Post by nysoxfan34 on Jul 10, 2023 10:24:03 GMT -5
Top 10 Best Players Still Available according to The Athletic's Keith Law. Full scouting reports in the article. Excerpts:
1. Roch Cholowsky, SS, Hamilton High (Chandler, Ariz.) - #23 on Law's Top 100
2. Travis Sykora, RHP, Round Rock (Texas) High - #36 on Law's Top 100
3. Hunter Owen, LHP, Vanderbilt - #38 on Law's Top 100
4. Cooper Pratt, SS, Magnolia Heights School (Oxford, Miss.) - #40 on Law's Top 100
5. Tanner Witt, RHP, Texas - #45 on Law's Top 100
6. Travis Honeyman, OF, Boston College #46 on Law's Top 100
7. Parker Detmers, RHP, Glenwood High (Chatham, Ill.) #48 on Law's Top 100
8. Eric Bitonti, SS, Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.) High #49 on Law's Top 100
9. Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP, Oklahoma State #54 on Law's Top 100
10. Teddy McGraw, RHP, Wake Forest #56 on Law's Top 100 *
*(added - this guy may be a steal coming off of TJ. Saw him a couple times last year before he got the brace procedure. Filthy.)
A healthy McGraw would easily have gone in the first round this year, maybe in the top 20, as he was 93-96 mph last spring with a plus slider and at least an average changeup. He had Tommy John surgery in high school and required a second surgery on the elbow this spring where he received an internal brace on the ligament, rather than the full ligament replacement surgery known colloquially as Tommy John. His slider was just filthy as recently as last summer, in the low 80s with very sharp, late break, looking like someone was using a remote control from the bench to make it turn at the last second. The changeup is definitely a third pitch, maybe a little too firm relative to the fastball, but he does sell it well, and the fastball is lively enough that hitters geared up for it and would swing over the top of the change. His arm might be a tiny bit late, but I wouldn’t even call it a beige flag, and his injury was probably just a function of a really fast arm pumping mid-90s and some bad luck. I don’t know how teams will choose to value him given the history, but I think someone will roll the dice on this stuff, even with the surgeries and grade-45 control. (I am hoping to do a podcast with him so I can call it The Law and Teddy McGraw.)
I like that you bolded Teddy McGraw in this post as Teddy is originally from home hometown in upstate NY. I remember about 10 years ago after a good friend of mine opened up a baseball training facility in town he had Teddy in to give some instructions (he must've been in middle school at the time). I remember watching him pitch a little and thinking this kid's arm is electric, so I wasn't too surprised to see him go D-I to Wake or see him highly regarded by many of the draft experts this year.
I'll definitely be rooting for him wherever he goes, but it would be even better if the Sox selected him.