The MLB draft is creeping ever closer, taking place exactly one week from today. This is our latest version of what the prognosticators believe will be happening. You can find each of the earlier roundups by clicking on the different links before you see how much things have changed.
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As a reminder, the Phillies will not be choosing their first player until #36 because of passing the second luxury tax threshold too many years in a row, which is a good thing.
MLB Pipeline – Jack Radel, RHP – Notre Dame
Radel’s riding fastball now sits at 93-95 mph and touches 98 while holding velocity deep into games. He’s doing a better job of locating a mid-80s slider with depth that has become a solid offering, while his new upper-80s cutter elicits plenty of chases. He lands his 78-82 mph curveball for strikes and mixes in an upper-80s changeup with fade and sink against left-handers.
Though Radel doesn’t have a true plus offering and his pitch shapes are fairly ordinary, he succeeds because of his pitchability and competitiveness. Combining a high release point with good extension gives batters a different look and he pounds the strike zone. He’s a high-floor starter who could fit into the middle of a rotation.
Baseball America – Caden Sorrell, OF – Texas A&M
Sorrell has better physical tools and athleticism than a handful of the hitters who are likely to go in front of him. His 23.9% career strikeout rate means he is probably going in the back of the first round or shortly after it, and the Phillies sound like one of the teams who could take a shot on his power/speed combo and center field profile.
SI – Caden Sorrell, OF – Texas A&M
ESPN – Will Brick, C – Christian Brother HS (Tennessee)
The Phillies love prep athletic-testing standouts at premium positions and Brick fits that profile while being young for the class after reclassifying from 2027. He’s a catcher/shortstop tweener with 25-plus homer upside and feel to get to it in games.
