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*Reminder: Nearly all top 10 rounders will sign. It generally means when a commit is taken in the first 10 rounds that the team has met their bonus request. When a top 10 rounder does not sign with the team who drafts him, the team loses that slot value from their overall bonus pool. Consider him gone.
RHP Michael Morales
Another RHP from the Northeast. We’ve had some success with those guys of late, no? Here’s the scouting report from MLB.com:
As Draft classes go, there’s a good amount of high-end high school talent in Pennsylvania this year. While there could conceivably be competition over which outfielder has the higher ceiling, Benny Montgomery or Lonnie White Jr., there’s no question that Morales is the top arm. While there are other prep arms in this class with better pure stuff, Morales had his feel for pitching on full display over the summer, particularly at the East Coast Pro Showcase.
Morales pitched in back of New Jersey flame-thrower Chase Petty at East Coast Pro and carved up hitters with a solid three-pitch mix and an idea of what to do with it. His fastball was up to 93-94 mph at that event, though he was a tick lower at other times in the summer, but he commands the pitch very well and it has good life to it. He complements it with a curveball, which is a plus breaking ball at its best and a solid-average changeup with run and sink that he locates well down and away to left-handed hitters.
The right-hander, committed to Vanderbilt, has a strong, athletic and durable body with a delivery that works, allowing him to throw all three of his pitches for strikes consistently. Scouts who have seen him a lot haven’t seen a jump in stuff or consistency in throwing better-than-average secondary offerings. But most agree he has the chance to make a big jump if the pitcher who was at East Coast Pro shows up on a regular basis.
Range: Rounds 3-10.
MLB.com Top 250 Ranking: #109.
Prediction: If he’s taken on Day 2 (rounds 2-10), consider him gone.
Chance He Signs With The Team Who Drafts Him: 99.99%.