Matt Sauer 2017 MLB Draft Profile
Overview
Matt Sauer just looks the part of a pitcher. The ace for Ernest Righetti High School stands at 6’4” and 205 pounds. The 18-year-old bats and throws from the right side, and has been a strong two-way player in high school. However, while he can certainly hit, Sauer will be drafted for his abilities on the mound. A jump in velocity between his junior and senior years put him squarely within the top 50 prospects in the 2017 draft class. He’ll easily be an early second round pick if a team thinks he’s likely to sign, and he could slip into the later part of the first round.
Rawlings-Perfect Game named Sauer a Third-Team All-American, and he also earned California All-Region First-Team honors. A strong student off the field, Sauer is committed to play for the University of Arizona. However, a million dollar deal could sway him toward life as a professional ballplayer.
Strengths
Sauer’s smarts shouldn’t be undersold. They’ll keep him one step ahead of most batters and will help him out in the film room. He should be a guy coaches love to work with. His fastball has good movement and generally sits in the mid-90s, though it can touch 97. A nasty slider compliments his good fastball. He can add in a curveball and a changeup, as well. His jump in velocity, from high-80s as a junior to mid-90s as a senior, could indicate that further development will come with age.
As a batter, he displays good bat speed and a solid approach from the right side. He could be a great fit for a national league team with time to wait for him to develop his third and fourth offerings.
Weaknesses
He won’t blow anybody away with his fastball if it doesn’t gain any more velocity, and his off-speed stuff, other than his slider, needs a lot of work. At worst, he looks to be a solid bullpen piece. However, some time at the college level might help him develop and could turn him into a future top-ten prospect. It might, therefore, be too risky to draft him high enough to pry him away from Arizona.
MLB Comparison
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