Inbox, comparisons edition: EDLC, Skenes, Crews, Clark

What a packed time on the baseball calendar. We’re two months into the Major League and full-season Minor League seasons, Rookie ball is simply beginning up, the NCAA Super Regionals this weekend will resolve who’s headed to the College World Series and groups are finalizing evaluations for subsequent month’s Draft. On that final topic, let’s dive into an all-Draft Pipeline Inbox …

With all of the hype surrounding Elly De La Cruz, how does he evaluate to a number of the high place gamers on this 12 months’s Draft? — @StevieDAles97

When we tackled this query on the most recent Pipeline Podcast, I bought so tongue-tied attempting to say that Elly De La Cruz is incomparable as a result of he is a unicorn that I known as him “Elly De La Corn.” I do not assume that nickname goes to catch on.

De La Cruz, who smoked a double in his large league debut final evening, might need one of the best all-around instruments within the Majors of anybody in addition to Shohei Ohtani. He’s a sooner and extra superior hitting model of Oneil Cruz.

There are 5 very gifted gamers who’ve separated themselves from the remainder of the 2023 Draft class: Louisiana State outfielder Dylan Crews and right-hander Paul Skenes, Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, prep outfielders Walker Jenkins and Max Clark. But none of them can match up device for device with De La Cruz.

Crews has extra pure hitting potential, however De La Cruz is comparable in that regard to the opposite three outfielders. He has extra energy than any of them (Langford could be the closest), solely Clark can match his pace and perhaps his arm energy and De La Cruz has extra defensive worth with strong glovework at both shortstop or third base.

Crews and Langford have starred within the Southeastern Conference, one of the best league in school baseball but in addition a number of ranges faraway from Triple-A, the place De La Cruz dominated on the identical age (21) as they’re. If De La Cruz had been a part of the 2023 Draft, he’d be the simple No. 1 general decide based mostly on bodily potential and efficiency.

Everybody retains evaluating Skenes to Strasburg (arguably the best school pitcher of all-time) Why in all people’s mock drafts are the Pirates taking Crews? Who is Crews corresponding to? — @jferg77

I’ve made that assertion a number of occasions myself, and Strasburg is one of the best pitching prospect within the historical past of the Draft. Yet there is a sturdy consensus amongst membership executives and scouts that the Pirates will and may take Crews with the No. 1 general decide.

Crews is an especially gifted hitter with plus energy and pace and likewise has a great likelihood to stay in middle subject. The cause there’s a lot perception that Pittsburgh ought to choose him stems not solely from his expertise but in addition as a result of place gamers entail much less danger than pitchers.

But I believe a robust case additionally could possibly be made that relative to his friends — not simply in 2023, however within the final decade — Skenes stands out extra among the many pitchers than Crews does among the many place gamers. I are inclined to err on the aspect of ceiling, and I believe it is more durable to discover a pitcher with Skenes’ upside than it’s an outfielder with Crews’.

For all of the hype surrounding Crews, I have not heard an awesome comparability this spring and I am unable to discover one from current Drafts. In phrases of the kind of large league manufacturing he may present, he is much like Freddie Freeman, albeit as a righty-hitting outfielder. Among the outfielders on our Top 100 Prospects checklist, he form of resembles a smaller, righty-hitting model of the Nationals’ James Wood with extra hitting potential.

First 5 school arms after Paul Skenes you count on to be taken within the Draft? — @Iambored44

This is not a great Draft for faculty arms, because of a number of guys both getting damage or not creating as hoped. Skenes will go within the first two picks to both the Pirates or Nationals, and fellow right-handers Chase Dollander (Tennessee), Rhett Lowder (Wake Forest) and Hurston Waldrep (Florida) will observe him within the first spherical.

Texas right-hander Tanner Witt has labored simply 9 2/3 innings this spring and hasn’t totally returned to kind since having Tommy John surgical procedure in March 2022, however there is not any cause to assume he will not, and he was a slam-dunk first-rounder earlier than he bought damage. He may go within the supplemental first spherical as somebody’s second choice, maybe larger.

Kent State’s Joe Whitman has gone from pitching solely 5 2/3 innings in two seasons at Purdue to turning into one of the best school left-hander on this class. He additionally may issue into the supplemental first spherical. After these half-dozen school arms, that demographic will get very murky.

Max Clark and Pete Crow-Armstrong seem to be comparable prospects coming into the Draft. What makes Max Clark completely different as a prospect, and the way a lot of a “haircut” do you assume he’d take if Pirates picked him 1.1? — @2000sSports

Clark and Crow-Armstrong had been comparable as prepsters who had been hit-over-power guys and no-doubt middle fielders. But there have been some questions on Crow-Armstrong’s offensive influence on the identical stage of their careers, which is why he lasted 19 picks in 2020. Clark will go considerably larger subsequent month.

Crow-Armstrong has made some swing modifications and different changes for the reason that Mets traded him to the Cubs, so now present-day PCA and highschool Clark have comparable offensive profiles. Clark’s pace and arm energy are a grade higher than these of Crow-Armstrong, who has the benefit of being one of the best defensive middle fielder within the Minors.

At worst, Clark figures to go fifth within the Draft, and the No. 5 decide (which belongs to the Twins) comes with an assigned worth of $7,139,700. If it seems he’ll final that lengthy — I maintain projecting him at No. 5 in mock drafts — he may signal for $7.5 million to $8 million if the Pirates minimize a take care of him at No. 1. That would save Pittsburgh $1.7 million to $2.2 million versus its bonus pool.