The 2021 MLB Draft Has Plenty Of Family Ties | Pitcher Jamison Hill Has That MLB Pedigree

The 2021 MLB Draft Has Plenty Of Family Ties | Pitcher Jamison Hill Has That MLB Pedigree

For the first time in history, the Major League Baseball Draft coincides with the All-Star festivities held at Coors Field. Like the rarity of the events running simultaneously, there is a unique connection between prospect Jamison Hill and his Abuelo, which is adequate for the sport.

Hill is a 6’1 180-pound pitcher for the Fresno State Bulldogs who finished his collegiate career with a 5.23 earned run average who struck out 49 batters, 15 bases on balls, with a 3.27 strikeout walk ratio.

 


He made 12 starts during his senior season and led the team in innings pitched at 72.1, which landed him fourth in the Mountain West. He earned five wins on the season, second-most on the team, and fourth in the Mountain West.

The right-hander pitched a seven-inning complete game shoutout in late April while also striking out at least one hitter in all 12 of his mound appearances while also going over six innings in nine games as he walked one or less in eight starts.

 

 

Those numbers got him a look from the San Diego Padres, a team very knowledgeable of his family.

 

 

In 2017, as a high school senior at Ranch Bernardo in San Diego, California, Hill won eight of 11 games and finished with a 1.62 ERA, where he gave 84 opposing hitters the bitter beer face in 69 innings.

He was an All-American who ranked inside the top 150 players in California with a 2.14 ERA and 29 strikeouts as he received Co-Pitcher of the Year honors. He concluded his high school career with 11 wins, 113 strikeouts, eight complete games while also showing he was handy with the steel by averaging .215 at the plate.

 

 

Why Is Hill So Important?

Hill, born to mother Sonya Hill, is the step-grandson of the Padres great Gary Templeton. Some may know him as the MLB bro involved in the 1981 six-man trade for the most incredible defensive shortstop in the history of the game, Ozzie Smith.

 

 

Templeton was no slouch as he also occupied the shortstop position during his 16 years in the show for the Cardinals, Padres, and New York Mets. He was a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award-winner that collected more than 2,000 hits, 728 RBI, 70 home runs A .271 batting average while also accumulating 200 stolen bases.

 

 

The game, throughout its history, has seen hundreds of brothers make it into the league. Some have made it to the Hall of Fame. There have been numerous father-son combinations, including one at the top of the draft. We have even seen bros play on the same team as Ken Griffey Sr and Jr did in the early 90s.

 

 

There have been a handful of grandfather and grandson amalgamations. With the uniqueness of the situation, let’s hope the apple doesn’t fall too far from the family tree.

 

 

2021 MLB Draft Gems | The Black Shohei Ohtani Is High School Phenom Braden Montgomery

2021 MLB Draft Gems | The Black Shohei Ohtani Is High School Phenom Braden Montgomery

Major League Baseball’s 65th-ranked  prospect Braden Montgomery is attending the MLB Draft combine this week in Cary, North Carolina, with intentions of showcasing his talents in front of scouts and team executives just days ahead of the 2021 MLB draft.

The University of Stanford commit is a 6’2 201-pound switch-hitting positional player and a right-handed pitcher out of Madison Central High School. Reports indicate that the 18-year-old phenom is the only coveted high school player in the draft, but he also classifies as the highest-ranked high school player in Mississippi.

 

 

Montgomery has a smooth feel at the plate, and his bat has a lot of pop to it. As mentioned earlier, the kid has superior contact on both sides of the dish, but he seems more comfortable from the right side. 

Furthermore, Montgomery has poise in the batters’ box with well-grounded balance, control, and exceptional vision as he can spray the ball across all parts of the diamond.

In the field of play, projections indicate that Montgomery will be a top-ten outfielder with a dynamic arm at either corner position. He displayed that laser during an event earlier this year as he recorded numerous 99 miles per hour missiles from the warning track.

 

 

The mound is a different story for the young sensation.

Montgomery has a three-pitch arsenal in his weaponry that continuously pops the catcher’s glove. The kid has a consistent 93 mph fastball that peaks at 96, while his curveball leaves batters weak in the knees and complements his heater, and the movement on his changeup is extraterrestrial 

 

 

These are great signs as he is only 18 years old, so his power and speed will come into effect as he continues to fill out into his man-body.

 

When asked about which position, he prefers better, Montgomery told MLB Central, ” I hear scouts say they want me as both, and I also hear guys say they want me as one or the other as I just want to do both.” 

 

He went on to say, “I picked up pitching more recently, but I’ve always been a hitter. So, there are some days where maybe I’ll turn out a poor pitching performance, but I’ll hit well and feel like I won’t have to pitch anymore or turn out a really good pitching performance, and I don’t hit well at all. So, I enjoy them both.”

 

This decision can bring generational wealth for the Montgomery family, depending upon how he does this week in the Draft Combine

“We are looking for the life-changing opportunity and obviously going to Stanford, that’s pretty high up on the board. But, looking for the draft has always been my dream since elementary school,” the future MLBbro said.” So, whichever opportunity presents itself as a better opportunity, that’s the one I’ll be going for.”

Montgomery seems like a really polished and very enlightened young kid. The salvo of talent and intelligence a student-athlete must portray, especially to have the Stanford Cardinals baseball scholarship in his back pocket, is astonishing.

Whatever decision he and his family land upon will be the right choice as variety is the spice of life. Whichever path he chooses, we at MLBbro.com will be rooting for him.