2017 Phillies Draft Preview - Round 2 Options

Some of these guys may not fall to Round 2, but I’m also certain they aren’t real options in the top 10 either and I want to write about them, so...

Hagen Danner, RHP/Catcher, 6’2" 195 lbs Huntington Beach, CA
HagyD (I did not make up that nickname) is another guy like Hunter Greene and "Two-way" McKay capable of being worth a pick in the top 2 rounds as either a Hitter or Pitcher. Like the other 2 his more certain future is on the mound. Danner first made his mark 6 years ago in Williamsport when he dominated on the mound and collected 11 hits, including a championship game Homer. As a Catcher, Danner has potential, but will need a few years to refine his framing and blocking. As a hitter, he has a smooth stroke and flashes Plus power. I could see a team keeping him at Catcher and hoping he becomes Buster Posey-lite. The problem for me is that his bat still needs refinement to unlock the power and High School bats are hard to project and even tougher for Catchers, who have so many defensive nuances to focus on. You could move him to First, where he has played, but that adds a ton of pressure on the bat. His speed seems adequate for RF, but I’ve seen no reports of him paying there, so that may be a bit too risky to do with a top pick as Plan A.

There’s less risk for Danner on the mound, where he already has an Above Average Fastball which flashes Plus, a potential Plus Curveball with late break and an Average Changeup. He has a repeatable ³⁄₄ delivery and a pretty consistent release point. Actually I’ve seen comps to Kevin Gowdy, which is interesting. In a draft absurdly deep with Pitching he could get squeezed to the Second Round, especially if teams worry about the UCLA commitment. I’ll admit to being a big HagyDas fan.

Nick Pratto, LHP/1B, 6’2" 195Lbs, Huntington Beach, CA
That might look really familiar and it should, Pratto has spent most of his career (including that LLWS) standing 60 to 90 feet from Danner. That will change next year whether they both get Drafted or go to College as Pratto has a USC commitment. Pratto is a bit opposite his friend though as scouts lean more towards a future at First Base. As a Pitcher, Pratto sports a similar arsenal to Danner, but everything a little less right now. His Fastball is Average, Curveball is Average to Above Average, but the control of it comes and goes a bit and Changeup is pretty typical for a High Schooler (read: needs work).

As a First Baseman he’s actually a rather good fielder with Average speed. I kind of love his swing and if he was a Righty, he’d probably be a projected top 10 pick as a Third Baseman, but the whole Lefty thing sticks him at First where he’ll get devalued a bit for all the pressure on the bat. The bat has fantastic potential though. His swing is short, with good speed, it’s quiet and has good loft. He shows a good approach and isn’t a pure pull hitter. The risk is his swing looks really good to maintain a high average, but what kind of Power will he develop? If you’re drafting a High School First Baseman in the top 10 picks are you okay if he’s more John Olerud/Keith Hernandez than Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard?