With the #91 overall pick the Phillies take a high school shortstop in Jamari Baylor out of Benedictine School in Virginia. there are definitely mixed opinions on him with MLBPipeline ranking him #161, Fangraphs ranking him #74, and Baseball America having him in the 300s.
If Stott was safe and solid, then Baylor is risky and high upside. He has all five tools and a chance to stick at shortstop. The big draws are speed and power, though he does have a strong arm as well. Baylor does have very quick hands, but there is some division on the contact and approach abilities. He is still raw in the field and it is likely he is going to take time to develop. The pick overall is definitely a departure from the first few rounds of recent drafts where the Phillies have gone relatively safe and from the college side.
Some of the other snap reactions from other draft analysts
Phillies nab a high-upside prep bat in Jamari Baylor, athletic MIF with loud bat speed and power projection, could stay at SS but some think maybe 2B, some say OF. Power upside is the main draw here.
— Brian Sakowski (@Sakowski_GoDuke) June 4, 2019
Phillies nab a high-upside prep bat in Jamari Baylor, athletic MIF with loud bat speed and power projection, could stay at SS but some think maybe 2B, some say OF. Power upside is the main draw here.
— Brian Sakowski (@Sakowski_GoDuke) June 4, 2019
I think this is an overreach and I don’t buy the high upside thing. Local PA guys like Jack Kochanowicz and Chris Newell has the same if not higher upside that Baylor. This pick reminds of a Luke Williams pick — a I know better than you approach by Johnny A. that turned out to be a wasted pick.