Prep Baseball Report

Arizona Draft Preview


Will Arnold
Arizona Director of Scouting

The 2019 MLB Draft will take place June 3-5. To get you ready, Prep Baseball Report is releasing state previews with notes on high school draft prospects in its comprehensive coverage area. For more information on the prospects included in the High School Draft 100, click on the links to the players’ profiles to view comments, news and videos.

HIGH SCHOOL DRAFT 100 PROSPECTS
Jose Dicochea, RHP, Sahuarita HS, AZ (Arizona)
Nick Wallerstedt, RHP, Mountain Pointe HS, AZ (Arizona State)

OTHERS TO WATCH: OF Seth Nager (Ironwood HS, AZ) flew under the radar after sitting out the 2018 season because of Tommy John surgery. He checks all the boxes as a projectable, 6-foot-4, 175-pound left-handed hitter with above-average speed. An Arizona State recruit, he has the highest ceiling out of any position player in the state and should tap into his potential quickly as he adds strength. OF Manny Collier (Westwood HS, AZ) is the best runner in the class, but is raw. He is committed to South Mountain CC. RHP Chandler Murphy (Liberty HS, AZ) was pitching out of the bullpen during the final stretch of the season, which is where he likely profiles. His fastball ranges from 88-91 with occasional hard cutting action. His high-70s breaking ball flashes average and will be a good out pitch for him as his feel for the strike zone continues to develop. RHP/1B Davis Heller (Mesquite HS, AZ) is committed to Oklahoma as a pitcher, working into the low 90s, but he saw a fair amount of time at first base this spring. He is able to stay compact with his swing despite having long arms on his 6-foot-8 frame. He has feel for finding the barrel and shows power potential to all fields. He is an average runner underway and has good footwork around the bag. OF/RHP J.D. McLaughlin (Hamilton HS, AZ) just started pitching and did so sparingly throughout Hamilton’s state championship season. Coming straight in from right field, his fastball was 90-92 and scattered around the zone. He spun the ball well with a mid-70s curveball. He is committed to Oregon State. Kiko Romero (Canyon Del Oro HS, AZ) is committed to Central Arizona JC as a catcher, but played shortstop the entire year and had a few appearances on the mound. His bat and arm are his biggest strengths. The arm will play at least average behind the plate. He swings with intent and creates consistent hard contact to all fields. LHP Kai Murphy (Red Mountain HS, AZ) is the son of Pat Murhpy, former head coach of Arizona State and current bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. He features a mid-80s fastball that plays up due to his ability to throw it to both sides of the plate. His 69-71 breaking ball adds a nice change of pace. C Kody Huff (Horizon HS, AZ) is the son of current Red Sox scout Tim Huff. He is committed to Stanford as a catcher, but he played shortstop a majority of the year. Huff has a smaller stature, but makes up for it with his athleticism behind the plate. He has a strong and accurate arm, regularly clocking in times below 2.1 seconds.

RELATED CONTENT