MLB Draft again could claim top prep pitching prospects from Arizona Wildcats’ signing class

Arizona faces multiple challenges on that front when this year’s MLB Draft begins Sunday. At least two big-time prep prospects who inked national letters of intent with the Wildcats in November could be selected in the draft and go pro before they ever don their UA uniforms.

Left-hander Mason Russell of Queen Creek Casteel entered this week as a top-100 prospect — No. 92 overall per Baseball America and No. 96 per MLB.com. Right-hander Smith Bailey of Glendale Mountain Ridge was ranked 287th by BA, potentially placing him inside the top 10 rounds. High school pitchers picked that high almost always turn pro.

“Both guys are ... going to pitch in the big leagues,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “We’re just hoping they give us the three years to develop them further. Whatever their draft (ranking) is this year, hopefully we can make it even better in three years.”

That argument can be effective in some cases. Outfielder Brendan Summerhill, for example, turned down a lucrative signing bonus to attend Arizona. He had a breakout sophomore season, is thriving in the Cape Code League this summer and should be drafted higher next year than he would have been had he gone pro in 2022.

“Coming to Arizona and developing there — with probably better facilities and lifestyle than A-ball — was a no-brainer,” said Michael Summerhill, Brendan’s father.

“And from his family’s perspective, there was no way he was emotionally mature enough for professional baseball at 18. It’s a many years’ grind in the minors (as opposed to) going to college and learning to be on your own, develop as an individual who has to cook and do laundry and handle responsibilities in an environment where the coaches know they aren’t dealing with professionals yet.”

It went the other way with Nogales shortstop Demetrio Crisantes, a UA signee whom the Diamondbacks picked in the seventh round of the ’22 draft. Crisantes signed for $425,000 — nearly $200,000 above the slot value for the 198th selection that year.

Arizona’s top-ranked signee last year, right-hander Blake Wolters, got an offer from the Kansas City Royals that he couldn’t refuse. Wolters received a $2.8 million signing bonus from K.C., $850,000 above slot for the 44th overall pick.

Russell, who led Casteel to the 5A state championship, was named a second-team All-American by MaxPreps. As a senior, he went 7-0 with a 2.02 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 59 innings.

“Russell is one of the top prospects in the Four Corners region of the country for the 2024 class and combines a solid pitching frame, clean delivery and impressive feel to spin the baseball into one appealing projection starter package,” BA draft analyst Carlos Collazo wrote. “He’s an Arizona commit who could benefit by adding more polish and track record in college but is viewed by many as a top-five-rounds talent.”

Outfielder Tyler Russell, Mason’s twin brother, also is committed to Arizona, part of a prep signing class that Perfect Game currently ranks 29th in the country.

After going 10-1 as a junior, Bailey posted a 3-2 record this past season with a 1.20 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 41 innings. He was one of 10 players BA spotlighted as a standout at last month’s MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix. UA left-hander Jackson Kent, the 137th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft, also participated in that event.

“Bailey had the most dominant single inning of any pitcher in the high school showcase game Tuesday afternoon (June 18),” Collazo wrote. “He struck out the side and generated nine whiffs while showing swing-and-miss traits with three different pitches.”

As much as he would like every UA signee to play for the Wildcats, Hale understands that that isn’t realistic, even in the NIL era.

“You can never begrudge, and I never would, somebody who signs because the team matches (their) number,” Hale said. “That’s different for every player.”

Veteran pitcher possibilities

Kent is projected to be picked early on Day Two, possibly as high as the third round. The 6-foot-3 lefty spent most of his redshirt sophomore season as Arizona’s Friday night starter, going 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 86 innings.

“He has always shown solid control, pitchability and competitiveness on the mound,” BA’s Collazo wrote, “and has the sort of pitch mix to profile as a back-end starter.”

Hale is hopeful that the Wildcats’ other weekend starters, right-handers Clark Candiotti and Cam Walty, also will draw draft interest. Candiotti was among BA’s top 100 “senior sign” draft targets. MLB clubs often look to draft college seniors in Rounds 5-10 who have run out of eligibility and are willing to sign “under-slot” deals.

UA right-handed reliever Dawson Netz also made that list. He’s been pitching for the Frederick (Md.) Keys of the MLB Draft League this summer. Netz entered this week with a 0.89 WHIP and a 25-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15⅔ innings.

Another reliever whose stock is rising is junior Anthony “Tonko” Susac. A former top-150 recruit who struggled with injuries and inconsistency his first two-plus seasons, Susac blossomed as Arizona’s closer over the final two months of the season.

Pitching for the Cape Cod League’s Wareham Gatemen this summer, Susac entered this week with a pair of saves, a 1.74 ERA and an 18-4 K-BB ratio in 10⅓ innings.

“The guy who may have made the biggest strides for himself from midseason on was Tonko,” Hale said. “So we’ll see where that goes.”

Inside pitch

Infielder Garen Caulfield had a career year, batting .310 with a .391 on-base percentage and a team-high 19 doubles. If he goes undrafted, he could return to Arizona for a sixth college season (two in junior college, four at UA). “I’ve had kind of a crazy college career,” Caulfield said after the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on June 1. “If I did come back for another year, that’d be awesome. I love it here.”

Senior outfielder Emilio Corona did not have the season he was hoping for, but Hale believes MLB clubs will give him a look — at the very least as an undrafted free agent — because Corona possesses power and speed. He hit 11 home runs in 152 at-bats as a junior and had a team-high 15 stolen bases as a senior.

Infielder Mathis Meurant is another UA signee to monitor during the three-day draft, which concludes on July 16. Meurant, who’s from France, slashed .374/.461/.579 at Cochise College this past season. “I think there’s a lot of interest in him,” Hale said. “He’s a big kid (6-3, 180) who can really pick it at short, switch-hitter.”

Arizona has had a player come off the board no later than the second round in five consecutive drafts. The UA has had three second-round picks (Cameron Cannon, Nick Quintana, Ryan Holgate) and three first-rounders (Austin Wells, Daniel Susac, Chase Davis) over that span.