Yelich vs Veen as HS Prospects

Perfect Game Staff

These comparisons are meant to compare each player at similar stages in their prospect journeys in high school and not comparing the high school prospect to the current MLB star.

Christian Yelich 6-4 190, 2010 grad 18.5 on MLB Draft Day

2009 PG National Report
Christian Yelich is a 2010 1B/3B/OF with a 6'4'', 190 lb. frame from Thousand Oaks, CA who attends Westlake HS. Tall athletic build, long levers, good projection. Smooth swing, gets hands loaded, good hitting balance and actions, uses hands well, can back spin the ball and lift it, possible plus power. Very good runner for size, 6.75 in the 60, long release on throws at 1B, may have LF potential. Big sleeper for the draft, he just keeps getting better. Very good student, verbal to UCLA.

PG Observations

I remember at the 2008 California Underclass Showcase, Yelich then a sophomore had generated some buzz with his easy lefthanded swing at some recent college camps. He was easy to project on but not quite at the level of other elite prospects in the class yet. He threw 68-70 mph across the IF at that event which was towards the bottom in the event and while of course more to the game than that its not what you expect from a future NL MVP. That didn’t last long as he made huge improvements each time we saw him and really was pretty incredible to watch the strides he made from this showcase to becoming a 1st rounder by his senior year in HS. Fun to watch him now as an MVP and one of the faces of the game. Perfect example to not let certain metrics as a younger player define your future.

BP Video from PG National

Zac Veen 6-4 195, 2020 grad, 18.4 on MLB Draft Day

2019 PG National Report
Zac Veen is a 2020 OF/1B with a 6-4 190 lb. frame from Port Orange, FL who attends Spruce Creek. Tall and extremely projectable athletic build. Loose and fluid athlete, clean through the ball in the outfield with soft hands, shows good arm strength with a smooth arm stroke that projects more strength in the future. Left handed hitter, hits from a spread and open stance, has quick hands and a very loose swing, nice extension out front and a fluid path to the ball with lift out front, fast hips fire on time, has present power and lots of potential for more. Type of tools and body that a scout can dream on. Very good student, verbal commitment to Florida. Named to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

PG Observations

Veen really first caught our attention with the Scorpions Select 2020 squad at the 2018 WWBA 16u National Championship leading his squad to a playoff run posting a 1.440 OPS. He continued to get better and Matt Gerber soon let us know that Veen had taken another jump and was going to make a lot of noise in the fall. He was not wrong and will never forget his walk off HR in the semifinals at the 2018 WWBA Underclass World Championship to help the Scorpions to the eventual title and been fun to watch his development to the top of the 2020 rankings.

BP Video from PG National

Which swing from high school do you like better?

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