Concordia Lutheran’s Baz likely a high pick but no lock to sign
Shane Baz has one of the most coveted young arms in the country.
Possessing a blistering fastball and versatile offspeed repertoire, the Concordia Lutheran senior is the top prospect out of Texas in this year’s MLB draft class. Just days away from his 18th birthday, Baz is expected to go in the early to middle stages of the first round, which begins Monday at 6 p.m.
But for the 6-3 righthander, a ticket to the big leagues is no guarantee he’ll turn pro. In November, Baz signed with TCU.
It won’t be easy to pry Baz away from his “dream school,” but he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of going straight to the majors quite yet.
“(My decision) is just going to be based on an opportunity I can’t pass up,” Baz said. “I really want to go to TCU, they have an unbelievable baseball program, but there might be some circumstances where I would have to think about it. I just have to wait and see.”
Star material
As a senior, the firstteam all-district pick who also plays third base and outfield, went 6-2, posting a 0.93 ERA with 96 strikeouts and a .431 batting average.
In his final game as a Crusader on May 16, Baz allowed only three hits in a 1-0, TAPPS Division I state semifinal loss to Beaumont Kelly.
“He’s a super athlete,” Concordia Lutheran coach Rick Lynch said. “He’s truly got a chance, barring injury, to be a star in the MLB.”
Baz has impressed scouts with a scorching heater, which the 205-pound ace said consistently hangs around the 93-97 mph range, and even touched 99 at times this year, according to Lynch.
Perhaps even more sought after are Baz’s secondary pitches, which he deals with a proficiency unique for a pitcher his age.
“(Baz) can command three pitches. When he throws the cutter, it can’t get hit,” Lynch said. “He can throw it with so much velocity, not only is he throwing a 89 to 92 milean-hour ball that’s going to run like crazy, that’s an above average high school fastball that he’s throwing with a tremendous amount of movement.”
Baz doesn’t try to model his game off any big leaguers, but he loves watching guys like Zach Greinke, Chris Sale, Lance McCullers Jr. and Noah Syndergaard — with whom, for a time, he shared a flowing blond hairdo.
“I cut it short for high school (this year),” Baz said. “But I’ll be growing it back out sooner or later.”
Two-way player
Baz also enjoys playing the game off the mound. An opportunity to be a two-way player at TCU may play a big role in choosing to head to Fort Worth this fall.
“(Being able to play the field at TCU) is huge because I love to hit and I’m a really competitive guy,” Baz said. “So that was really important not only with picking a school but wanting to go to school. … It boiled down to (TCU’s) development, the coaching staff and the unbelievable education I’m going to get.”
Apart from Concordia Lutheran action, Baz faced off against fellow high school prospects, like anticipated No. 1 overall pick Hunter Greene and MLB. com’s No. 5 draft prospect Royce Lewis, at the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars last summer.
A few months later, in early October, he won a gold medal with the U18 national team. He described the experience as a “dream come true.”
If selected Monday night, Baz would become the seventh Houston-area product drafted in the first round since 2009. The last was former high school teammate Ke’Bryan Hayes, taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 32 overall in 2015.
“This is my hometown, born and raised here, and it’s such a powerhouse for baseball,” Baz said. “Not just producing high school picks, but also some unbelievable college players and countless big leaguers. So yeah, it’s pretty awesome to represent Houston like that.”
The most recent mock drafts by MLB.com, CBS Sports, ESPN and Baseball America have Baz being taken as high as eighth overall by the Philadelphia Phillies and no lower than 15th by his hometown Astros.
“I’m just blocking (all of the hype) out and focusing on myself,” Baz said. “Just focusing on working out and getting stronger every day to be the best player I can be for the future, no matter where it’s at.”