Biloxi’s Colt Keith seems destined for MLB Draft, but COVID-19 may complicate things
Biloxi baseball star Colt Keith says he has learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that “you can’t take anything for granted,” and that outlook may come in handy for what could prove to be an unpredictable MLB Draft.
When it was revealed that this year’s draft would shrink from 40 rounds to five, hundreds of eligible players saw their chances of being selected quickly fade away.
Fortunately for Keith, he appears to be in a better position than most.
With plans to hold the event in Omaha, Nebraska, nixed, the draft will take place June 10-11 in a virtual setting with only 160 draft spots to be handed out.
A total of 1,217 players were selected a year ago.
MLB’s cost-cutting move has allowed uncertainty to creep in for many eligible high school and college players who could have landed anywhere from the fourth to 10th round.
Keith, a infielder/right-handed pitcher, has long been expected to land easily within the first five rounds, but even he admits that there are no guarantees in a much smaller draft.
“In times like this, there’s always doubt in my mind that something could happen,” Keith told the Sun Herald. “People fall in the draft all the time in a normal year. There’s a good chance that people will fall. I’m just hoping it’s not me.”
The decision to cut the MLB Draft was first reported on May 8 along with news that teams will be allowed to sign an unlimited number of undrafted players for $20,000.
A player selected in the sixth-round a year ago received about $270,000.
“Hopefully, it doesn’t affect me. I hope I go in the top-five rounds,” Keith told the Sun Herald. “For a lot of guys that were going as 10-rounders or 20-rounders, that’s a lot of money they’re losing. Now they’re going to sign for $20,000. I know a few guys in that situation. It’s sad that they’re not going to get the opportunity. They have to take another year off or whatever they plan on doing. It’s going to be a big change.”
MLB Pipeline ranks Keith as the 88th-best prospect in its Top 200 players for the MLB Draft. Former Ocean Springs left-hander Garrett Crochet, who has been stellar at Tennessee, checks in at No. 18.
Teams have been a little late this year in giving a top prospect like Keith an indication of where he may land in the draft or how much money they are willing to pay him.
“Right now, it’s just feeling each other out,” Keith said on May 22. “They’re not giving away their hand. Some teams might have me higher than I think I’m going to go. Some teams might have me lower than I think I’m going to go. We’re trying to feel each other out and not give away our hand. From what I’ve heard, it’ll be the top-three or top-four rounds.”
Arizona State offers option for Colt Keith
This past week, there have been talks between teams and Keith about his “signability,” which means teams are gauging to see if he’s ready to sign a contract rather than head off to college.
If something goes awry for Keith, he has a backup plan in place after signing with Arizona State in November.
“I had a good conversation with (ASU coach Tracy Smith) the other day,” he said. “He said, ‘If you’re going to go, make sure you get paid. Don’t get cheated.’ He let me know I’m safe either way. It’s a really good opportunity either way. If I go to Arizona State, I’m going to have a starting spot there and they’re hoping the best for me.”
While Keith has mostly been pegged as a position player, fitting in on the left side of the infield or possibly in the outfield, he is also getting consideration as a pitcher.
In two seasons with Biloxi, he struck out 96 and walked 12 in 49 innings as a relief pitcher.
“You’ve got about 70 percent of teams that want him as a position guy and there’s another 30 percent that are not sold out on him pitching,” Biloxi coach Eddie Lofton said. “In the organizations that are still considering him as a pitcher, about 50 percent of the organization wants him as a pitcher. I think he’s a guy they can use as a pitcher as a one-inning type guy.”
Keith, who bats from the left side and throws from the right, has a fastball that tops out at 94-95 mph along with a nasty slider.
Eyeing the MLB Draft during a pandemic
With the COVID-19 pandemic ending the Biloxi High School baseball season after 11 games, Keith has spent the last couple of months doing everything he can to better himself for the MLB Draft.
He uses weights in his garage and uses resistance bands to keep up his strength.
“It’s just been a lot of working out and eating right — a lot of protein and just trying to put the weight back on,” he said. “Since the season ended, I’ve put on 15 pounds. I was sick before the season started so I was already down 5 or 6. As soon as the season ended, I just started lifting hard and working out and doing everything I can to put on weight.”
At the moment, Keith checks in at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds.
He’s still conducting plenty of interviews with MLB teams, but in-home visits from team officials have given way to Zoom video calls.
In his downtime, he’s gotten a lot better at playing Fortnite and he’s resorted to watching replays of old MLB playoff games.
With the minor-league season likely to be canceled, it’s unclear where Keith may be headed if he is drafted as expected. He may end up being assigned to a spring training facility in Arizona or Florida to work out with other young prospects.
Regardless of where his career takes him, Keith seems likely to return to Biloxi for some quality time after moving to the Coast from Arizona two years ago.
“I’ve lived here for the last two years and actually I’ve loved it,” he said. “I’m really thinking if I get the opportunity to come back here and live for good, maybe when I’m older. I can see myself coming here in the offseason because I’ve got all the resources I need to get better. I can really see myself coming back here.”
