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Georgia Tech Baseball: Kyle McCann considered top-100 MLB Draft prospect

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 29: A detailed view of the Wilson glove of Martin Prado #14 of the Miami Marlins before Opening Day between the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park on March 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 29: A detailed view of the Wilson glove of Martin Prado #14 of the Miami Marlins before Opening Day between the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park on March 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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For the second straight season, Georgia Tech baseball may lose their star catcher to the MLB Draft.

Last season, Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart went second overall to the San Francisco Giants. Bart was the Jackets highest draft pick ever, surpassing Kevin Brown who went fourth overall in the 1986 MLB Draft.

Bart immediately proved that he was worthy of the second overall pick, hitting .294/.364/.588 through his first 51 professional games including 13 home runs and driving in 39 RBI. Bart got off to a quality start this season, hitting .270 through his first 10 games. However, he fractured his hand on April 16th and was placed on the Injured List and was expected to miss 4-6 weeks, meaning his return should be sooner than later.

As Bart prepares to return from the Injured List, Georgia Tech catcher Kyle McCann is looking to help the Jackets move past their Atlanta Regional this weekend and onto the Super Regionals. But he also will be playing looking to rise his stock for this year’s MLB Draft, starting next Monday, June 3rd.

McCann, a junior catcher for the Jackets is having his best season yet for the Jackets and has flourished as the Jackets starting catcher. McCann this season is hitting .297/.471/.693 through 57 games played and 202 at-bats. He’s recorded 23 home runs and 11 doubles on the season while also seeing a notable increase in his walks and a slightly lower rate of strikeouts. He’s driven in 66 RBI this season heading into the Atlanta Regional.

As a sophomore, McCann showed his potential, hitting .300 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI. It was a huge step up from his freshman season, that saw the backstop hit a measly .198.

With that, McCann is considered a top-100 draft prospect for this year’s MLB Draft, clocking in at No.88 in MLB.com’s 2019, top-200 draft prospects. As his draft profile states, McCann if/when selected this season, won’t be selected because of his potential behind the plate, but more so his raw power. McCann was one of the countries most prolific power hitters this season.

Overall, McCann could go as high as the second round in next week’s MLB Draft but it appears that going between the third and fifth rounds are probably most likely. If McCann is chosen in the first 10 rounds of this year’s MLB Draft, it’s hard to see the junior backstop turning down an offer to return to Georgia Tech.