Just over two weeks ago, at the Impact Invitational in Cary, N.C., Wil Myers was one of several North Carolina prep prospects playing under the keen eyes of area scouts, crosscheckers and scouting directors. Baseball America was on hand, shuffling between fields like the rest.
Myers didn’t stand out as much as others on that day, but he didn’t hurt himself either. After the day at the USA Baseball complex, several rain outs and a senior trip, he was back on the field on Tuesday for Wesleyan Christian in High Point, N.C., giving BA a second chance to see him without interruption.
Myers was on his usual merry-go-round, shifting through different positions every couple of innings. He started on the mound against North Stokes High (Danbury, N.C.). Though he sat at 86-87 mph with his fastball and mixed in a low 70s curve, he’s a prospect as a hitter.
At first, the game looked like a "five and fly"—when a team forces the mercy rule into effect—as 10 hitters for Wesleyan strolled to the plate in the first inning, but it eventually went a full seven innings, allowing Myers to get five plate appearances.
In his first trip, Myers swung at the first pitch he saw. The weather had kept him away from live action for almost two weeks so he looked a little anxious, getting out on his front foot. Nonetheless he drove the ball hard to deep center, just missing a home run and settling for a double. His second at-bat featured a couple more pitches, but he stuck with an aggressive approach and quickly took a pitch out over the plate to right field for a opposite-field home run. He crushed another double in his third at-bat and singled hard to left in his fourth at-bat. He saw the most pitches in his fifth and final at-bat when drew a five-pitch walk.
After a couple of innings on the mound, Myers moved to third base where he showed good actions despite mishandling one slow roller. He made up for it by backhanding a ball behind the bag and throwing across the diamond to get the assist.
The 4-for-4 performance with two doubles and a bomb were better than his 1-for-3 at the Impact event, but from a tools standpoint he was no different.
"He was the same guy," one scout said. "He had the same swing. Arm strength was the same."
Considering the first contest was against Rocky Mount (N.C.) High, the top 3-A school in the state, the competition was slightly lower in Tuesday’s game. Even so, Myers showed athleticism and versatility. While he bounces between third, first, shortstop, catcher and the mound, he profiles best at third or behind the plate. He has long, lean legs with an athletic frame. Ideally a team would like to try him behind the plate, but if that didn’t pan out he would be well-suited at the hot corner. He has quick hands and strong forearms that generate his good raw power. Myers has shown the ability to drive the ball from right-center to the left field, but may want to try to go to right field a little more. He has good leverage in his swing and natural ability.
The jury is still out on if he’ll go as a catcher or third baseman, but his athleticism and more reps could convince a team to lure him away from his South Carolina commitment in the first three rounds.
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