Tyler Whitaker is a six-foot-four 190-pound outfielder from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. During 18 games of his senior year, the right-handed Whitaker batted to a .508/.575/.966 slash line for the GAELS. He also recorded five home runs, 10 doubles, one triple, 32 runs batted in, eight stolen bases, and scored 29 runs. All of those statistics were recorded in only 59 at-bats and 73 plate appearances. Tyler began his senior season playing on the left side of the infield but was later moved to the outfield. If Whitaker decides not to turn pro, he has committed to play baseball for the University of Arizona. MLB.com lists Whitaker as number 37 on its draft board.
Strengths
Tyler Whitaker’s main strength is his hitting ability. He has good power for someone his age and has shown an ability to hit for average. Whitaker’s .508 batting average was good enough to tie him for the team lead in high school. Tyler also tied for the team lead in home runs and led the team in doubles, runs batted in, stolen bases, and runs scored. Whitaker also has a great throwing arm in addition to his hitting ability. MLB.com rates his arm as a 60 out of 80, which is excellent for an athlete exiting high school. Overall, potential teams have a lot to work with when discussing Whitaker’s future. He shows great athleticism in the field and his thin, tall frame should allow his body to develop even more power at the plate.
Weaknesses
Although Tyler Whitaker has great athletic ability, he will likely remain in the outfield. He has a great arm, but playing the outfield lowers his draft value. Most scouts seem to believe that Tyler will most likely play one of the corner positions in the outfield. Whitaker should add weight as his body continues to develop because of his thin frame, which may further hinder his ability to play the infield. To add to this, MLB.com only rates his hitting as a 45 out of 80. This is strange because scouts are raving about this young player’s hitting ability. But, keep in mind that Whitaker has only recently graduated from high school. His hitting has been progressing at a staggering pace, which moved him higher in the draft rankings during his senior year. There is a lot of time in Whitaker’s young career to develop into a devastating hitter that opposing pitchers will fear.
MLB Comp
With some hard work, Tyler Whitaker may have the ability to develop into a right-hand hitting Christian Yelich. Yelich is a six-foot-three 195-pound outfielder who currently plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. Whitaker is an inch taller than Yelich, but they are roughly the same weight. If Whitaker remains in the outfield and continues to develop as a hitter, he could mature into a solid player like Yelich, who won the 2018 National League MVP award with a slash line of .326/.402/.598. During that MVP season, Yelich launched 36 home runs, batted in 110 runs, scored 118 runs, and stole 22 bases. What Whitaker needs to develop into a player like Yelich is the right coaching, mentality, and work ethic – and he needs his ability to have the capacity to allow him to become a player of that caliber.
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