Draft prospects who could sneak into Round 1

May 12th, 2021

We’re in the midst of mock draft season, with our most recent first-round projection dropping last Wednesday and our next scheduled for next week. There’s never enough room to squeeze every potential first-rounder into a mock, so here are five guys we didn’t include last week who very well could go among the first 29 selections on July 11 (listed in order of their rank on our Draft Top 150):

James Wood, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (No. 25)
Wood really jumped on the map over the summer, when he turned what was perceived to be raw tools into performance. For much of the showcase circuit, he was one of the most exciting hitters in the country, showing he could tap into his raw power while posting plus run times. This spring has been a different story, as he’s often scuffled at the plate with swing-and-miss concerns aplenty. He did hit a couple of homers last week, so perhaps he’s righting the ship close to the end of IMG’s season, and he’s the type of player who could perform very well in private workouts.

Will Taylor, OF, Dutch Fork HS (Irmo, S.C.) (No. 26)
Taylor may be the Draft’s best three-sport star. He accounted for 32 touchdowns while quarterbacking Dutch Fork to the South Carolina 5-A title last fall -- earning a football scholarship to play wide receiver at Clemson in the process -- and also has won state wrestling championships in the 152- and 160-pound weight classes. He’s more advanced on the diamond than most multi-sport athletes, with impressive feel for hitting and center-field instincts, and he’s also at least a plus-plus runner with developing strength.

Josh Hartle, LHP, Reagan HS (Pfafftown, N.C.) (No. 28)
Hartle could become the third North Carolina prep left-hander to go in the first round of the past five Drafts, following MacKenzie Gore (Padres, 2017) and Blake Walston (D-backs, 2019). He bounced back from an appendectomy this spring to throw a 14-strikeout perfect game in his second start. The Wake Forest recruit has a projectable 6-foot-5 frame with the potential for three solid or better pitches and command to match.

Anthony Solometo, LHP, Bishop Eustace Prep (Pennsauken Township, N.J.) (No. 55)
Getting comps to Gore and Madison Bumgarner does set a pretty high bar, even if those comparisons are more because of his high leg kick and lower arm slot than his stuff. That said, Solometo’s stuff has been plenty good, as he’s been popping 95 mph regularly with a fastball that he commands very well. The North Carolina recruit has a slider that can be plus and a changeup that should give him three at least above-average pitches with excellent control of all three.

Carson Williams, SS, Torrey Pines HS (La Jolla, Calif.) (No. 150)
We know what you’re thinking. How is a guy currently at the end of our Top 150 being considered in the first round? Suffice it to say, Williams will move up when we expand and re-rank the list. As more decision-makers have gone in to see Williams in SoCal, he has stood out with his bat speed and loft at the plate, with more power to come from his 6-foot-2 frame, to go along with his easily plus arm that fires 95-mph fastballs from the mound and excellent instincts that should allow him to play shortstop for a long time.