MLB Draft: 2016 Top High School Middle Infielders

The 2016 MLB draft is just a little under a month away, taking place on June 9. Using MLB.com, Baseball America, and other various sites, I’ll be ranking each high school player by position over the next couple of weeks, starting with the arms.

The Pirates aren’t afraid to go with young position players, and they have taken a high school middle infielder the upper first round with Cole Tucker in 2013. However, in Neal Huntington’s tenure as general manager, Tucker is the only high school middle infielder he has taken in the first, second and third rounds.

Within the upcoming weeks, after giving out my top 8 high school players of each position, more analysis will be focused on who the Pirates could realistically target at picks number 22 and 41, along with their second round pick. The day before the draft will feature a breakdown of the typical Neal Huntington draft, as we look to provide quality Major League baseball draft previews.

It’s going to be a fun time like any other draft, and the Pirates have shown they won’t shy away from being aggressive in the first, or if not then, in rounds 2-5. So here is the first look, top eight high school middle infielders.

Next: Puerto Rico's best prospect since Carlos Correa

Gavin Lux is an option the Pirates will likely have at pick number 41, and will also likely to have as a below slot value pick. Lux is from Indian Trail Academy in Wisconsin and is committed to Arizona State. He stands at 6’2” and 175 pounds, which allows him the ability to grow and fill out as he matures. Lux is already 18 years old and will turn 19 on November 23.

Lux doesn’t feature a tool that just jumps out as better than one another, but he is consistently solid at all five of the tools. He has soft hands and a good enough arm to remain at short, but second base could still be a valuable option as moves up the ladder and starts to fill out.

He features a left handed stroke, and stands with his legs wide in the box. He starts slightly open and shifts back to his back right leg, brings his leg back on a high leg kick, and then explodes through. He should be able to develop into an average power hitter in terms of home runs and doubles, and overall he should be rather consistent with the bat.

Lux doesn’t feature an attribute that makes him look like an upper first round pick, but with the Pirates competitive balance pick at number 41, Lux looks to be a realistic option. His left handed bat should be of major league quality, and his defense should be good enough to remain at short, but a move over to second is also a very good possibility. His overall game looks like that of an Asdrubal Cabrera type of player.

Next: A middle infielder who may be suited for the outfield

Nonie Williams is one of, if not the, fastest high schoolers in the draft. Williams, a LSU commit, is from Turner High School in Kansas. The 6’2” and 200 pound shortstop is currently 17, but will turn 18 in a couple of days on May 22. Williams, like Lux, is not going to be a pick at 22, but if the Pirates like him enough they could choose to go under slot at 41 if they don’t think he will be there at 68, even though a second round pick would be more appropriate for Williams.

Williams is extremely fast, as his speed is his best tool, but his arm is not that far behind. Perfect Game has him in the 98.9 percentile for the 60 yard dash, as he ran a 6.51, and the 98.47 percentile for infielder arms as he topped out at 92 miles per hour.

Williams also features incredible bat and hand speed which should allow him to develop into a quality hitter. Perfect game, when using ZEPP hitting, has him in the 99.89 percentile of bat speed at impact, 98.6 percentile of hand speed (max), and the 96.67 percentile of time to impact. When hitting right handed, he stands tall in the box, slightly open, has a medium leg kick, and then he brings his hand forward through the zone quickly.

When batting left handed, Williams stands tall and is open, has a high leg kick, brings his hands back and then through the zone. His right handed swing is much smoother than his left handed swing, and he should become a right handed hitter full time.

Williams likely won’t stay at short due to his size, but with speed and arm a move to the outfield appears to be the most logical, with a chance to move over to second as well. His fast hands should allow him to be a consistent hitter with decent power, but his speed and arm are what really stick out. His overall potential of a Kevin Pillar, an outfielder who has speed and a good arm, despite an average bat.

Next: A taller shortstop who may need to slide over to third

Luis Curbelo is from Cocoa High School in Florida, but he is originally from Puerto Rico, which is the place where top middle infielder Delvin Perez calls home. Curbello stands at 6’3” and 185 pounds, which allows him to grow into his body as he gets older, as he does not turn 19 until November 10. But as he fills out, he will likely make the move over to third.

Curbelo is above average in terms of speed, but he doesn’t flash elite or even great speed. His arm plays at third, so a move over there is more likely than to second, as his size should also factor into why third is more likely than second.

At the plate, Curbelo starts wide and open, shifts his weight to his back leg with a knee to knee stride, and then shifts forward bringing his hands through the zone. Perfect Game, through their use of ZEPP, has his bat speed impact in the 98.83 percentile, despite his 30.025 mph hand speed (max) ranking in the 45.92 percentile and his 0.134 second time to impact ranking in the 49.66 percentile.

His hands aren’t that quick, they’re average among high schoolers in the 2016 graduation class according to those ZEPP numbers. But as he grows and fills in, he could become a solid and consistent hitter with some doubles power.

Curbelo is a target for round three at pick 105, even as an under slot value at 68, the talent that would still be around would outweigh any savings that can be used to other picks. He will also likely have slide over to third due to his size and because he’s not the smoothest of shortstops. He has talent, he just needs to be more consistent, and he looks like a Chase Headley type of player.

Next: Son of a former MLBer and brother of a current MiLBer

Bo Bichette has baseball bloodlines as his dad Dante Bichette hit .299/.336/.499 in his 14 year career and his brother Dante Bichette Jr. was the 51^st overall pick by the New York Yankees in 2011. Bo comes from Lakewood High School in Florida and is committed to Arizona State. The 18 year old second baseman stands at 6’0” and 200 pounds.

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Bichette is an offensive second baseman, as his glove and speed profile for second, if not third base. He has an average arm, which is why second base is more likely his future than third base. He has raw power, as MLB Pipeline points out that he won the Under Armour All-American Home Run Derby. His power is what will likely intrigue teams.

His stance is rather different and features lots of motion. Bichette stands tall an slightly open, hands held high above his head, and as he begins to stride forward, he drops his hands down and then brings them forward. All the motion in his swing could create a potential timing problem and it may be a swing that needs to be changed. But for now, his swing provides him with some power, and power from a high schooler is something teams can be intrigued with.

Bichette isn’t a guy I would spend a first or second round pick on, and when the Pirates pick at 105 in the third round, Bo could be off the boards. He’s a player that I see who has max potential of a Brett Lawrie type. A second baseman with some pop in his bat and below average defensive abilities at second base. His swing path and setup worry me greatly, and therefore I do not view of him highly, but hopefully he proves me wrong.

Next: What to expect

There are not many first round options at 22 among high school middle infielder prospects, as the best Delvin Perez will be off the board and will likely go top 10. Gavin Lux would be most ideal at pick 41, and he could even be a below slot pick. Noonie Williams is fast and has a canon, but his upside is more of an outfielder. Luis Curbelo will likely need to move over to third because of his size and limited range. Bo Bichette is an offensive minded second baseman with an extremely different stance, which has a lot of motion.

With the additions of Cole Tucker, Kevin Newman, and Kevin Kramer in the first two rounds the past two years, a middle infield option, especially a high school middle infield option, looks to be very unlikely this year. On top of those previous selections, none of the players here will be the best player on the board when the club picks at 22, 41, and 68. Look for the club to go a different route than a young middle infielder in the draft.

The next preview will take a look at the high school third baseman the Pirates could look to take in the draft. The team took one last year with Ke’Bryan Hayes at pick number 32 of the first round.

Draft Previews

• High School Arms
• High School Catchers/First Baseman
• College Pitchers
• Pirates and Relievers
• College Outfielders