Potential Royals draft target: Wehiwa Aloy

With the MLB draft simply ten weeks and alter away, it’s time to begin evaluating some prospects that the Royals might goal within the first spherical. For a extra holistic have a look at this summer time’s draft, try my primer from a few weeks in the past. At present, we are going to start our extra in-depth protection of particular prospects with a have a look at a premium up-the-middle athlete at an elite SEC program: Arkansas’s Wehiwa Aloy.

Aloy was born and raised Wailuku, Hawai’i. He performed baseball at Henry Perrine Baldwin Excessive Faculty in Wailuku, the place he led the staff to a league title in his senior season and was voted Maui Interscholastic League Participant of the Yr by the league’s coaches. For one cause or one other, he didn’t get a lot consideration throughout the 2022 draft cycle, going unranked on each MLB Pipeline’s prime 250 draft prospects and Baseball America’s prime 500. After graduating highschool, he would head to the mainland to play faculty ball at Sacramento State.

Sac State wasn’t anticipated to be an important staff in 2023, however Aloy generated some buzz — heading into the spring, he was slated to begin at shortstop for the Hornets and D1Baseball picked him because the WAC Freshman of the Yr favourite. He delivered on that after which some. Aloy opened the season with a 13-game hit streak and reached base in every of his first 19 video games of the 12 months. He had a number of weekends in convention play with six-plus hits and completed the 12 months on an 11-game hitting streak. He completed the season batting .376/.427/.662 (152 wRC+) in 261 plate appearances with 15 doubles, 5 triples, and 14 residence runs. As predicted within the preseason, Aloy did certainly win WAC Freshman of the Yr and in addition earned Freshman All-American honors. His efforts didn’t translate to staff success, nonetheless, as Sac State completed the 12 months 30-26 and missed the WAC match.

Following the 2023 season, Aloy entered the switch portal and elected to take his abilities to Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was very spectacular within the fall and was anticipated to play an vital function for the Razorbacks in 2024. In contrast to in his freshman season, nonetheless, Aloy stumbled out of the gate. He struck out 11 instances over the primary two weekends, which included a brutal 0-for-7 in a recreation towards Oklahoma State, with only one extra-base hit. He would go on to point out flashes all through the spring however by no means actually settled in because the offensive power he was anticipated to be. Arkansas reached the NCAA match as a regional host and Aloy hit properly within the first couple video games, going 4-10 with a homer and a double, however he went 0-for-4 with a pair punchouts in a loss that eradicated the Razorbacks. He completed the 12 months hitting .270/.355/.485 (100 wRC+) in 274 plate appearances with 14 homers, incomes Second Group All-SEC honors.

After the Hogs noticed their season finish, Aloy headed northeast to play summer time ball on the Cape Cod League, the nation’s premier wooden bat collegiate summer time league. In what’s common a difficult surroundings for hitters, Aloy shined. Regardless of getting simply 88 plate appearances (half as many because the league’s chief) he completed tied for third on the circuit with eight homers and slashed .309/.352/.642.

Coming off a powerful summer time, and with a 12 months of SEC baseball below his belt, Aloy was poised for a giant spring in 2025. He put the game on discover early with a 6-for-11 weekend that included two homers at Globe Life Discipline within the second weekend of the season. He ended non-conference play with a streak of 5 multi-hit video games, a feat that he has since completed two extra instances in convention play. Aloy has been on a heater in April, recording ten multi-hit video games and swatting seven homers, together with a stretch of 4 consecutive video games with a homer. On the time of writing, he’s batting .370/.453/.724 (165 wRC+) in 223 plate appearances. His 17 residence runs are tied for sixth nationally. This isn’t simply him fattening up on non-conference opponents both as he has hit .337/.415/.685 in SEC play, with the second-most homers within the league at 9.

There’s nonetheless loads of motion in draft prospect rankings at this level of the season, and Aloy’s draft grade has some vary to it:

MLB Pipeline: 24

Baseball America ($): 25

Keith Legislation ($): 19

Kiley McDaniel ($): 10

Aloy has a powerful body that stands at 6’2”, 200 lbs. He stands upright with a large base within the field, closing off his stance barely along with his left heel off the bottom. His arms are up by his head with the bat almost parallel to the bottom, scarcely shifting as he awaits the pitch. He hundreds with a toe faucet and average stride whereas dropping his arms considerably deep, giving his swing some size. He had a little bit of a hitch in his load in movie I noticed from the Cape final summer time, however he appears to have toned that down this spring. Aloy doesn’t get cheated within the field, taking a vicious lower with apparent plus bat velocity. It’s a bottom-handed swing that’s geared to elevate the ball.

The carrying software right here offensively is energy — Aloy has above-average pop for an up-the-middle participant, with residence run energy to all fields however notably to the pull facet. The hit software is a little more of a query. His strikeout price isn’t fairly in crimson flag territory, hovering a shade over 20% in SEC play over the past two seasons, nevertheless it’s excessive sufficient to throw his contact expertise into query. His plate protection is strong, however his uphill swing can depart him susceptible to excessive fastballs. Given his power and bat velocity, Aloy might in all probability afford to shorten up his swing a bit to make extra contact. The method additionally wants work as he tends to chase breaking balls under the zone. Chase is a much bigger drawback for Aloy than in-zone whiffs, representing his greatest flaw on the plate.

Defensively, Aloy ought to have the ability to stick on the filth, although scouts are divided on if that shall be at shortstop. His arms and actions seem pro-quality and he has at the very least a median arm. Vary is the largest query as Aloy is a median runner at finest and will not have the ability to cowl sufficient floor on the subsequent stage. Given his expertise and total athleticism, I’m bullish on his means to remain on the place, however he must be loads succesful at second or third base as properly if shortstop doesn’t work out.

If Aloy continues hitting the way in which that he has this spring, he seemingly gained’t be obtainable by the point Kansas Metropolis drafts at #23. Shortstops with plus energy and efficiency within the SEC go within the prime ten. The truth that I’m writing him up right here speaks to the questions surrounding the school bats on this draft. These questions in Aloy’s case are primarily plate self-discipline and his means to play shortstop. The upside right here is immense, however loads of gifted gamers have had their professional careers undone by a poor method.