Centerfield prospect Petey Halpin is among the best high school hitters in this year’s draft class. St. Francis High in Mountain View, CA’s last draft selection was Braden Bishop in 2012. Halpin is a good bet to be among those selected in the five-round draft next week.
Halpin is a six-feet tall left-handed hitter from California, who weighs 180 pounds. He is currently the 77th-best prospect on MLB.com’s big board. Halpin is committed to the University of Texas if he does not sign with the team that selects him.
Strengths
Halpin has a solid bat for his age. He just turned 18-years-old in May so he would be one of the younger players selected; only first baseman Blaze Jordan is younger according to FanGraphs. Some teams might look at Halpin’s youth and see more room for growth.
Despite his age, Halpin has advanced bat control and has a 50/80 grade on his hit tool. That is great and gives him an edge when it comes to players who might make less contact.
Halpin looks like a plus runner and has a very good arm. These are his best two tools, both graded 60/80. That is a perfect combination for someone who wants to stick at center field. There aren’t many left-hitting, right-throwing 6’0″ outfielders in the modern game but Halpin’s tools are very exciting.
The short high school season may have hurt Halpin’s stock, but he looked good with USA Baseball’s PDP League. He stole six bases for his PDP team without being caught. Additionally, he was an All-Star at the MLB High School game in Cleveland in 2019, as well.
Halpin also interested some people on the mound where he threw up to 92 mph. He isn’t a pitching prospect but that demonstrates just how strong his arm is at this point in his career. There are some very interesting tools in Halpin’s game that could make him a strong draft choice.
Weaknesses
A lack of a full senior season and the dangers of high schoolers are the main negatives against Halpin right now. He demonstrated some power at a showcase at Angels stadium in the fall, but his power rates below-average at this point in his career. High school hitters are also risky compared to college options; their developing bodies simply give them more chances to get hurt or underperform against professional competition.
A few seasons at the University of Texas would give Halpin a chance to develop into a regular power hitter with advanced bat control. Developing more power would also help extend Halpin’s career if a team ever wanted to move him out of centerfield to a corner outfield spot.
MLB Comp
Halpin will get bigger and stronger over time but one possible MLB comp could be Brian Goodwin who played for the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. The 29-year-old hit a respectable .262/.326/.470 with 17 home runs and 29 doubles in 458 plate appearances. He also stole seven bases. Goodwin’s career slash line is .255/.320/.461. Halpin has a higher ceiling than the 2011 first-round selection, but Goodwin would represent a solid floor for someone of Halpin’s abilities.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
