Matt Sauer just looks the part of a pitcher. The ace for Ernest Righetti High School stands at 6’4\u201d 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\nStrengths<\/h3>\n
Weaknesses<\/h3>\n