This week, we had a chance to talk to a veteran MLB scout whose region includes North Carolina and Virginia, and who knows NC State’s roster in depth. Before we share their thoughts on the current roster ahead of the MLB Draft that starts Sunday and lasts through Tuesday, we wanted to share their thoughts on NC State in general.
This scout thought NC State was “100 percent” the best team in Omaha. It was the best lineup they had scouted on the job, and to take it further, another scout with 25 years experience told them it was the best lineup they had seen in college. Each expected NC State to win the College World Series before the events unfolded as they did.
“There’s no easy out in the lineup,” this scout noted. “It’s very deep. It has role players like JT Jarrett, guys that get to the plate and do their job: put the bunt down, move the guy over, old school type of baseball. In today’s college game where there is a lot of strikeouts, this NC State team put the ball in play, and they are good situational hitters.
“Even though the pitching was kind of put together and guys like Sam Highfill and Matt Willadsen, [Chris] Villaman, [Evan] Justice, Reid Johnston, that lineup can carry a team even with the not-so-standout pitching they had.”
•••
Here are some thoughts shared to us on NC State’s current roster of players ahead of the draft, listed in order of where the scout thought they might get drafted. The first round and competitive balance round A are Sunday, followed by rounds 2-10 Monday. The concluding rounds 11-20 are Tuesday.
Freshman shortstop Jose Torres: “He’s a true shortstop. Most scouts project him to stay at shortstop and have the ability to play shortstop at the Major League level. That’s the main thing. Shortstop is a premium position. We are always looking for guys through the middle of the field — catcher, shortstop, center field — the athletes that play those positions.
“It’s basically going to come down to whether teams think he can hit enough to be an everyday player. If teams think he can hit enough to be an everyday player, he can go in the second round. If teams think he’s not an everyday bat, that he would profile more as a utility bat, he could go a little later, but he’s a pretty safe bet to stick at shortstop and he produced fairly well this spring. Him and/or McDonough would be the first two off the board on that team.”
Sophomore outfielder/second baseman Tyler McDonough: “I think with the defense I do think a lot of teams see him as a second baseman with the ability to play the outfield, even center. The defensive versatility will help him out in the draft, to be able to play infield and outfield. As a switch hitter, as a right-handed hitter I think he improved this year. That’s going to add to his value. I think he’s more of a third or fourth rounder to me.”
Sophomore catcher Luca Tresh: “He obviously has tremendous power and strong arm and depending on who you ask, people think he can stick behind the plate. The big thing with him is the hit tool, and he’s never gotten a full year out of him because he’s been behind Patrick Bailey for a number of years.
“I do think he’s a better hitter than the final numbers would indicate. I think he put a lot of pressure on himself after getting off to that hot start to try to continue to hit for power, and I think that ultimately affected his performance, but, again, middle of the field player with that type of power and ability to stick behind the plate, he’s going to have value for a team. I could see him going in that third, fourth round range as well.”
Junior lefthanded pitcher Evan Justice: “Scouts across the board see him as a reliever. Obviously once he moved to the bullpen his stuff plays up, fastball and slider mix with some deception as a lefty. That’s where he belongs, that’s where he’ll end up in pro ball. He definitely improved his stock and solidified his stock as a top-10 round pick. I think that guy goes somewhere in the sixth to eighth round range. I think he could be a seventh, maybe eighth inning type reliever, a quality middle reliever.”
Junior first baseman Austin Murr: “Having more of a history with him and performance in the ACC is going to help him. He’s a plus defender at first base with hitting ability. The knock with him is typically first base you want to get some power out of, and he’s more of a hit over power type of a guy. He’s a lot like a Mark Grace, Mitch Moreland type of guy. I like him because the hardest thing is to find is guys that can hit, and he can hit. I think he is more of a sixth to 10th round type guy.”
Junior leftfielder Jonny Butler: ““Definitely helped himself. He’s been a pretty consistent performer. Came over from a junior college and hit pretty well in the ACC. This year, I think being an older guy, he’s seen a lot of pitching in the ACC and been able to adjust. He really did what he needed to do with the bat to improve his stock and solidify himself as a top-10 round draft pick.”
Junior rightfielder/third baseman Devonte Brown: “He’s also played a little bit of third base, so there may be teams that see him as a versatile defender, a guy that can play corner outfield or third base potentially. He’s got power. That’s his carrying tool. He’s a definite draft guy. For me he’s more of a day three type of guy, 10th to 20th round type pick.”
Junior designated hitter/outfielder Terrell Tatum: “I think he’s a day three type of guy. He definitely helped himself this spring. It would have been nice to see him play the outfield a little bit more.
“He’s got speed, he’s an athlete. I think he can play centerfield. He is a little bit raw in the outfield, I would say. He needs some reps out there, but athlete, speed and power, and a guy that can potentially play centerfield. Those are types of tools and profiles we target. He’s a guy that will get drafted, probably a little later because of inconsistent performance and because he didn’t play the outfield much this year.”
Junior righthanded pitcher Reid Johnston: ““He’s an organizational pitcher, a guy that will throw strikes and compete in the minor league. Ultimately, I don’t think his stuff is good enough to reach the highest level.”
Sophomore third baseman Vojtech Mensik: “He’s a good defender. He could be a guy that be an organizational player [in minors], play third base, shortstop, probably play outfield, but the bat really probably doesn’t allow him to play at the highest level.”
This scout thought NC State was “100 percent” the best team in Omaha. It was the best lineup they had scouted on the job, and to take it further, another scout with 25 years experience told them it was the best lineup they had seen in college. Each expected NC State to win the College World Series before the events unfolded as they did.
“There’s no easy out in the lineup,” this scout noted. “It’s very deep. It has role players like JT Jarrett, guys that get to the plate and do their job: put the bunt down, move the guy over, old school type of baseball. In today’s college game where there is a lot of strikeouts, this NC State team put the ball in play, and they are good situational hitters.
“Even though the pitching was kind of put together and guys like Sam Highfill and Matt Willadsen, [Chris] Villaman, [Evan] Justice, Reid Johnston, that lineup can carry a team even with the not-so-standout pitching they had.”
•••
Here are some thoughts shared to us on NC State’s current roster of players ahead of the draft, listed in order of where the scout thought they might get drafted. The first round and competitive balance round A are Sunday, followed by rounds 2-10 Monday. The concluding rounds 11-20 are Tuesday.
Freshman shortstop Jose Torres: “He’s a true shortstop. Most scouts project him to stay at shortstop and have the ability to play shortstop at the Major League level. That’s the main thing. Shortstop is a premium position. We are always looking for guys through the middle of the field — catcher, shortstop, center field — the athletes that play those positions.
“It’s basically going to come down to whether teams think he can hit enough to be an everyday player. If teams think he can hit enough to be an everyday player, he can go in the second round. If teams think he’s not an everyday bat, that he would profile more as a utility bat, he could go a little later, but he’s a pretty safe bet to stick at shortstop and he produced fairly well this spring. Him and/or McDonough would be the first two off the board on that team.”
Sophomore outfielder/second baseman Tyler McDonough: “I think with the defense I do think a lot of teams see him as a second baseman with the ability to play the outfield, even center. The defensive versatility will help him out in the draft, to be able to play infield and outfield. As a switch hitter, as a right-handed hitter I think he improved this year. That’s going to add to his value. I think he’s more of a third or fourth rounder to me.”
Sophomore catcher Luca Tresh: “He obviously has tremendous power and strong arm and depending on who you ask, people think he can stick behind the plate. The big thing with him is the hit tool, and he’s never gotten a full year out of him because he’s been behind Patrick Bailey for a number of years.
“I do think he’s a better hitter than the final numbers would indicate. I think he put a lot of pressure on himself after getting off to that hot start to try to continue to hit for power, and I think that ultimately affected his performance, but, again, middle of the field player with that type of power and ability to stick behind the plate, he’s going to have value for a team. I could see him going in that third, fourth round range as well.”
Junior lefthanded pitcher Evan Justice: “Scouts across the board see him as a reliever. Obviously once he moved to the bullpen his stuff plays up, fastball and slider mix with some deception as a lefty. That’s where he belongs, that’s where he’ll end up in pro ball. He definitely improved his stock and solidified his stock as a top-10 round pick. I think that guy goes somewhere in the sixth to eighth round range. I think he could be a seventh, maybe eighth inning type reliever, a quality middle reliever.”
Junior first baseman Austin Murr: “Having more of a history with him and performance in the ACC is going to help him. He’s a plus defender at first base with hitting ability. The knock with him is typically first base you want to get some power out of, and he’s more of a hit over power type of a guy. He’s a lot like a Mark Grace, Mitch Moreland type of guy. I like him because the hardest thing is to find is guys that can hit, and he can hit. I think he is more of a sixth to 10th round type guy.”
Junior leftfielder Jonny Butler: ““Definitely helped himself. He’s been a pretty consistent performer. Came over from a junior college and hit pretty well in the ACC. This year, I think being an older guy, he’s seen a lot of pitching in the ACC and been able to adjust. He really did what he needed to do with the bat to improve his stock and solidify himself as a top-10 round draft pick.”
Junior rightfielder/third baseman Devonte Brown: “He’s also played a little bit of third base, so there may be teams that see him as a versatile defender, a guy that can play corner outfield or third base potentially. He’s got power. That’s his carrying tool. He’s a definite draft guy. For me he’s more of a day three type of guy, 10th to 20th round type pick.”
Junior designated hitter/outfielder Terrell Tatum: “I think he’s a day three type of guy. He definitely helped himself this spring. It would have been nice to see him play the outfield a little bit more.
“He’s got speed, he’s an athlete. I think he can play centerfield. He is a little bit raw in the outfield, I would say. He needs some reps out there, but athlete, speed and power, and a guy that can potentially play centerfield. Those are types of tools and profiles we target. He’s a guy that will get drafted, probably a little later because of inconsistent performance and because he didn’t play the outfield much this year.”
Junior righthanded pitcher Reid Johnston: ““He’s an organizational pitcher, a guy that will throw strikes and compete in the minor league. Ultimately, I don’t think his stuff is good enough to reach the highest level.”
Sophomore third baseman Vojtech Mensik: “He’s a good defender. He could be a guy that be an organizational player [in minors], play third base, shortstop, probably play outfield, but the bat really probably doesn’t allow him to play at the highest level.”
