With East Paulding pitcher Zack Wheeler and Cartersville outfielder Donavan Tate, Georgia has two of the nation's top high school prospects in the major-league baseball draft, which begins at 6 p.m. today.
Both Wheeler and Tate are projected to be top-10 selections, with the Braves positioned at No. 7 overall to have a shot at one of the homegrown talents.
Tate is one of the most accomplished players in state history, having led Cartersville High to back-to-back Class AAA championships. He is the son of former Georgia and NFL tailback Lars Tate, and has signed a football scholarship with North Carolina.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Wheeler, whose pitches have been clocked as high as 98 mph, kept a lower profile while leading East Paulding to the Class AAAAA semifinals. But the scouts are well aware of the lanky right-hander, with 41 showing up to observe one of his outings.
Here are five things to know about Wheeler:
Family tradition: Older brother Adam Wheeler was selected by the New York Yankees in the 13th round of the 2001 draft and pitched four years in the minors. "My brother taught me everything he knew about mechanics," Zack said. "I've always had a strong arm. But when everything starts to flow together with the proper technique, you start picking up [velocity]."
Deceptive motion: Wheeler keeps hitters off-balance with his curve, but his money pitch is his fastball. "He has the most potential out of any pitcher in the state that I've seen," South Forsyth infielder Zach Alvord said. "He never looks like he's trying to put everything into his pitches, then they go by you at 91-92 mph."
Record breaker: Zack set the East Paulding record for strikeouts in a season, with 149 in 76 innings pitched this year. He posted a 9-0 record with a 0.54 earned run average as a senior, including the first no-hitter of his career against Mill Creek in the second round of the playoffs.
All-around athlete: When Wheeler began blasting homers in practice, East Paulding coach Tony Boyd decided to use him occasionally as a designated hitter. Wheeler finished with a .280 average with one homer. It was a testament to his athleticism. "Not too bad for someone who hadn't hit live pitching for over three years," Boyd said.
Dream teams: Wheeler, who signed with Kennesaw State, said he has generated the most interest from Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Francisco and Atlanta - the teams that pick Nos. 4-7 overall in the first round. Within the past week, Wheeler flew to Baltimore for a private workout session and had a greet-and-meet with Braves officials. "I could go earlier or later, you never really know," Wheeler said. "I really don't have a favorite team ... but yes, it would be nice to go to the Braves, since they have everything around here."
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