Other Draft Prospects of Note

Now that we have pick 1.2 out of the way, time for a look at some other prospects to be considered with the compensatory round and later picks.


Brendon Little - LHP
State JC of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota
6-2; 195 lbs
B/T: L/L

Brendon Little is a very good looking pitching prospect. He spent his freshman season at the University of North Carolina, where he only tossed 4.0 innings in anger. He transferred to Junior College for his sophomore season, making him draft eligible one season earlier. 

Little has size, plus stuff, very good mechanics, and good projection to his game. He has very good velocity on the fastball and a power curveball. On the downside, he has a bit of effort to his delivery and he has a limited track record on which to form an evaluation. 


Here's a look at him in action, courtesy of Steve Givarz on YouTube: 








Little has a live arm and explosive stuff. He has good differential between the rotation of his hips and shoulders and keeps his arm in good position relative to shoulder level. He has an over-the-top arm slot, which pairs nicely with his power 12-6 curveball. 

He's definitely on my radar and should be on the Reds' radar, too. 


Blayne Enlow - RHP
St. Amant High School (LA)
6-4; 180 lbs
B/T: R/R

Frankly, I'm surprised Blayne Enlow isn't more highly regarded. He feels like a top 15 type pick to me, but he's seemingly projected to go late 1st to early 2nd. He feels like a potential steal. 
Enlow has size, projection, very good mechanics, and a strong 3 pitch mix. He features a fastball that has touched 94, but sits 88-92 mph. He has a nasty power curveball with 12-to-6 break. He also has a fringy change-up. 

Obviously, Enlow needs to improve his velocity to be an impact pitcher at the big league level, but he has more physical projection to his frame and his game. 

Here's a look at Enlow in action, courtesy of Baseball America on YouTube:






Enlow's mechanics are strong. He has good tempo, hip/shoulder rotation differential, and good balance. The only potential issue I see is that he straightens his plant leg on delivery. But, overall, he's a very interesting pitching prospect.



Trevor Rogers - LHP
Carlsbard High School (NM)
6-6; 185 lbs
B/T: L/L

Rogers is tall, lanky southpaw. He seems like an uncomfortable at bat for hitters. He features a 3-pitch mix, including fastball, slider, and changeup. His stuff is average or less at the moment, but he has projection to his repertoire. Taller pitchers frequently have a longer development path and heightened risk, but they also have more physical projection to their game. 

Here's a look at Rogers, courtesy of Prospect Pipeline on YouTube:






Rogers is a an interesting pitching prospect with a nice ceiling, but there's also some real development risk to his prospect profile. 



Austin Bush - 1b
Carlsbard High School (NM)
6-6; 265 lbs
B/T: L/R

Austin Bush is a mountain of a man. He has big time power. In his junior season, Bush is hitting .303/.372/.654/1.026 with 20 homers and a 59/20 K/BB ratio. Obviously, for a hitter that size, there's always some risk to the hit tool. Taller hitters have long levers and a bigger strike zone to cover. Given his higher strikeout rate, he obviously hasn't figured out how to cover his entire strike zone and to make consistent contact. That said, if he can improve in those areas, then he has game changing power. 

Here's a look at Bush in action during his high school days, courtesy of Prospect Pipeline on YouTube:  







And, here's a news clip showing Bush at UCSB, courtesy of KKFX news on YouTube: 









Bush isn't a top 100 or even 200 prospect. That said, given that his big time power is a carrying tool, he's an interesting bat for a middle round draft pick.



Logan Warmoth - ss
University of North Carolina 
6-0; 190 lbs
B/T: R/R

Logan Warmoth is the Tar Heel shortstop. He has good defensive skills, including arm strength and accuracy, but scouts are split on whether he'll stick at shortstop or have to move across the bag to second base. That said, he's a legitimate middle infield prospect with an interesting and developing bat. 

Warmoth controls the strike zone, makes consistent contact, and has a bit of power, mostly to the pull side. In some ways, Warmoth reminds me a bit of Zack Cozart, which with each passing year seems like higher and higher praise. 

Here's a look at Warmoth in action, courtesy of FanGraphs on YouTube:





Warmoth isn't a high ceiling player, but he's a legitimate middle of the infield prospect with a well-rounded game. 



Mark Vientos - ss/3b
American Heritage High School (FL) 
6-4; 190 lbs
B/T: R/R


Vientos, currently 17 years old, is one of the youngest prospects in the draft. If you've seen some of the studies on prospect age, it frequently matters, especially for position players. So, to an extent, this is a bet on age. Vientos is an intriguing prospect, but you have to do a lot of projecting to see what he might become as a professional baseball player.

Vientos stands 6-4 and has a lot of filling out left to do. He currently doesn't have much muscle mass or bulk. That said, he has good bat speed and significant power projection to his game. 

Here's a look at him in action, courtesy of Baseball America on YouTube:





Vientos doesn't run well and is very unlikely to stick at shortstop, but a slide over to third base wouldn't reduce his overall value very much if the bat continues to develop. Vientos max projection is likely that of an impact hitter with power who can handle the hot corner. As a younger prospect, he has a long development road to travel before he reaches anything resembling his max projection, but he's an intriguing upside gamble who might pay big dividends.