Recognized as the Illinois Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year, Oklahoma commit Ed Howard is considered the best prospect at his position in the 2020 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. The Mt. Carmel High School shortstop is making it difficult for the White Sox to pass on him at pick No. 11 overall.
Set to become the first Illinois prep hitter to go in the first round since Jayson Werth in 1997, Howard’s journey toward joining a Major League organization started when he was young. He never saw himself developing into anything less than a big leaguer.
“It was always my dream,” Howard told 670 the Score. “Since I was, like, seven years old and started playing, I always said I wanted to grow up and play in the big leagues. I never had another dream job. It was always my goal to play baseball.”
Howard has experience as a member of the White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) developmental program, an organization that provides resources to inner city youth ages 12-through-17 to continue their baseball careers. Prior to his experience in the ACE program, Howard grew up around the game. A lot of his abilities blossomed thanks to former Major Leaguer and Illinois product Lou Collier, as Caravan head coach Brian Hurry explained to FutureSox.
“A lot of the credit has to go to Lou Collier,” Hurry said of Howard’s development. “Ed’s first travel team was the Lou Collier Stars. Lou taught Ed since he was around five, six years old and instilled the fundamentals into him. After Lou, he moved on to play for the White Sox in the ACE program.”
Turning 13-years-old during the 2014 Little League World Series, Howard was the shortstop for the tournament runner-up, Jackie Robinson West. The experience solidified his belief that he could play the position at a high level while also handling the spotlight.
“I always had success defensively playing shortstop. I think it started back in 2014 in the Little League World Series,” Howard told Mully and Haugh of Chicago’s AM 670. “Going out there in a national scene and playing shortstop, I feel like I handled that pretty well and, at that age, it just showed me I could play shortstop at a high level. I could play shortstop in front of whoever’s watching. Ever since then I always felt like I could stay at short.”
The process culminated at Mt. Carmel of the Chicago Catholic League Blue, which is largely considered among the most competitive conferences in the country. Even as a freshman, Howard played up to expectations. Coach Hurry explained to FutureSox that Howard was slated to be the sophomore shortstop his freshman year, but quickly became the program’s varsity starter.
“He was never intimidated,” Hurry said. “The stage is never too big for him.”
SCOUTING REPORT
NAME: Ed Howard
SCHOOL: Mount Carmel High School (IL)
POSITION: SS
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’2” 185 lbs
B/T: R/R
D.O.B.: August 6, 2001
Stripped of an opportunity to improve his draft stock in 2020 due to COVID-19, Ed Howard is still projected as a first round pick despite the cancellation of his senior season. Should the White Sox decide on the local prep product, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis explained to NBC Sports Chicago’s Chuck Garfien that he is worth it.
“He’d be a legitimate pick at 11. He’s the best true shortstop in this draft,” Callis said. “The draft’s not deep in shortstops, so supply and demand should push him up a little bit. Ed’s more of that kind of solid guy across the board. I don’t think he’s going to be a weak hitter or anything, but he’s more of that .270 (average)/15 home run guy [who plays] a good shortstop.”
Callis goes into more detail about Howard’s value below:
Parts of Howard’s game that raise questions are his hit and power tools. Described to have a “simple right-handed swing and calm approach” with “impressive bat speed,” there is reason to believe he can continue to make repeatable solid contact as a professional like he’s done throughout his high school career.
At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, there is room for him to grow, which presents the opportunity for power to follow suit. According to Hurry, Howard worked hard to put on size for his senior season, but could not show it off to evaluators in 2020.
“He added about 15 pounds of muscle in the summer leading into his senior year,” Hurry told FutureSox. “In the limited amount of batting practice across the first couple weeks of the spring, the ball was exploding off his bat unlike I’ve ever seen. It got to the point where practice would stop and players just watched.”
For example on April 30, 2020:
According to Hurry, Howard’s approach is to all fields and he’s willing to get up on the plate with two strikes, take something off his swing and drive the ball the other way.
Howard stands out as an elite defender who will “resoundingly” stick at shortstop, as 2080 Baseball’s Burke Granger explained to FutureSox. His plus arm strength allows him to make every throw, while his athleticism often translates to game-changing defensive plays.
“His glove is without a doubt the strongest part of his game, along with his competitiveness and mental maturity,” Hurry shared.
Mental makeup and character play a part in an organization’s decision to draft a prospect. White Sox director of amateur scouting, Mike Shirley, echoed those sentiments in a conference call last week.
“Before selection is where we put the makeup into this,” Shirley said. “We are looking for the talent. The makeup is a huge piece of it, but it doesn’t always change the presentation of the player on the board. If player ‘A’ has equivalent talent to player ‘B’ with a better makeup, you’re always going to lean towards player ‘A.’”
Howard does not fall into the category of a player with questionable character.
“I know he’s going to be a good teammate, a good clubhouse guy,” Hurry said. “All the intangibles that don’t show up on a stopwatch or these different ways of measuring guys these days — he has a personal side to him that will go a long way with whatever team that gets him.”
With an extensive history scouting Ed Howard, the White Sox understand the type of talent he brings to the table on top of his mentally sound approach to becoming a Major League prospect.
Shirley stated:
Eddy Howard has been tremendous. We feel like we have a great relationship with that kid and he’s been nothing but a tremendous citizen; someone Chicago should be very proud of. He set himself apart last summer, last fall. We’ve been scouting that guy for a while now, so I think what he’s done for himself personally is only going to make himself valuable regardless if you had a chance to see him or not. He’s a player we continue to talk about. We like Ed Howard.
Mike Shirley
Great video that highlights his plate approach – via Prospects Live
Swings and fielding examples – via Baseball America
More fielding examples – via James Weisser
SCOUTING GRADES
*These scouting grades are from MLB Pipeline. Howard’s grades may fluctuate across other publications.*
HIT: 50
POWER: 50
RUN: 55
ARM: 60
FIELD: 60
OVERALL: 55
MOCK DRAFT OUTCOMES
Howard has a scholarship to play baseball at Oklahoma next year, but he’s unlikely to set foot on campus in Norman this fall. Final mock drafts will be released this week from all the main prospect publications and some clarity could finally take shape for the top prep shortstop in the 2020 class.
In Keith Law’s 3rd mock draft at The Athletic, he projected Howard to the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 18th overall pick and his sources speculated that the teenage infielder “wouldn’t make it out of the teens.” On the other end of the spectrum, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN sent Howard to the Tampa Bay Rays with the 37th pick in the competitive balance round. Carlos Collazo of Baseball America linked him to the Oakland Athletics at No. 26 overall.
Over at MLB Pipeline, Jonathan Mayo’s latest mock draft covers the first 29 picks and he left the former Caravan shortstop out of the grouping entirely. Jim Callis will release his final mock draft on Tuesday. He sent Howard to the New York Yankees with the 28th overall pick in his latest attempt.
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs thinks it’s ridiculous that Ed Howard could fall due to not being able to play games against high school players in the colder midwest this spring. In Longenhagen’s only mock draft to this point, Howard goes to the San Francisco Giants with the 13th overall pick.
POTENTIAL FIT WITH THE WHITE SOX
Mike Shirley would make an emphatic impression should he decide on the local prep product. In a draft minimized to five rounds, there is added emphasis on getting the picks right – especially No. 11 overall.
Selecting Howard that high would be considered risky due to his lack of a senior season and a limited amount of in-person scouting opportunities. Plus, to no fault of his own, organizations across the top-15 may opt for a college prospect with more data attached who projects to have a faster track to the big leagues.
The first 10 picks can go a myriad of ways. Should a prospect like Louisville left-handed starter Reid Detmers fall, the White Sox may believe he is too good to pass on. However, there is an interesting alternative in play.
Howard could accept an under-slot bonus if Shirley chooses him at 11. Subsequently, the move would free up the team’s pool amount across the remaining four rounds, which would allow them to invest more in a player they are targeting in an effort to convince him to sign.
Ed Howard is more than worth it, in my opinion. I’m sold on his character and I believe the skills are there to be a Major League regular for years once he’s ready. The White Sox are operating a farm system with reasonable depth and a big-league club that has almost every position accounted for across the foreseeable future.
Now is an ideal opportunity for the Sox to allow the local kid to develop at his own pace. Whether it’s in Chicago or elsewhere, I’m convinced Howard will be worth the investment.
“I think it’d be a great story if the hometown team drafts me,” Howard said. “I like the White Sox. I think it would be a great story. To be honest, I just want to end up going to a team that really wants me. Whatever team trusts and likes me the most, I feel like that’s the team I want to go to. If the Sox want to take me, of course I’ll love it. I grew up watching the White Sox.”
Photo credit: YouTube still/2080 Baseball
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