Texas Tech head baseball coach Tim Tadlock and his staff did an impressive job during the 2015 recruiting cycle, assembling a class ranked ninth in the country and tops in the Big 12 by PerfectGame.org. The group is heavy on pitching talent and is headlined by four of the top high school players in the country.
As impressive as this haul is on paper, like with any baseball recruiting class, it remains to be seen how many of the Red Raiders' 2015 signees will actually make it to campus.
College baseball is unique in that it intersects with Major League Baseball more than football or basketball deal with the National Football League or National Basketball Association. Baseball players can get drafted right out of high school, after their first or second season at a junior college, after their junior season at a four-year college or at any point after their 21st birthday.
This adds an unpredictable dynamic to baseball recruiting, as a prospect may develop from an unlikely draft pick when he commits to a program as a sophomore or junior to a top 15 talent by the time his senior season ends.
"As far as professionally, a good example would be the kid we have out of Fort Worth (Trenton Clark) committed now," Tadlock said. "We signed him, needless to say he's a kid that when we committed him, I don't think we knew he was going to be one of the top 20 picks in the country. Obviously we know that now."
Clark, an outfielder for Fort Worth (Texas) Richland High School, wasn't a fringe draft prospect when he committed to the Red Raiders, but his stock has certainly risen since and the 18-year-old is now ranked by MLB.com as the No. 12 prospect in the 2015 MLB Draft. Clark is widely projected to be a first-round selection, likely top 15 overall, and it's difficult to imagine a realistic scenario in which he doesn't sign and turn professional.
Clark isn't the only 2015 Texas Tech signee that is expected to be taken early in the MLB Draft. Tadlock expects three to five members of the class to sign professional contracts.
First baseman Josh Naylor, a Canadian product out of Ontario's St. Joan of Arc High School, is a good bet to be one of them. Naylor is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 59 prospect in this year's draft class and will be one of the best high school bats available. Naylor's game isn't perfect -- there are questions about where he projects defensively and he isn't the most athletic prospect -- but he can absolutely mash.
Seguin High School right-handed pitcher Antonio Santillan is one of the best high school arms in this year's draft class and could hear his name called early. He still needs to polish up his mechanics, but his arm is electric. Santillan's fastball runs 92-97 miles per hour and his slider is big league ready. MLB.com ranks him as the No. 63 overall prospect in the 2015 draft class.
There are not very many high school prospects who saw their draft stock rise more in their final prep season than El Paso (Texas) Ysleta High School pitcher Justin Maese. The right-hander still battles consistency, but he flashed enough this spring that scouts flocked to El Paso to evaluate him in person. His fastball can hit 96 miles per hour, but Maese has struggled maintaining that speed.
Given how highly Clark, Naylor, Santillan and Maese are expected to go in the draft, it would be a mild surprise if any of them ended up suiting up for the Red and Black. Fortunately, the Red Raiders' 2015 class boasts impressive depth that will soften the blow of potentially missing out on the four top-level headliners.
Prescott (Ariz.) Yavapai Community College pitcher Chandler Eden could be drafted in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft, but he's made it clear throughout the process that he wants to finish out his college experience before heading to the big leagues. Eden originally signed with Oregon State out of high school but left the program in 2014. The right-hander was hitting 92-94 miles per hour with his fastball during Yavapai's run to the NJCAA World Series and should be a big addition to the Texas Tech pitching staff.
The Red Raiders' rotation will also be strengthened by the addition of two of the best high school pitchers in Georgia and Arkansas. Left-hander Erikson Lanning is originally from Plano, Texas but now lives in Woodstock, Ga. and was one of the Peach State's top arms while attending Sequoyah High School. Meanwhile, right-hander Ty Harpenau led the state of Arkansas in strikeouts for Fort Smith (Ark.) Southside High School.
Maese isn't the only West Texas flavor to Texas Tech's signing class. Davis Martin was an all-district selection on both the diamond and gridiron for San Angelo (Texas) Central High School. The right-handed pitcher logged 125 strikeouts this year and has movement on his fastball that is reminiscent of current Red Raider Ryan Moseley. Like Martin, Jonathan Nicholson was a dual-sport star in high school. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound standout played offensive line for Abilene (Texas) Cooper's football team and was an all-district selection as a right-handed pitcher.
This 2015 Texas Tech signing class has a little bit of everything, from top-of-the-draft talent to solid Big 12 players. Even if Clark, Naylor, Santillan and Maese all sign professional contracts, the Red Raiders will be better next season thanks to this batch of newcomers.
Put it on the board.
As impressive as this haul is on paper, like with any baseball recruiting class, it remains to be seen how many of the Red Raiders' 2015 signees will actually make it to campus.
College baseball is unique in that it intersects with Major League Baseball more than football or basketball deal with the National Football League or National Basketball Association. Baseball players can get drafted right out of high school, after their first or second season at a junior college, after their junior season at a four-year college or at any point after their 21st birthday.
This adds an unpredictable dynamic to baseball recruiting, as a prospect may develop from an unlikely draft pick when he commits to a program as a sophomore or junior to a top 15 talent by the time his senior season ends.
"As far as professionally, a good example would be the kid we have out of Fort Worth (Trenton Clark) committed now," Tadlock said. "We signed him, needless to say he's a kid that when we committed him, I don't think we knew he was going to be one of the top 20 picks in the country. Obviously we know that now."
Clark, an outfielder for Fort Worth (Texas) Richland High School, wasn't a fringe draft prospect when he committed to the Red Raiders, but his stock has certainly risen since and the 18-year-old is now ranked by MLB.com as the No. 12 prospect in the 2015 MLB Draft. Clark is widely projected to be a first-round selection, likely top 15 overall, and it's difficult to imagine a realistic scenario in which he doesn't sign and turn professional.
Clark isn't the only 2015 Texas Tech signee that is expected to be taken early in the MLB Draft. Tadlock expects three to five members of the class to sign professional contracts.
First baseman Josh Naylor, a Canadian product out of Ontario's St. Joan of Arc High School, is a good bet to be one of them. Naylor is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 59 prospect in this year's draft class and will be one of the best high school bats available. Naylor's game isn't perfect -- there are questions about where he projects defensively and he isn't the most athletic prospect -- but he can absolutely mash.
Seguin High School right-handed pitcher Antonio Santillan is one of the best high school arms in this year's draft class and could hear his name called early. He still needs to polish up his mechanics, but his arm is electric. Santillan's fastball runs 92-97 miles per hour and his slider is big league ready. MLB.com ranks him as the No. 63 overall prospect in the 2015 draft class.
There are not very many high school prospects who saw their draft stock rise more in their final prep season than El Paso (Texas) Ysleta High School pitcher Justin Maese. The right-hander still battles consistency, but he flashed enough this spring that scouts flocked to El Paso to evaluate him in person. His fastball can hit 96 miles per hour, but Maese has struggled maintaining that speed.
Given how highly Clark, Naylor, Santillan and Maese are expected to go in the draft, it would be a mild surprise if any of them ended up suiting up for the Red and Black. Fortunately, the Red Raiders' 2015 class boasts impressive depth that will soften the blow of potentially missing out on the four top-level headliners.
Prescott (Ariz.) Yavapai Community College pitcher Chandler Eden could be drafted in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft, but he's made it clear throughout the process that he wants to finish out his college experience before heading to the big leagues. Eden originally signed with Oregon State out of high school but left the program in 2014. The right-hander was hitting 92-94 miles per hour with his fastball during Yavapai's run to the NJCAA World Series and should be a big addition to the Texas Tech pitching staff.
The Red Raiders' rotation will also be strengthened by the addition of two of the best high school pitchers in Georgia and Arkansas. Left-hander Erikson Lanning is originally from Plano, Texas but now lives in Woodstock, Ga. and was one of the Peach State's top arms while attending Sequoyah High School. Meanwhile, right-hander Ty Harpenau led the state of Arkansas in strikeouts for Fort Smith (Ark.) Southside High School.
Maese isn't the only West Texas flavor to Texas Tech's signing class. Davis Martin was an all-district selection on both the diamond and gridiron for San Angelo (Texas) Central High School. The right-handed pitcher logged 125 strikeouts this year and has movement on his fastball that is reminiscent of current Red Raider Ryan Moseley. Like Martin, Jonathan Nicholson was a dual-sport star in high school. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound standout played offensive line for Abilene (Texas) Cooper's football team and was an all-district selection as a right-handed pitcher.
This 2015 Texas Tech signing class has a little bit of everything, from top-of-the-draft talent to solid Big 12 players. Even if Clark, Naylor, Santillan and Maese all sign professional contracts, the Red Raiders will be better next season thanks to this batch of newcomers.
Put it on the board.
