2016 Phillies Draft Preview: More Second Round Options

Georgia has been growing for well over a decade as a hotbed for Draft prospects, this year it's virtually bursting at the seams with High School prospects. At this point there are very few rumors of players slipping, so I'm looking at a lot of profiles the Phillies take often , the few guys with rather flimsy rumors of dropping and generally just players I find interesting. If you want anyone else, just let me know and I'll add them.

Alex Speas - Speas is a 6'4" 190 lb Right Handed Pitcher from Powder Springs, GA with a College Commitment to Mississippi State. Speas' calling card is speed on his Fastball. He already throws in the mid-90's and tops out around 97mph. He's still pretty slim, but has a frame that should be able to hold more good weight. So you can project another 3-4 mph on that Fastball after he gets into a program with weight training. Speas also has a Plus Curveball and a fringe average Changeup. His big drawback, that could push him to the Second is that he really doesn't have much of any idea where any of his pitches are going. His mechanics are inconsistent, but he's noted as being quite athletic, so there's hope he can learn to repeat his delivery more consistently. In some ways he fits in with the Phillies noted Pitching strategy of finding guys with Plus secondary pitches, then refining mechanics and teaching the Fastball. There's a big boom or bust scenario with Speas. Video from Mike Czechanski

Braxton Garrett - Garrett is a 6'3", 190 lbs Left Handed Pitcher from Florence, AL with a commitment to Vanderbilt. In some ways Garrett is a Left Handed, younger Aaron Nola. For a High Schooler Garrett has unusual Control and advanced secondary pitches. His Fastball isn't going to rival top High School Lefty, Jason Groome's, but he still sits low-90's, which is very good velocity for a High School Southpaw. You can project additional weight and additional heat, but I would expect he'll top out mid-90's. A Plus Fastball from the port side. His Curveball, on the other hand, could challenge Groome's. He currently has better control and command of it than Groome and has potential for nearly as much late movement. Braxton's Changeup needs a good bit of work, but that is not uncommon for High Schoolers. Overall, there's a Number 2 ceiling here. One can hope that the combination of a large crop of College arms available in this draft and that Vanderbilt commitment (a school with a reputation for retaining a lot of commitments) might be enough to slide Garrett to 2:1. Video below from The Prospect Pipeline.

Carter Kieboom - If your name is cartoon shorthand for the sound of an explosion you better have some ability to hit Home Runs.Kieboom is a 6'3" 185 lbs Third Baseman from Marietta, GA who has a commitment to follow his brothers to Clemson. He projects well in either corner and interestingly he's ambidextrous (he's Pitched as both a Lefty and Righty), so he avoids the less desirable Right Handed First Baseman profile (though, it's worth noting, he hasn't played First yet, though he plays Shortstop, Third, Catcher and has Pitched a few times). He's an average runner and his Defensive Range, arm and actions are fine for Third Base. While he can play First, there's really no need to project him there just yet. There is some potential that Kieboom adds muscle and outgrows Third though. As a hitter Carter's patience is unusual for his age. He credits this to his 2 older brothers, who taught him his patience and waiting for his pitch. Last year in Cary, NC in a showcase against some of the best Pitchers around, Carter went 5 pitches deep into his third Plate Appearance before his bat left his shoulder (he drew full count walks his first 2 times up). He hit a line drive double. His bat is currently geared for line drives. Carter would be a possibility at the very top of the First Round, but his commitment to Clemson is considered pretty strong, making him an overslot candidate to pry him away. Video posted by Baseball Factory.