Austin Wells, two Arizona commits among MLB Pipeline’s Top 150 draft prospects

Courtesy Arizona Athletics

Austin Wells’ Arizona baseball career will likely end short, but the Las Vegas native made his time in Tucson count.

The sophomore catcher is slated to be a first-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft according to multiple projections including MLB Pipeline’s Top 150 prospects, which has Wells at No. 27.

The Minnesota Twins hold the 27th pick, which comes with a slot value of $2,570,100.

Wells solidified himself as one of the top hitters in the class, batting .375 (21-56) over the course of 15 games this season.

As a freshman, the Bishop Gorman product produced one of the best rookie seasons in Arizona baseball history with a .353 batting average with 15 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, and 60 RBI and a .462 on-base percentage.

Wells was named 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and earned consensus First-Team Freshman All-American honors.

Arizona’s last first-round draft selection was Kevin Newman, who went to the Pittsburgh Pirates at 19th overall in the 2015 draft.

The Wildcats are likely to see at least a handful of high school commits picked in the opening rounds of the draft, which could be abbreviated because of financial implications of the coronavirus crisis.

Chase Davis is ranked No. 84 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 150. The 84th pick has a slot value of $721,900.

Davis, an outfielder at Franklin High School in Elk Grove, California, is the No. 9 high school prospect nationally, according to Perfect Game.

MLB Pipeline also lists Arizona commit Nick Yorke as the No. 140 prospect in the draft.

Yorke, a second baseman, attends Archbishop Mitty High School in northern California.

The slot value for the No. 140 pick is $394,300.

A six-figure payday would be tough for a high schooler to pass up, especially given the perilous immediate future of college sports in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Perfect Game ranks Arizona’s 2020 recruiting class No. 12 nationally and second-best in the Pac-12 behind UCLA.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts https://ift.tt/2S0njf1
via IFTTT