UNC Baseball: 2021 Draft Analysis of three former Tar Heels

Three former Tar Heels made the jump from amateur to professional athlete as they were taken in the 2021 MLB Draft. Here is an analysis of the picks, and how these athletes will fit on their new teams.

Austin Love: Round Three, Pick 90 St. Louis Cardinals

Love turned in a breakout season in 2021 when he tossed 102 innings with 129 K’s, second most for a  Tar Heel pitcher in a season since Andrew Miller in 2006. Love also recorded a 3.71 ERA in 17 appearances. He was the first Tar Heel off the board this year, as he was the second pitcher the Cardinals took in the draft to that point. With 21 total picks, St. Louis selected 12 pitchers, including Love. According to MLB top 30 prospects for St. Louis, 10 are pitchers or have pitching eligibility while only one pitching prospect ranks in the top 100.

It will be a test to break through the ranks for the former UNC ace due to the heavy number of pitchers taken by the Cardinals in the recent draft, and the amount of pitching prospects in the minors. Love has the ability and the mentality of an ace, which could push him up as he goes through the minors.

Caleb Roberts: Round Five, Pick 138 Arizona Diamondbacks

Roberts, who provided the middle of the order with a solid bat that hit for power and average, goes to the NL West as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was drafted as one of the four catchers that the D-backs selected in the draft, but he can play the outfield where Arizona selected one outfielder.

Three of the four prospects the D-backs have on the top 100 are outfielders, and out of the top 30 for the team there are 10 total including the aforementioned three. While there is depth already in the organization for outfielders, some have dual eligibility as infielders. While Roberts has the ability to catch or play in the outfield, he can make his way up the ladder due to limited spots at catcher. None of the top 30 D-backs prospects are catchers. But in the 2021 campaign, Roberts started 55 games in right field. Depending on how Arizona utilizes Roberts in the field or behind the plate, his bat will always be a vital tool that could boost him up in the organization.

Justice Thompson: Round Six, Pick 180 Cincinnati Reds

In his one season at UNC, Thompson showed how good he is as a middle-of-the-order bat, and how incredible he can be in the outfield. The Reds drafted four total outfielders, and in the top 30 for the team, only eight prospects are outfielders. One of those eight is Austin Hendrick, the 67th prospect out of the top 100.

Cincinnati recently sent two outfielders to the All-Star Game in Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos, but there is room in the organization for Thompson to ascend. With incredible speed, a solid bat and plus-fielding, it will be no shock if Thompson becomes one of the Reds’ best outfield prospects.

As with everything when assessing talent and college players, nothing is guaranteed when making the jump to pro ball. But it will be worth watching how these former UNC standouts adjust to the level of competition.

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