From the Crow's Nest: Florence (AL) LHP Braxton Garrett

On Friday, Jim Callis of MLB.com posted his newest mock for the upcoming draft. In the article, he mentioned that the Mariners prefer a bat with the eleventh overall pick, meaning hitters such as Blake Rutherford, Corey Ray, Zach Collins, and Delvin Perez likely sit near the top of their realistic wish list. In Callis' mock draft, however, the vast majority of those names are long gone by the time the Mariners get on the clock, resulting in the Mariners selecting high school arm Braxton Garrett over Collins.

First, let's establish that mock drafts this year are going to be pretty far from concrete. Stuff happens. Boards change. Player X will go on a two-week hot streak and a team will allow 30 at-bats to change their entire opinion of him. People decide they want the safe lefty because Anthony Rendon has a stupid ankle and is therefore too much of a health risk to take No. 2 overall.

Not to mention, this class lacks the two or three predictable picks that most drafts seem to have at the top. This isn't to say this class lacks talent, there just aren't any guys (aside from perhaps AJ Puk) who have separated themselves from the pack so significantly that you can say with one-hundred percent certainty they'll be gone within the first few selections.

That being said, Garrett is absolutely someone I planned on covering over the next couple weeks leading up to the draft, so I suppose now is a good time to pop him on the schedule.

At a Glance

The Rundown

Garrett doesn't have the typical weaknesses displayed by most prep arms. He possesses smooth, advanced mechanics that he repeats well, giving him plus-command of all of his arsenal. From what I've seen, his loose. three-quarter delivery looks cleaner than a lot of the college arms that could go in the first round.

Garrett's fastball and curveball are both plus-pitches. The fastball will sit in the 87-91 range, but he'll occasionally run it up to as high as 93. The curveball drops down to the upper-70s with nasty breaking action. Garrett is comfortable throwing his breaking pitch in any situation, so much so that one scouting report suggests he tends to 'fall in love' with it too often.

His changeup has flashed potential, but is currently under construction. All of his stuff should improve as he grows into his 6'3" frame.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Garrett's skill set is how high of a floor it gives him. He won't come with bad habits that need breaking or pitches that need significant development or the tag of "more of a thrower than a pitcher". Compared to most prep arms, he has the potential to move through a system fairly quick, ultimately becoming a number two or three starter.

Previous From the Crow's Nest prospects:

Blake Rutherford - OF - Chaminade

Zach Collins - C - Miami

Jordan Sheffield - RHP - Vanderbilt

Will Benson - 1B/OF - Westminster Schools

Buddy Reed - OF - Florida

Bryan Reynolds - OF - Vanderbilt

Connor Jones - RHP - Virginia