C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
I had a chance to watch a few South Carolina committed in an invitation-only at East Coast Pro in Alabama this weekend, which is reserved for some of the best talent on the eastern seaboard.
It's one of the premier events of the summer with every MLB team in attendance trying to gather as much information in preparation for the 2021 and 2022 draft.
All of the guys mentioned are committed as part of the 2021 class.
I couldn't stay for the entire day of games (family obligations) but here are some of the things I observed from what I was able to watch.
--One of the guys I left the most impressed with was catcher Cole Messina, who is in the middle of a solid summer and looked really good in the game I watched him play Sunday. He drew three walks and singled in his handful of at-bats with a pretty short and compact swing that can translate really well to the next level.
With Messina, he's firmly entrenched as a top 500 prospect and one of the best prospects in the state. He definitely projects as a catcher at the next level but can also play a corner infield spot as well. He's got a good arm and it can get more consistent. For someone entering his senior season he knows the strike zone really well, drawing his two walks against Clemson commitment Bubba Chandler and he has the frame as a rising senior to hit for power.
Right now he's considered the No. 332 overall prospects in the country but definitely has a chance to move up in the rankings by the time his high school career is over.
--Infield commitment Michael Braswell also played in the event, starting at third base in his first game and moving to shortstop later in the same game. The biggest positive for him is his body frame (6-foot-2, 177 pounds) and his ability to gain weight once he gets into a professional or college baseball program.
Right now he's considered a top 50 prospect (No. 45) by PerfectGame and it's not hard to see why. He has a really smooth swing and is a plus-defender who can play a premium position at shortstop at the next level (whether that's professionally or at South Carolina) and with the frame has a chance to be a solid gap-to-gap power kind of hitter. The bat needs to continue to develop, but Braswell has the tools to be a very good player wherever he ends up.
He walked twice and stung a ball in another of his at-bats for an out while also making a really good stab at third base with runners at first and second to start an inning-ending 5-3 double play.
--Outfielder Thad Ector was also on Braswell's team this week and is in the middle of probably the best summer of any Gamecock commits in the 2021 class. He's skyrocketed up rankings this summer and is the No. 51 overall player in the country now by PerfectGame.
Ector didn't have a hit when I watched him but rifled a ball right at a player for an out. He's hitting for a lot of power this summer and his swing looks really good as his final summer of travel ball ends.
Right now he probably projects more as a corner outfielder right now, probably a left fielder, but told me earlier this summer he wants to round out his defensive game and be able to play all three outfield positions.
He has good instincts in left field (where he played Sunday) and defensively he still has development to do, but his bat is good enough to put him in a lineup early wherever he ends up.
It should also be noted the Gamecocks got in with Ector early in the process as a relatively unheard of guy on the national scene and got him committed before he blew up this summer.
--I didn't see him play but infielder commitment Vytas Valincius certainly looks the part of a SEC first baseman. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and has done a good job this summer of getting in shape and developing his game. He's moved up the rankings recently, too, up to No. 175 in the country by PerfectGame.
This season he's moving down to Tennessee and he'll play his senior season with fellow Gamecock infielder commitment and top 100 prospect Cooper Kinney.
It's one of the premier events of the summer with every MLB team in attendance trying to gather as much information in preparation for the 2021 and 2022 draft.
All of the guys mentioned are committed as part of the 2021 class.
I couldn't stay for the entire day of games (family obligations) but here are some of the things I observed from what I was able to watch.
--One of the guys I left the most impressed with was catcher Cole Messina, who is in the middle of a solid summer and looked really good in the game I watched him play Sunday. He drew three walks and singled in his handful of at-bats with a pretty short and compact swing that can translate really well to the next level.
With Messina, he's firmly entrenched as a top 500 prospect and one of the best prospects in the state. He definitely projects as a catcher at the next level but can also play a corner infield spot as well. He's got a good arm and it can get more consistent. For someone entering his senior season he knows the strike zone really well, drawing his two walks against Clemson commitment Bubba Chandler and he has the frame as a rising senior to hit for power.
Right now he's considered the No. 332 overall prospects in the country but definitely has a chance to move up in the rankings by the time his high school career is over.
--Infield commitment Michael Braswell also played in the event, starting at third base in his first game and moving to shortstop later in the same game. The biggest positive for him is his body frame (6-foot-2, 177 pounds) and his ability to gain weight once he gets into a professional or college baseball program.
Right now he's considered a top 50 prospect (No. 45) by PerfectGame and it's not hard to see why. He has a really smooth swing and is a plus-defender who can play a premium position at shortstop at the next level (whether that's professionally or at South Carolina) and with the frame has a chance to be a solid gap-to-gap power kind of hitter. The bat needs to continue to develop, but Braswell has the tools to be a very good player wherever he ends up.
He walked twice and stung a ball in another of his at-bats for an out while also making a really good stab at third base with runners at first and second to start an inning-ending 5-3 double play.
--Outfielder Thad Ector was also on Braswell's team this week and is in the middle of probably the best summer of any Gamecock commits in the 2021 class. He's skyrocketed up rankings this summer and is the No. 51 overall player in the country now by PerfectGame.
Ector didn't have a hit when I watched him but rifled a ball right at a player for an out. He's hitting for a lot of power this summer and his swing looks really good as his final summer of travel ball ends.
Right now he probably projects more as a corner outfielder right now, probably a left fielder, but told me earlier this summer he wants to round out his defensive game and be able to play all three outfield positions.
He has good instincts in left field (where he played Sunday) and defensively he still has development to do, but his bat is good enough to put him in a lineup early wherever he ends up.
It should also be noted the Gamecocks got in with Ector early in the process as a relatively unheard of guy on the national scene and got him committed before he blew up this summer.
--I didn't see him play but infielder commitment Vytas Valincius certainly looks the part of a SEC first baseman. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and has done a good job this summer of getting in shape and developing his game. He's moved up the rankings recently, too, up to No. 175 in the country by PerfectGame.
This season he's moving down to Tennessee and he'll play his senior season with fellow Gamecock infielder commitment and top 100 prospect Cooper Kinney.
