Rangers land top prep ace Brock Porter after free fall to 4th round
With the 109th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the Texas Rangers selected high school right-hander Brock Porter.
Porter, 19, entered the draft as the top pitching prospect, ranked 11th overall by MLB Pipeline. Over the past year, he tossed three no-hitters and helped his team to an immaculate 44-0 finish while earning the country's high schooler of the year honors with a 9-0 record and 0.41 ERA over 58 innings.
He was expected to be one of the top pitchers off the board once the draft started, but the Scott Boras client was deemed to have signability issues and could follow through on his commitment to Clemson, causing him to slip into the fourth round. However, the Rangers are reportedly saving roughly $2 million in bonus pool space by signing third overall pick Kumar Rocker under slot and could potentially hatch a deal with Porter as a result.
"We have not seen a pitcher this dominant in Michigan high school baseball in my lifetime," Grosse Pointe Liggett head coach Dan Cimini said.
While he was drafted exclusively as a pitcher, Porter also hit four homers in only 29 at-bats.
Bio
Age: 19
Position: RHP
Height/Weight: 6-4, 208 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS (MI)
NCAA commit: Clemson
Pick value (109): $560,200
Tools
- Four-pitch mix with good command, control
- Plus fastball (94-97 mph)
- Curveball, changeup project to be above average
Why fans will love this player
- Doesn't lose and threw three no-hitters
- Gatorade's 2021 Michigan Player of the Year
- 2022 Gatorade National Player of the Year
- 0.17 ERA, 0.48 WHIP before playoffs
Things he'll need to overcome
- Injuries
- Filling out
- Slider could use some work
Take a look ...
(Video source: MaxPreps)