Major League Baseball conducted its 2020 amateur draft last week, with the five-round affair concluding on Thursday. The draft was shorter than usual stemming from the owners' desire to save money during the pandemic, and in accordance with an agreement between MLB and the players association. It was, then, a weird draft, especially with the specter of the unsettled negotiations between the two sides on a modified season looming overhead.
Presuming commissioner Rob Manfred's declaration that there will be baseball this season proves true, this year's class could become even weirder for other reasons. As we noted in the run-up to the draft, there are those inside the game who believe a few collegiate pitchers selected could make their professional debuts this year, in big-league contests.
The reasons are straightforward: unlike in a typical year, the pitchers in question won't have worked a full season, and won't have a chance to report to the minors for further development. Additionally, teams will be more concerned than normally about having enough depth. That combination could lead some teams to hotshot their recent additions all the way to the Show.
Below, we've identified five pitchers who, having received the call last week, could get a different kind of call over the coming months. (Note that four of the five pitchers appeared on our top 50 prospects list heading into the draft.)
1. Reid Detmers, LHP, Los Angeles Angels (No. 10, Louisville)
Detmers was the fourth pitcher off the board, but he could be the first to arrive in the Show. He's a polished strike-thrower who dominated during the abbreviated season, striking out more than half (48) of the 91 batters he faced while allowing 16 hits, six walks, and three runs.
Detmers is reliant on a low-90s fastball and a curveball that some evaluators have expressed concern won't fare as well against better competition. That's because of two factors: its low-to-mid-70s velocity, and the apparent hump out of his hand.
The Angels, who always seem stricken by injury and underperformance, could well give Detmers a chance to prove that hypothesis incorrect as early as this year. If not in a starting role, then at least in relief, where he could spam his curve to his heart's content.
2. Garrett Crochet, LHP, Chicago White Sox (No. 11, Tennessee)
When we originally wrote about this possibility, we identified the bloc of teams picking in the 10 to 12 range as the likeliest to try it. That group included the Angels, White Sox, and Reds. Sure enough, two of the three took college arms who appear capable of giving it a go.
Crochet is arguably better positioned than Detmers to make an impact this season. During his time with the Volunteers, he pitched out of the bullpen in 23 of his 36 appearances. His fastball-slider combination is high-grade, and the White Sox have shown a past willingness to push a talented southpaw to the majors soon after selecting them -- remember, they allowed Chris Sale to debut just two months after drafting him in 2010.
The catch with Crochet is health-related. He appeared in a single game during the abbreviated season due to an injury, and some teams in the draft had concerns about his durability.
3. Burl Carraway, LHP, Chicago Cubs (No. 51, Dallas Baptist)
4. Clayon Beeter, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 66, Texas Tech)
5. Holden Powell, RHP, Washington Nationals (No. 94, UCLA)
We touched on it with Crochet, but if you're going to use a pitcher in relief this season, then why not make it a pitcher accustomed to the rigors and routines of pitching out of the bullpen? We lumped these three together because each will be a member of a competitive National League squad, and each has a history of working in short spurts.
Carraway was the best pure reliever in the class. His fastball-curveball combination qualifies as elite, whether it's judged by the eye or the Trackman machine. For as good as his stuff is, he could stand to throw more strikes. He walked more than five batters per nine during his collegiate career, and improving his command is the one hurdle between him and a long-term career in high-leverage work. Perhaps the Cubs can help him tame his uptempo delivery.
Beeter is the only one of these three with any starting aspirations. Still, the Dodgers might push him aggressively, knowing that he's already undergone a pair of elbow operations. Beeter has the raw stuff to be an impact arm sooner than later: his fastball can touch into the upper-90s, and he imparts elite spin on his curveball. Perhaps the Dodgers try to split the difference, using him in relief this year before resetting their sights on making him a starter for the long haul.
Then there's Powell, who was having a fantastic season ahead of the pandemic. In eight appearances this spring, he had struck out 20 batters, walked two, and allowed three hits and zero runs. That'll play, and so will his fastball-slider combination. The Nationals have ample experience with quick-moving relievers: Drew Storen was permitted to reach the majors within a year of being drafted in 2009, and, going back to the Montreal days, Chad Cordero debuted within two months of being selected in 2003. Might Powell follow suit? We'll find out.
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June 16, 2020 at 01:02AM
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MLB Draft: Five pitchers who could make major-league debut during shortened 2020 season - CBS Sports
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