Prep Baseball Report

Bratt And Ziegler Continue To Impress As Summer Draws To A Close


Cam Black-Araujo
PBR Ontario Scout

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Bratt And Ziegler Continue To Impress As Summer Draws To A Close

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With no true seasons or league play across the province this summer due to coronavirus, we didn’t truly get a good look at many players until this past month where we’ve seen roughly 300-400 players whether it be in game or at events.

Despite the lack of work in front scouts and tons in front of smartphone cameras, there has been two names all summer that have drawn the most buzz around Ontario and they are arguably the top two draft eligible arms as we close out the summer, right-hander Calvin Ziegler of Great Lakes and left-hander Mitch Bratt of the Toronto Mets.

We’ve seen Ziegler dominate on several occasions and even saw him touch 97 mph in a no-hit bid back in July.

Bratt has consistently run his fastball into the low 90s from the left-side this year while showing an impressive three-pitch mix and consistently filling up the strike zone.

Here’s how 2020 looked for these two Canadian JNT teammates.

Calvin Ziegler RHP / OF / St. Marys, ON / 2021

Report: Ziegler’s season got started with the Junior National Team where his stuff played well against pros and established himself as the top arm in the country heading into the five-round draft. While the 6-foot-0,  200-pound right-hander was passed up in June, he re-classed to the 2021 Draft and quickly generated a lot of buzz this summer. He added several ticks to his fastball which sat 94-96 on several occasions and refined the command of his arsenal, being able to control his fastball and curveball while limiting walks. The curveball has sharp bite to it and generated a lot of swing and miss this year. Worked three innings against Phillies prospects in March and despite allowing four hits, settled in after his first inning and was sharp, picking up three strikeouts.

Ziegler has always had the stuff but with some command there now he has turned himself into a very intriguing prospect heading into 2021. Ziegler closed out his summer with appearances at the East Coast Pro and Area Code Games where he continued to trend upwards.

Mitch Bratt LHP / OF / Newmarket, ON / 2021

Report: It seemed like same-old Mitch Bratt this summer with the velocity continuing to slowly progress as you’ll see him touching low 90s in his starts. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Florida State commit has seen his name atop the 2021rankings for quite some time and it’s the command of several pitches, projectability and athleticism that make him so appealing on the mound. He’s dominated against competition his own age with minimal barrels and didn’t back down when facing pro hitters with Team Canada this spring either. He also pitched three innings against Phillies prospects and had a very impressive outing, picking up five strikeouts and allowing just two hits and a walk. All three pitches were working for Bratt that day which kept opponents guessing and off balance. 

In his last outing of the season on Sunday he was pounding the zone with his fastball which got a lot of swing and miss, especially early on. He didn’t need to use the off-speed stuff much, but had feel for both pitches and was spinning the curveball well. Bratt was also invited to the East Coast Pro and Area Codes but did not attend.