Braxton Garrett | LHP
Background
The 18-year-old Garrett attends Florence High School in Alabama. So far this spring he has a 0.56 ERA with 125 strikeouts and only 15 walks in 62.1 innings, and he’s also hitting .392/.455/.503 in 47 games. Garrett is a pitcher all the way in pro ball though. He’s yet another Vanderbilt commit. Seems to be a lot of them this draft.
Scouting Report
Few draft prospects have improved their stock as much as Garrett this spring. He worked in the upper-80s with Team USA’s 18-and-under team last fall before seeing his velocity jump into the 90-94 mph range this year. He’s held that velocity all spring too. Garrett’s calling card is a hammer 12-to-6 curveball that rates among the best breaking balls in the class. He also throws a promising changeup, though it lags well behind his heater and curve. Garrett, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 lbs., does not have the prettiest delivery, but he locates well and shows a plan on the mound. It’s not true ace upside, but Garrett has the potential to be more than a mid-rotation starter long-term.
Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d), Baseball America, and MLB.com ranked Garrett as the sixth, tenth, and 16th best prospect in the draft class in their latest rankings, respectively. The Yankees hold the 18th pick. The Yankees are said to have their eye on a variety of high school arms and Garrett is one of the best available in the draft class. That said, there’s a decent chance he doesn’t make it out of the top ten, so New York is unlikely to have a crack at him. And, even if they do, they might not have the draft pool space to buy him away from Vandy, which historically is a tough commitment to break.
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