2020 MLB Draft: Coronavirus Impact on College Baseball

This might be the last 2020 MLB Draft update for awhile.

Last week, there wasn’t an MLB Draft update because I was on vacation taking a roundtrip cruise from New Orleans to Cozumel, Mexico. Looking back, maybe that wasn’t the smartest idea with the Coronavirus outbreak. I made sure to wash my hands often, apply some hand sanitizer after touching railings, and tried to stay hydrated. At no time did I feel like I was in jeopardy until logging into the Wi-Fi and finding out that another cruise line had someone die from Coronavirus.

Hell, I was in Beijing, China, when the outbreak first began. I know people who were in Wuhan the next week and quarantined coming back home. I’ve been Skyping with colleagues in China for the past two months learning from their experiences. Shocker - they haven’t been pleasant, required to stay at home except for getting some form of a hall pass to buy groceries and medical supplies. Many people in Beijing wear masks out in public daily because of pollution. Still, it became a requirement to wear even when answering the door for deliveries. Two months later, Beijing is still not back to the normal operating state, and no one is certain when they will be again.

It was just a matter of time before it significantly impacted the United States. Maybe I was hoping that while other countries were affected, we as a nation would have prepared for such an outbreak. Well, the Coronavirus is here, and it’s impacting daily life in a big way.

We wait to see what Major League Baseball decides about Opening Day (and it sure seems like they want local and state governments to decide for them). Still, the MLB Draft front is seeing changes. Yesterday, word got out that many MLB scouts will be taken off the road. Then news from colleges trickled in. The Ivy League commissioners decided to cancel all sports for the remaining academic year. UCLA and USC will play in front of no fans, and they won’t be the only programs to do so before the year is over.

The SEC Conference took it one step further.

https://twitter.com/11point7/status/1236089029277429767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Lacy pitched seven hitless, scoreless innings by throwing 95 to 96 mph fastballs and keeping hitters off-balance with his slider. In the end, Lacy struck out 13 while walking just two in 99 pitches. In case you were wondering why he didn’t pursue the no-hitter, Texas A&M coaching staff has been handling Lacy responsibly in avoiding him throwing more than 100 pitches in any outing this season. They understand that there is a lot of money on the line for Lacy in each of his starts.

Asa Lacy, Overpowering 96mph Fastball...and velo check (after K'ing the side). ???????? pic.twitter.com/Px9vYskPHr

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 7, 2020

I came away impressed with Lacy, and as I wrote in my last MLB Draft post, he will challenge Georgia RHP Emerson Hancock for the best available college starting pitcher in this draft class. The Detroit Tigers could consider him first overall, but if they are looking for a bat instead, Baltimore at the second pick is definitely in play for Lacy.

For Gonzales, there is a hitter who has a good understanding of the strike zone and which pitches he can drive. No questions about his bat, but I was more interested in watching him field at shortstop. Gonzales is very athletic and has good lateral movement, but he’s not a shortstop because of his throwing motion. Very inconsistent, and Gonzales often makes sidearm throws that are typical for a second baseman. It appears that New Mexico State will continue having Gonzales play shortstop for the rest of the season. Still, I highly doubt he plays this position professionally. He should be considered a second baseman moving forward, and worthy of being a Top-5 pick.

Great Weekend for Starting Pitchers

While Lacy continues to be excellent, he wasn’t the only college starting pitcher with a terrific outing.

college aces tonight:

Asa Lacy:
7 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 K

Emerson Hancock:
7.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K

Tanner Burns:
7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

Reid Detmers:
6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 15 K

Bryce Jarvis:
7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

Kyle Nicolas:
7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 17 K

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) March 7, 2020

Not listed in the tweet was Minnesota RHP Max Meyer and Georgia RHP Cole Wilcox. Meyer went 8 IP 4 H 3 R 0 ER 15 K and 2 BB last Friday, and Wilcox made it three straight starts without a walk allowed in a blow out 16-2 win against UMass pitching 5 IP 4 H 1 R 0 ER 6 K 0 BB.

Florida State RHP CJ Van Eyk was good against Duke last Friday throwing 6 IP 3 H 1 ER 6 K 2 BB game, but is at risk of dropping out of my Top 15 Draft Board with pitchers behind him throwing better to start the season. I’m still high on Van Eyk as he will look to impress in his next start against Georgia Tech.

Jared Kelly Rolling as Prep Season Begins

As of now, Mount Carmel High will play their first game of the Spring Season against Simeon on Monday, March 16th, which means SS Ed Howard IV will be in action. I plan to attend that game and report back my findings with video. While we wait for Howard to get started, RHP Jared Kelley continues to impress.

Here's a slider from Jared Kelly in one of his recent outings, where he went 5 IP without allowing a hit. 14 strikeouts. 94-98 with the FB:#MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/dJ3cGn2e0J

— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) March 11, 2020

NCBWA Rankings (As of March 9th)