Vitals
6'2, 190 pounds
18 years old
Bat: L
Throw: L
Location
San Diego, Calif.
Madison High School
Rankings
Baseball America: 17
MLB.com: 18
MLB Draft Insider: 41
Minor League Ball: 18
Perfect Game: ?
Scouting Baseball: 30
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Clarkin is the player who has been mocked most to the Dodgers. Baseball America was first to do so a few weeks ago. Last week, three separate mocks had the Dodgers selecting Clarkin at No. 18. The more I read up on the kid, the more I like him.
He's a little more polished than the other two high school pitchers I've profiled (Hunter Harvey and Phil Bickford). He has a lower ceiling than the two, but that's not to say Clarkin isn't a quality draft prospect.
Clarkin has a fastball that sits in the 88-92 MPH range and has touched the mid-90s. It plays up a bit from the left side. His best secondary offering is his low-to-mid-70s curveball. It's a big bender with a chance to be a plus pitch. His changeup is a high-70s/low-80s pitch with a little bit of potential.
His delivery looks smooth and clean enough to work long-term. What I notice is his arm slot, which is closer to a true over-the-top than the traditional three-quarters/high three-quarters arm slot from many left-handers.
Not many high schoolers have a legitimate three-pitch repertoire, but Clarkin has just that. If he can refine his control and command, he'll be an intriguing prospect.
Clarkin offers a little projectability, but he's already a solid 190 pounds, so I wouldn't expect his fastball to tick up too much more. A consistent low-90s fastball is probably about the best to expect from him going forward.
Video
He's committed to the University of San Diego, a club that's losing Kris Bryant this year to the draft (a Top 3 pick).
Clarkin is No. 6 on my big board right now and could very well be moved up before Thursday. If the Dodgers land him, I won't be upset.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Perfect Game
FKB,
ReplyDeleteMy Top 4 are LH Clarkin, RH Harvey, RH Bickford and SS Anderson. I don't have LH Ball, 1B Smith, SS Crawford, etc ... on my board due to their rankings and expectations of being off the board when the Dodgers pick at #18.
While I would love to add a Bickford, Harvey or Clarkin, my top choice is Anderson. With the lack of quality bats in the draft, the lack of quality depth in the middle infield organizationally and Logan White's ability to find pitching later in the draft, my choice would be the top bat/athlete remaining in SS Tim Anderson (East Mississippi CC).
I have noted the updated rankings for Perfect Game (PG), Baseball America (BA) and Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com).
LH Ian Clarkin ....... PG(28), BA(17), MLB(18)
RH Hunter Harvey ..... PG(21), BA(33), MLB(22)
RH Phil Bickford ..... PG(17), BA(20), MLB(26)
SS Tim Anderson ...... PG(34), BA(26), MLB(25)