Waiakea senior outfielder Kalai Rosario’s baseball season was shortened because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But his status as a prospect for the MLB draft in July remains firmly in place.
The MLB draft will be held in July and could have just five rounds, the Associated Press reported. Usually, the draft is 40 rounds.
“I heard it will be limited to five rounds,” Rosario said. “It’ll be even more competitive this year. For me, nothing has changed. I’m still putting in the work, so that when the time comes, I’ll be ready.”
Still, sentimentality has a way of sticking around, like gum on a shoe. He thinks about what could have been with his Warriors.
“I’m still processing it,” Rosario said. “I’m kind of bummed out that my senior season has been cut short, considering that this would have been our last chance to make a run for the state title. It’s disappointing, and I really miss being on the field with my teammates.”
Kyle Glaser is Baseball America’s national writer and is responsible for ranking Hawaii’s draft prospects, which include Rosario and Waiakea infielder Safea Villaruz-Mauai and Hilo shortstop Maui Ahuna.
Based on discussions with scouts, Glaser projected Rosario to get drafted in rounds 2 to 4, Ahuna in rounds 8-12, and Villaruz-Mauai after the 10th round.
“Rosario will get drafted whether the draft is five or 10 rounds,” Glaser said. “If it’s only five rounds, Ahuna and Mauai are unlikely to be drafted. If it’s 10 rounds, both have better chances.”
BA’s draft rankings are based on conversations with area scouts, crosscheckers, supervisors, and scouting directors.
All three have played in the Area Code Games and are well-known to scouts.
There were scouts at Hilo’s Costales preseason tournament and Maui’s preseason tournament but not a lot of crosscheckers.
“I think it hurts the high school players because they didn’t get seen by a lot of the crosscheckers,” said an MLB scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “With so much uncertainty with the draft, I think more college players will get drafted because they are all on video from Synergy. Every team is doing video scouting.
“All the Division I’s upload every pitch and at-bat to Synergy so there are thousands of hours of video out there.”
The assigned value for the 161st pick or last selection in the fifth round is $321,100.
Signing bonuses for undrafted players is capped at $20,000, so it might make sense to take the college route. Rosario signed with Cal Baptist, Villaruz-Mauai with Hawaii, and Ahuna with Kansas.
It may be harder than ever to not only get drafted but survive in the minor leagues
There are so many ways for player acquisition for MLB clubs with international signings, which take place after the draft. MLB still hasn’t dropped its intent to eliminate 42 minor league teams. The contract between affiliates and MLB expires after the 2020 season.
Every year players are filling rosters in an organization, and much like a pyramid there isn’t a whole lot of room at the top. Players have to be weeded out to create openings.
Glaser believes Rosario, Villaruz-Mauai, and Ahuna are in good shape because they have youth and potential on their side.
“Rosario’s enormous power is his biggest attraction, but they also like that he’s more than just a slugger,” Glaser said. “They see an ability to make adjustments, drive the ball the other way and the foundation to be a good all-around hitter. His defense and athleticism are fine, but it’s the bat they covet. It’s an impact bat with some of the best power in the draft.
“Ahuna, they like his athleticism and ability to play shortstop. He has a lot of strength gains to make, but they like him as kind of a long-term bet, mainly based on his defense.
“Mauai, they like his big left-handed power. There is a lot more questions on how much contact he’ll make against pro pitching, but left-handed power is always attractive and he has it.”
All of the predraft workouts have been postponed and are unlikely to happen.
Meanwhile, Lancer coach Gary Adcock has been making his best pitch to keep his No. 1 recruit.
“Coach Adcock has always been supportive,” Rosario said. “He understands my goal of playing professional baseball. It’s nice to be in contact with them, especially in these times of uncertainty.”
UH coach Mike Trapasso has also been recruiting Villaruz-Mauai, who would join former BIIF players Daylen Calicdan, DallasJ Duarte, Stone Miyao, and Tai Atkins.
Like his Warrior teammate Rosario, Villaruz-Mauai is ready to play ball whenever that is.
“They’ve been staying in touch with me, making sure I’m staying in safe and staying in shape,” he said.
