Which prospects have helped their case at CWS?
Eric Samulski and Jim Callis take a look at which MLB prospects have improved their stock at the College World Series, including Ole Miss pitcher Taylor Rabe and Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko.
Video Transcript
Talking MLB draft with senior writer at MLB.com and MLB Pipeline, Jim Callis.
And Jim, we're smack in the middle of the College World Series right now, and I know you're out there.
Are there any potential early round picks who have helped their stock the most during the College World Series?
there, there are.
I think the two guys who jump to mind the most are pitchers, both SEC pitchers, which I guess isn't surprising since five of the t- eight teams out here are SEC teams.
But Taylor Rabe from Mississippi has really been on a run for a while, dominated against a really good Texas A&M lineup at the end of the regular season.
He's pitched great in the postseason.
He faced North Carolina in the first round, 5 2/3 innings, only gave up one run, was up to 99, mid 90s fastball.
The cutter was effective.
The changeup was pretty good, too.
That's a really deep disciplined lineup.
The interesting thing is he's one of the best control pitchers in college baseball as well as one of the hardest throwers, and he walked four, which was a season high, but still kinda was able to work through the lineup two or three times, still ranks fourth in NCAA Division I with 7-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
And it's interesting, Mississippi used him and not projected first round pick Cade Townsend as their number one starter.
And I do think Taylor Rabe is pushing his way, if it's not quite into the end of the first round, I think he probably goes in the top 40 or 50 picks.
And then another SEC pitcher, Joey Vultico from Georgia.
Going back to high school, pe- people loved his arm.
He's never really been able to harness his big time stuff.
He's had two years at Stanford where he was kinda up and down, and even this year at Georgia, he had more success, but the strikes were sporadic a- and, and he was not consistent.
Well, he came out and pitched the game of his life against Texas in the opener, 9 innings, 15 strikeouts, 1 walk.
He was commanding his fastball in the mid 90s.
He was commanding an unhittable slider that was in the mid to upper 80s.
And I do think he's one of those types of guys where a team that feels good about its ability to develop pitching feels like they can make him more consistent, they can help him harness that stuff.
And again, I don't think one outing like that alone is gonna put him in the first round, but now I feel like he's pretty safely inside the top 40 or 50 picks.
And even if it's not an improvement like those two arms, has there been a hitter that has improved their draft stock while in Omaha?
Yeah, there, there's a guy named Owen Hull at North Carolina who's a center fielder.
He's a transfer from George Mason.
He's 6'4", 215.
He's probably one of the best combinations of physicality and athleticism in the college class.
He's got, like, a unorthodox swing that scouts don't love, and they didn't think it really allowed him to hit for power.
Well, he's made some adjustments.
He's gotten better.
He's hitting for more power.
In fact, he hit the home run that Rabe gave up, the only run that they, they scored off while R- Rabe, while he was in the game.
And he's getting better in center field as well, and I think now teams are feeling better and better that l- look, we can help smooth out the swing a little bit more.
We can get to more power.
His well above average speed is gonna play in center field, and I think he's set him- himself up as probably a solid second round pick now.
