A glance at the college baseball schedule in the northeast had one mid-week game really pop. It turns out, FSS Plus wasn’t alone in thinking that way.
Two potential first-round picks in the upcoming MLB Draft drew nearly 20 MLB scouts to Friedman Diamond on Wednesday afternoon, where Northeastern University was set to host Kansas State. The neatly tucked-away ballpark in Brookline, Mass. features an elevated seating area that can make video difficult, but we still got a good look at the Huskies prospects, including two of FSS Plus analyst Joe Doyle’s Top 400 in his just-released list for that 2024 MLB Draft.
Mike Sirota, OF — Northeastern University (No. 39, FSS Plus 2024 MLB Draft prospects)
The higher up the board you go, the less wiggle room there seems to be on scouting reports. Players at Sirota’s level — Doyle has him going at No. 33 in his most recent mock draft — have been seen a ton, and there’s mostly a consensus by this point in the process.
As such, Doyle writes: “Sirota is a super-impressive all-around athlete with the ability to impact the game in a number of areas. The approach at the plate is second-to-none, producing elite-level chase rates. Few scouts can poke holes in his swing; a short, quiet, compact, explosive cut that stays through the zone for an extended period. He handles velocity better than almost all of his peers and projects to hit for average and a high on-base as a professional. Scouts would like to see his ability to handle spin a bit better as the draft approaches, but his struggles aren’t to the level of red-flag worthy; it’s just not a strength at this stage. There’s above average raw power here too. Sirota could flirt with 20-homer seasons if his development stays linear.”
Our look at Sirota on Wednesday probably didn’t show him at his best, as some of those concerns on handling spin were realized when he struck out on a Tyson Neighbors slider in a prospect-on-prospect matchup late in the game. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 188 pounds, the athleticism is also certainly on display as well, although he did get a few tough reads on balls hit to center field before ultimately making the plays without issue. He worked from the middle of the field to his pull side in his approach, and connected for a double.
There are concerns about his production having slid a bit after an all-world sophomore year, and that would have been a high bar for anyone, but it’s also seeing him be somewhat of an arrow slightly down guy in a lot of these rankings and mock drafts. Once a surefire first-rounder, it’s certainly possible to see him knocked out of that status — or at least down to the comp round — by the so-called “helium” guys or players who have maintained/improved their production. Versatility is a plus here as he could handle all three spots with ease, and first base wouldn’t be out of the question if needed to keep the bat in the lineup, although that would likely be a waste of that athleticism.
Dennis Colleran, RHP — Northeastern University (No. 314, FSS Plus 2024 MLB Draft prospects)
It wouldn’t be surprising at the end of the day if a lot of folks were light in their assessments of Colleran. He feels like a bit of a hidden gem ranked at No. 314 at the moment, and was pretty consistent at 96-97 on the gun on Wednesday from a big, but not bulky 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame.
It’s a power righty frame with the stuff to match, but there’s more to it than just that, as Doyle writes: “The breaking ball, a low-80s bender, has sharpened up this past winter and now projects a potential above average weapon, or so it’s flashed that promise of late. Colleran possessed a fantastic changeup in high school, and while it’s been streaky at the college level, the pedigree for the pitch remains. He’s a riser for the 2024 class, and has a chance to join his fellow Northeastern teammate Mike Sirota as a potential Top 100 pick this summer.”
There is indeed plenty of upside here, and Colleran wouldn’t be out of place towards the back end of the first five rounds as a reliever who could potentially move quickly through a system and potentially make a big-league impact down the road.
Luke Beckstein, INF — Northeastern University
Beckstein is a disturber, and I say that as a compliment. Kid I’d hate to play against and would be annoyed to face, but would love to have on my team. That he leads the nation by being hit by 25 pitches is certainly not a surprise; he’s very active at the plate with his hands as he gets set in his stance, and often moves up to the front of the box squaring up to bunt in what feels like more of an attempt to distract the pitcher than a genuine attempt to get on base that way.
At 5-foot-7, 175-pounds, he’s obviously rather undersized, but I seem to remember someone with a similar last name, minus the “B,” who made quite a career out of being a smaller grinder. Chances for that to happen here do seem unlikely, but there’s more here than just a pest; Beckstein is an on-base machine with a .366 average and a 28/22 BB:K ratio at the plate, and can hold his own in the middle of the infield. Maybe he gets a look somewhere as an energy guy off the bench as a UDFA, or as a table-setter type in indy ball to work his way towards an opportunity.
Cooper McGrath, RHP — Northeastern University
6-foot-7, 220-pound grad senior righty who came from Trinity who was a little intriguing out of a group of Northeastern arms that mostly weren’t outside of Colleran. Was effective at 92-93 and although there wasn’t necessarily a separator here, could get a look at the next level from someone who thinks they can sneak a little more out of those long levers.
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