Now that the draft is over and organizations are finishing the process of signing their picks, I wanted to share notes on some recent draftees here in the Midwest who I’ve been able to scout in-person multiple times over the past couple of years. I’m going to focus primarily on players who aren’t yet household names, but who have a skill set or tool that caught my eye. This bunch of notes will cover some recently drafted high schoolers, while the next batch will cover players from the college ranks.
Tyson Lewis, SS, Millard West HS (NE)
Team: Reds Round: 2 Overall Pick: 51
Lewis was my favorite high school position player in the Midwest this year despite believing that he’ll slide over to second base long-term. Lewis swings it from the left side and has a well-rounded offensive skill set that gives you reason to project on both his hit tool and game power. Lewis’ swings are aggressive but under control, and his path keeps his bat in the zone for an extended period of time while also having enough loft to elevate; he shows solid-average raw power during batting practice presently and it projects to be plus in the future. There are times when Lewis’ swing will get longer and more prone to swing-and-miss, especially against plus velocity up in the zone. When Lewis is going well, he whips the bat through the zone with above-average bat speed and shows the ability to manipulate the barrel to cover multiple quadrants, though pitches down in the zone are the ones he does the most damage against.
He has an average arm and his lateral agility would likely be enough for shortstop, but his hands are prone to stiffness and don’t project to be reliable enough to handle short. I’m high enough on Lewis’ bat to think he’ll hit enough to weather the slide down the defensive spectrum if/when he does move off short. The Reds are obviously high on Lewis too — they recently signed him for $3.05 million, which is well above the $1.80 million slot value.
Trey Snyder, SS, Liberty North HS (MO)
Team: Mets Round: 5 Overall Pick: 144
Snyder is a solid athlete with a projectable, medium frame who went to high school in the Kansas City area. He’s a fundamentally sound player with bat-to-ball chops, but he lacks an impact tool. Snyder has a simple and repeatable operation in the batter’s box, and can manipulate the barrel in the zone, but he rarely elevated with authority across multiple in-person looks over the past couple of years. His bat path during batting practice features more loft than his game hacks do, and it’s a safe bet that his hit tool will always far outpace his power production.
His hands work well on the dirt and Snyder has an average arm that can play up due to his quick release. Snyder has good enough defensive chops to have a shot to stay at shortstop long-term, which is critical because his offensive profile will likely be too light to warrant him playing a non-premium position. I have Snyder, who recently signed for $1.32 million, as having a bench utility ceiling.
Eddie Rynders, 3B, Wisconsin Lutheran HS (WI)
Team: Pirates Round 4 Overall Pick: 112
Rynders was a shortstop in high school and was announced as one by the Pirates when they drafted him, but he’ll probably come off that position in pro ball, with his long-term defensive home likely third base or a corner outfield spot. He has the arm strength for the left side of the infield, but his lateral range isn’t going to allow for average range at short. Ultimately, you’re buying the bat with Rynders. His smooth left-handed swing already features above-average raw power, mostly to the pull side. There’s loft in Rynders’ bat path without sacrificing the amount of time it stays in the hitting zone. He has an average hit/above-average power ceiling, but he hasn’t consistently been stress tested against high-end pitching. Rynders controlled the strike zone well throughout his prep career, and his ability to translate that skill against professional pitching will be vital to him maximizing his intriguing profile. Rynders and the Pirates agreed to a slot deal ($649,700).
Kale Fountain, 1B/LF, Norris HS (NE)
Team: Padres Round: 5 Overall Pick: 151
Fountain is a long-levered plus athlete who already shows plus raw power to the pull side and has a bat path geared for elevating. Due to his rangy limbs, Fountain’s swing does have some length to it, which will likely cause him to run higher-than-average swing-and-miss rates in pro ball. Whether or not he’s able to get to his loud power often enough will be the main thing to watch with Fountain.
Defensively, Fountain was drafted as a third baseman but he’s far from a sure bet to stay there long-term, and I think he’ll end up at first base or in a corner outfield spot. He has solid-average arm strength but below-average accuracy. Both his hands and his overall defensive actions have some rigidness to them, but I’m confident he’ll be at least an average defender at first base or in left field considering the overall athlete he is.
Fountain brings both significant upside and risk. He’ll need the juice in his bat to be his carrying tool, and he’ll have to be careful to avoid letting the swing-and-miss overtake his profile and cut into how often he gets to his power in games. A plus power/below-average hit tool is a realistic ceiling to hope for given Fountain’s profile. The slot value for this pick was $444,200, but the Padres are high enough on Fountain to have paid him a $1.7 million bonus to lure him away from his LSU commitment.
Eli Lovich, OF, Blue Valley West HS (KS)
Team: Cubs Round: 11 Overall Pick: 332
Lovich’s long and rangy 6-foot-4 frame offers significant projection, as he still has a very thin build at present. His operation in the left-handed batter’s box is very rhythmic and he uses an abbreviated leg kick to generate leverage. It’s not a very steep path, but it does have natural loft to it along with some adjustability in the zone. Lovich is likely to end up in a corner outfield spot. His above-average arm strength is sufficient to profile in right field, where he could be an average defender. The Cubs are betting that as Lovich’s wiry frame develops, power that’s capable of carrying a corner outfield defensive profile will come too. Lovich recently signed for $650,000 and will start his development in the Cubs system soon.
Anson Seibert, RHP, Blue Valley Southwest HS (KS)
Team: Tigers Round: 16 Overall Pick: 476
Seibert isn’t going to sign with Detroit and will instead head to Knoxville to begin his college career. He came into the 2024 season with a very high profile for a Kansas high school pitching prospect due to both how tall he is and how hard he was throwing at a young age. He’s definitely worth keeping an eye on at Tennessee.
I first saw Seibert as a sophomore, when his 6-foot-8 frame was very thick, slow, and unathletic. While Seibert is still a fringe athlete overall, both his frame and athleticism have trended in the right direction. Seibert left a start late in the high school season with an arm issue and never returned, which was likely a big part of him falling to the 16th round. Prior to shutting down at the end of the season, Seibert would sit 95-97 mph with his fastball in the first couple of innings before settling in at 92-94 mph. The fastball is the foundation of Seibert’s appeal. Both his breaking ball and changeup project to be average offerings, with the changeup the likelier of the two to perhaps develop into an above-average pitch. There are still questions about the severity of the arm injury that cut Seibert’s high school season short, as well as his long-term prognosis.
