitting approach was so extreme, with an exaggerated open stance and a big hanging leg load, that timing better pitchers was a challenge.



The change in Bichette's body and athleticism defined his improvement as a prospect. He developed lower half quickness and twitch that wasn't close to evident earlier and just kept improving. He was steadily 4.3 to 4.4 home to first by the time he graduated from high school, even with his big swing approach at the plate, and instead of being questionable moving forward at third base defensively he was solid at shortstop. It was out of the realm of possibility when Bichette was a high school sophomore to think he would steal 32 bases in AA, but that's what he did in 2018.

Bichette's hitting approach, while never becoming calm, simple and directional, also evolved as he saw more and more high level pitching. By his senior year there was virtually no one in high school baseball who was hitting the ball as hard or squaring up as frequently and Bichette hit .569-13-40 as a Lakewood High School senior despite being walked 30 times in 25 games.

The family draft hierarchy eventually placed Bo in the middle when Toronto selected him with the 66th overall pick to buy him away from an Arizona State scholarship, eventually signing him to a $1.1 million bonus. Father Dante, it should be noted, was only a 17th rounder (424th overall) in 1984. Even Bo Jackson was only a fourth round (105th overall) pick.



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