ESPN scout ranks Tennessee Vols baseball players as MLB prospects
Following a special season on the diamond, there is no surprise that the Tennessee Vols will lose quite a bit of talent to the MLB Draft. Their offense will be especially affected by it. Drew Gilbert, Jordan Beck, Trey Lipscomb, and Joel Ortega are all projected to get drafted. Gilbert and Beck are projected by […]
Following a special season on the diamond, there is no surprise that the Tennessee Vols will lose quite a bit of talent to the MLB Draft. Their offense will be especially affected by it. Drew Gilbert, Jordan Beck, Trey Lipscomb, and Joel Ortega are all projected to get drafted. Gilbert and Beck are projected by many to be first-round selections.
The Rankings
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel has Gilbert, Beck, Blade Tidwell, Lipscomb, and Ben Joyce all as top 100 players for him. So, the Vols will lose a couple of valuable pitching pieces as well. There is a very good chance that all of them go in the first five rounds of the draft. Luckily for the Vols, they have plenty of pitching depth that can step up next season.
Vols signee outfielder Alex Stanwich is ranked at 194. Ortega sits at 211 for McDaniel, possibly a little lower than Vols fans may have expected.
Quite a few mocks have had Tidwell going in the first round alongside Beck and Gilbert. Tidwell's raw traits are certainly enticing as he possesses an upper 90s fastball and two plus off-speed pitches already. It makes plenty of sense. Injury and reliever concerns may push him to be a second or third-round selection, though. That being said, Tidwell had better command in his sophomore year.
Ben Joyce may be the biggest enigma of the draft. The flamethrower that hits 100 MPH with ease is currently being mocked in the second or third round of most mock drafts. The upside is clearly there, and he returned better than ever this past season after having Tommy John surgery.
Going Forward
The Vols will have plenty to replace next season, but Tony Vitello has proven that he is an elite recruiter and a prominent force in the transfer portal. They will reload. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the roster shakes out without many of their stars from this past season.
Featured Image via USA TODAY-Sports
