PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from April 14.
A York County high school senior may hear his name called in the first round of July's Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.
Benny Montgomery, 18, was a star outfielder for Red Land High School and has been ranked as high as the 21st overall prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Not only is Montgomery ranked as one of the top prospects in the upcoming draft, scouts graded his fielding and speed tools to be the best of any player in the class.
Now, MLB.com has released its latest 2021 MLB Mock Draft, and Montgomery is projected to go with the thirteenth pick to the Philadelphia Phillies.
MLB's Jonathan Mayo writes about Montgomery to the Phillies:
A lot of teams love Montgomery's tools, though some have questions about his swing, but he has as much chance as any hitter in this Draft to be a five-tool type at the highest level.
Earlier this year, Montgomery revealed the Phillies were his favorite team growing up.
We asked him if it would be a disappointment to land with another team in the draft.
"Absolutely not," Montgomery responded.
"Any team that takes me and believes I can be a huge part of their franchise, I would love to go to. Any fanbase that accepts me, any team that accepts me, that's where I want to be.
If that's the Phillies, that's awesome. I've been a Phillies guy all my life. Chase Utley is my favorite player, I named my little brother after him, and I wear #26.
So, of course, that would be a dream come true.
But, any team that says, '"Here you go, you can be a professional baseball player,'" it doesn't matter who they are, I will love that.
At the end of the day, that's all that matters," Montgomery explained.
The scouting report on MLB.com offers further insight on how the industry views Montgomery:
Montgomery does a lot of things really well on the baseball field. All summer long, he showed off his close to top-of-the-scale speed (some scouts have 80 run times for him) and his tremendous raw power that helped him win the Perfect Game All-American Classic Home Run Derby. The main concern with the Virginia recruit had been with his ability to get to that power, with a bit of a rigid swing and flat bat path.
Though he lacks fluidity in his swing, the 6-foot-4 right-handed hitter did a very good job of making contact against good competition on the summer showcase circuit. A premium, fast-twitch athlete, Montgomery is a plus defender with an outstanding work ethic. He reminds some of Jayson Werth from his amateur days and will go to the team that believes the bat will play at the next level.
Despite some of the perceived flaws in his game, Montgomery appears to be a lock to go in the Top 20 of this July's draft.