Brock Porter
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| MiLB.com |
Bio:
Age: 19
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 208 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Hometown: Milford, Michigan
Draft Profile: 4th round, 109th pick of the 2022 draft by the Texas Rangers
Drafted Out of: Orchard Lake St. Mary's Preparatory High School (Bloomfield, MI)
Career Stat Line: 16.0 IP 0-0 W/L 1.69 ERA 23:12 K:BB .113 AVG. 1.13 WHIP
We're going up north for this week's Minor League Spotlight, a personal favorite prospect of mine: right handed pitcher Brock Porter. The kid from Michigan has led a very accomplished career thus far, despite being under the age of 20 for another month.
Porter burst onto the prep ball scene as a ninth grader at St. Mary's Prep, going 9-2 with a 1.20 ERA for the Eaglets on their way to a state championship (Wikipedia). With a long, projectable frame and three plus pitches, it was clear to any and all watching that this was a special kind of freshman talent.
At the end of his inaugural high school campaign, the righty officially made his commitment to the University of Clemson, forgoing other appealing offers from the likes of Tennessee or Duke. With a scholarship in hand and three more prep seasons to progress, there was a ton of optimism surrounding the hurler.
Unfortunately, like everyone else in the world, that momentum was quelled a bit by the global pandemic. Brock stayed committed to the grind through the adversity however, a noticeable development by the time he was back on the diamond. As a junior, his stats improved to a monstrous 12-0 record with a 0.67 ERA and 7.4 strikeouts per walk (MaxPreps). He also slashed a solid .344/3/15 line at the plate, showing his versatility at a high level.
As good as his 11th grade year was, Porter's senior season was one to really remember. He went 9-0 in ten starts, boasting an obscene 0.36 ERA while allowing just nine hits all season. In the process, he twirled three no hitters, struck out just under two batters per inning and regularly sat in the mid-upper 90's while his team went on to a 44-0 record and their first ever state championship (The Detroit News). Video game numbers in the highest level of high school competition Michigan had to offer.
Predictably, the righty ascended to the #1 prospect in the state. Like many MLB teams, Gatorade took notice of the otherworldly talent on the bump in Bloomfield and named Porter their Player of the Year. To say the award was earned would be doing the feat a disservice. “Brock is by far the most dominant pitcher that I have seen in the 20 years I have been a coach. On a team full of future Division I collegiate players along with multiple prospective MLB draft picks, he was by far the most elite performer. This season, he featured a fastball that was consistently in the upper 90s, hitting 100 miles per hour at one point during our district championship game, along with secondary pitches that made him virtually unhittable," said Steve Lepkowski, head baseball coach at Detroit Country Day. "We had one of the finest offensive teams I’ve coached this year and he one-hit us. He’s more than worthy to be selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year for Michigan and would represent the state in a great way.” (Gatorade Player of the Year)
High praise to be sure! And rightfully so, as the prep baller began climbing up MLB team boards as the draft approached. The 19-year old was projected as a top ten talent, but concerns about what type of signing bonus would be required to have him break his Clemson commitment lingered. After a fairly surprising tumble all the way into the fourth round, the Texas Rangers decided Porter was their man and made him the 109th selection of the 2022 draft. They offered up a whopping $3.7 million dollar signing bonus to the electric prospect-- over 6x the slot value of the pick and the most ever for a player beyond the second round (Detroit Free Press)-- and the working relationship was official.
Porter did not participate in any of the remaining Arizona Complex games of the 2022 season, finally arriving onto the minor league scene this most recent spring. His first assignment was to the Low-A Down East Wood Ducks, where he's started five games for the Carolina League squad.
The production has lived up to the hype thus far though, with a decision-less 1.69 ERA over sixteen innings of work in those five appearances. While walk numbers are a touch higher than preferred, he's allowed just three hits and is striking out 1.4 batters per inning (MiLB.com). His stuff has translated from the high school mounds of Michigan down to the minor league fields of the East coast, as he continues making life miserable for opposing batters. Don't forget the name, this kid has top tier potential to be a star in the majors, with the journey there already shaping up to be a fun one.
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@Choppinglines
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