Now that the draft is over and companies are completing the procedure of signing their choices, I wished to share notes on some current draftees here in the Midwest who I’ve had the ability to hunt in-person several times over the previous number of years. I’m going to focus mainly on gamers who aren’t yet family names, however who have a capability or tool that captured my eye. This lot of notes will cover some just recently prepared high schoolers, while the next batch will cover gamers from the college ranks.

Tyson Lewis, SS, Millard West HS (NE)
Team: Reds Round: 2 Overall Pick: 51

Lewis was my preferred high school position gamer in the Midwest this year in spite of thinking that he’ll move over to 2nd base long-lasting. Lewis swings it from the left side and has a well-rounded offending capability that offers you factor to task on both his hit tool and video game power. Lewis’ swings are aggressive however under control, and his course keeps his bat in the zone for a prolonged time period while likewise having enough loft to raise; he reveals solid-average raw power throughout batting practice currently and it forecasts to be plus in the future. There are times when Lewis’ swing will get longer and more vulnerable to swing-and-miss, particularly versus plus speed up in the zone. When Lewis is working out, he whips the bat through the zone with above-average bat speed and reveals the capability to control the barrel to cover several quadrants, though pitches down in the zone are the ones he does one of the most damage versus.

He has a typical arm and his lateral dexterity would likely suffice for shortstop, however his hands are vulnerable to tightness and don’t forecast to be trusted sufficient to manage brief. I’m high enough on Lewis’ bat to believe he’ll strike enough to weather the slide down the protective spectrum if/when he does move off brief. The Reds are clearly high up on Lewis too — they just recently signed him for $3.05 million, which is well above the $1.80 million slot worth.

Trey Snyder, SS, Liberty North HS (MO)
Team: Mets Round: 5 Overall Pick: 144

Snyder is a strong professional athlete with a projectable, medium frame who went to high school in the Kansas City location. He’s a basically sound gamer with bat-to-ball chops, however he does not have an effect tool. Snyder has an easy and repeatable operation in the batter’s box, and can control the barrel in the zone, however he seldom raised with authority throughout several in-person examine the previous number of years. His bat course throughout batting practice includes more loft than his video game hacks do, and it’s a sure thing that his hit tool will constantly far surpass his power production.

His hands work well on the dirt and Snyder has a typical arm that can highlight due to his fast release. Snyder has sufficient protective chops to take a crack at to remain at shortstop long-lasting, which is crucial due to the fact that his offending profile will likely be too light to necessitate him playing a non-premium position. I have Snyder, who just recently signed for $1.32 million, as having a bench energy ceiling.

Eddie Rynders, 3B, Wisconsin Lutheran HS (WI)
Team: Pirates Round 4 Overall Pick: 112

Rynders was a shortstop in high school and was revealed as one by the Pirates when they prepared him, however he’ll most likely come off that position in professional ball, with his long-lasting protective home most likely 3rd base or a corner outfield area. He has the arm strength for the left side of the infield, however his lateral variety isn’t going to permit typical variety at brief. Ultimately, you’re purchasing the bat with Rynders. His smooth left-handed swing currently includes above-average raw power, primarily to the pull side. There’s loft in Rynders’ bat course without compromising the quantity of time it remains in the striking zone. He has a typical hit/above-average power ceiling, however he hasn’t regularly been tension evaluated versus high-end pitching. Rynders managed the strike zone well throughout his prep profession, and his capability to equate that ability versus expert pitching will be important to him optimizing his appealing profile. Rynders and the Pirates consented to a slot offer ($649,700).

Kale Fountain, 1B/LF, Norris HS (NE)
Team: Padres Round: 5 Overall Pick: 151

Fountain is a long-levered plus professional athlete who currently reveals plus raw power to the pull side and has a bat course tailored for raising. Due to his rangy limbs, Fountain’s swing does have some length to it, which will likely trigger him to run higher-than-average swing-and-miss rates in professional ball. Whether or not he’s able to get to his loud power frequently enough will be the main point to enjoy with Fountain.

Defensively, Fountain was prepared as a 3rd baseman however he’s far from a sure thing to remain there long-lasting, and I believe he’ll wind up initially base or in a corner outfield area. He has solid-average arm strength however below-average precision. Both his hands and his general protective actions have some rigidness to them, however I’m positive he’ll be at least a typical protector initially base or in left field thinking about the general professional athlete he is.

Fountain brings both substantial advantage and danger. He’ll require the juice in his bat to be his bring tool, and he’ll need to beware to prevent letting the swing-and-miss overtake his profile and cut into how frequently he gets to his power in video games. A plus power/below-average hit tool is a practical ceiling to wish for offered Fountain’s profile. The slot worth for this choice was $444,200, however the Padres are high enough on Fountain to have actually paid him a $1.7 million perk to entice him far from his LSU dedication.

Eli Lovich, OF, Blue Valley West HS (KS)
Team: Cubs Round: 11 Overall Pick: 332

Lovich’s long and rangy 6-foot-4 frame uses substantial forecast, as he still has an extremely thin construct at present. His operation in the left-handed batter’s box is extremely balanced and he utilizes a shortened leg kick to produce take advantage of. It’s not an extremely high course, however it does have natural loft to it together with some adjustability in the zone. Lovich is most likely to wind up in a corner outfield area. His above-average arm strength suffices to profile in best field, where he might be a typical protector. The Cubs are wagering that as Lovich’s wiry frame establishes, power that’s capable of bring a corner outfield protective profile will come too. Lovich just recently signed for $650,000 and will begin his advancement in the Cubs system quickly.

Anson Seibert, RHP, Blue Valley Southwest HS (KS)
Team: Tigers Round: 16 Overall Pick: 476

Seibert isn’t going to sign with Detroit and will rather head to Knoxville to start his college profession. He entered the 2024 season with an extremely high profile for a Kansas high school pitching possibility due to both how high he is and how tough he was tossing at a young age. He’s absolutely worth watching on at Tennessee.

I initially saw Seibert as a sophomore, when his 6-foot-8 frame was extremely thick, sluggish, and unathletic. While Seibert is still a fringe professional athlete in general, both his frame and athleticism have actually trended in the best instructions. Seibert left a start late in the high school season with an arm concern and never ever returned, which was likely a huge part of him being up to the 16th round. Prior to closing down at the end of the season, Seibert would sit 95-97 miles per hour with his fastball in the very first number of innings before settling in at 92-94 miles per hour. The fastball is the structure of Seibert’s appeal. Both his breaking ball and changeup task to be typical offerings, with the changeup the likelier of the 2 to maybe turn into an above-average pitch. There are still concerns about the intensity of the arm injury that cut Seibert’s high school season short, in addition to his long-lasting diagnosis.