JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another week, another projection on the top baseball prospects for this summer’s draft.
Baseball America’s list of its top 500 prospects for the 2020 draft was released Wednesday, with six area products, including a pair of local high schoolers, among that list.
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Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin, a Trinity Christian product, was the No. 1 overall player on the Baseball America board. Martin, however, was projected to be selected No. 2 by the Orioles in the draft. Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson is projected going first to the Tigers. He and Martin swapped positions on the prospect list and mock draft. Martin, a true junior at Vandy, is a 2017 Trinity graduate. He was rated as the No. 2 prospect by MLB.com and helped the Commodores win the College World Series last year.
The area has had a No. 1 overall selection once, Bolles graduate Chipper Jones in 1990. Jones spent his entire career with the Braves and was inducted into the hall of fame in 2018.
Bishop Kenny infielder Colby Halter comes in at No. 123 on the Baseball America prospect list, the top area prep prospect. Halter hit .338 as a junior at Kenny and played on the USA Baseball U-18 national team last fall and has signed with Florida. He was listed as MLB.com’s No. 149 overall prospect.
Paxon pitcher Lebarron Johnson Jr. joined Halter as the only other area high schooler on the list. He’s at No. 319. Columbia High School product, pitcher Tyler Myrick, is No. 393. He’s now at Florida International.
When it happens and what the draft will look like remains to be seen. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the draft could be trimmed to as few as five rounds under one option that has been thrown out. It is typically 40 rounds.
Florida State has six players in the top 500, led by pitcher CJ Van Eyk at No. 43. Florida has five in the top 500, with pitcher Tommy Mace the top Gators player at No. 76.
Jacksonville pitcher Trent Palmer was the lone area four-year college player in the mix, coming in at No. 155. St. Johns River State College in Palatka had pitcher Franco Aleman on the list at No. 315.
Baseball America Top 500 prospects
No. Position Player College (High school)
1. OF Austin Martin, Vanderbilt (Trinity Christian)
43. RHP CJ Van Eyk, Florida State
76. RHP Tommy Mace, Florida
123. SS Colby Halter, (Bishop Kenny)
150. RHP Jack Leftwich, Florida
155. RHP Trent Palmer, Jacksonville
162. OF Elijah Cabell, Florida State
179. LHP Shane Drohan, Florida State
197. OF Reese Albert, Florida State
208. SS Nander De Sedas, Florida State
245. C Matheu Nelson, Florida State
293. IF Cory Acton, Florida
315. RHP Franco Aleman, St. Johns River State College
319. RHP Lebarron Johnson Jr., (Paxon)
393. RHP Tyler Myrick, Florida International (Columbia)
402. RHP Hunter McMullen, Florida
418. C/3B Brady Smith, Florida