Coming in at number 72 on our top 100 countdown is Notre Dame junior Matt Vierling.
The 6-foot-3, 205 pounds right-handed pitcher and outfielder is coming off a big season with the Irish that has put him in the national spotlight.
Coming out of high school he was ranked as the best high school player in the state of Missouri by Prep Baseball report, and second by Perfect Game.
Baseball America ranked him as the 163rd best draft prospect in the 2015 MLB Draft, while Perfect Game had him at 229. He was taken in the 30th round of the draft that year by the St. Louis Cardinals.
In the end Vierling went to Notre Dame and started every game as freshman. He hit .258 in 213 at-bats with 26 runs scored, 6 home runs and 29 RBI. The outfielder also walked 20 times, struck out 35 times and stole three bases in five attempts.
On the mound as a freshman he pitched 10 innings and posted an ERA of 3.60 with 12 strikeouts.
That following summer he played in the Northwoods League where he hit a respectable .276 in 116 at-bats with 20 runs scored, 5 doubles, 17 RBI, 19 walks, 14 strikeouts and 2 stolen bases.
As a sophomore he really struggled on the mound posting an 8.74 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched with just 7 strikeouts.
But Vierling broke out as a hitter. In 2017 he hit .330 in 224 at-bats with 28 runs scored, 20 doubles, 4 triples, 7 home runs, 42 RBI, 23 walks, 40 strikeouts and 7 stolen bases.
That performance led to him being named a Third Team All-ACC player.
This past summer he played in the Cape Cod League, but was unable to follow up on his spring success. Vierling hit just .182 in 99 at-bats with 7 runs scored, 4 doubles, 1 home run, 11 RBI, 8 walks and 30 strikeouts.
The strikeout totals against good competition in the Cape Cod League is a bit alarming, but it’s not like he’s facing less superior talent in the ACC.
Vierling has a very simple swing at the plate with a quick load, but not an exaggerated leg kick. The motion in his swing seems very easy.
The only potential hole I see in his swing is that sometimes he creates a loop when he drops his hands, making him vulnerable to off-speed pitches.
Despite his struggles in the Cape, as long as he produces similar numbers in 2018 as he did with Notre Dame in 2017, he’ll be a pretty high draft pick next year.
