Steven Echavarria’s very real MLB draft opportunity
Editor’s note: The Oakland Athletics selected P Steven Echavarria with the No. 72 pick in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft on July 10.
MILLBURN, N.J. (BVM) – Steven Echavarria is the No. 99 prospect in this year’s MLB draft class according to MLB.com and the No. 1 player in New Jersey, pitching out of Millburn High School.
Steven Echavarria 4 scoreless.
Opened 93-96, t97. High spin, downer slider at 79-81.Sitting 90-93 in the 4th but reaches back to grab a 5 and a K to end the inning. pic.twitter.com/HB2YH4QXAm
— Brian Recca (@brian_recca) April 12, 2023
At 6-foot-1, the Garden State ace has a four-pitch repertoire highlighted by his mid-90s fastball. However, it plays harder than that with late life. He also throws a curveball, slider and changeup to give him plenty of options when trying to finish off batters.
He was recruited heavily early on in his high school career and initially committed to the University of Oregon. But getting bombarded by schools all over the country at that young of an age can get a bit hectic.
“It was a little overwhelming,” Echavarria said. “At the time I chose somewhere I thought was a really cool spot and I loved the coaches. As I got older, I started realizing that I didn’t know if I wanted to go across the country.”
Echavarria reopened his recruitment and ultimately decided on the Florida Gators at the beginning of his senior year.
All in #Committed #gogators🐊 @PBRNewJersey @JBrownPG @WladykaBaseball pic.twitter.com/e4VopTyjUB
— Steven Echavarria (@stevenech2023) November 1, 2022
“It kind of came down to when I visited,” Echavarria said. “I felt like I fit in at the University of Florida.”
He started to realize that he could have a future in baseball when he was initially recruited, but it took another step this past summer when he was being contacted by MLB teams and they started to show up at his games.
“That’s when it all kind of started to hit,” Echavarria said. “I was like, ‘Maybe this is real.’”
While he would be more than thrilled to pursue his collegiate career in Gainesville, he may have a decision to make depending on the results of the MLB draft. But that is the furthest thing from his mind.
2023 RHP Steven Echavarria offers some of the best projectability in the class.
Low-90s FB that was up to 93 with above-average CMD. SL was an out pitch with sharp, horizontal break. Really athletic frame that’s going to continue to get stronger. Also #Uncommitted. pic.twitter.com/xjmJXDCDzD
— Ian Smith (@IanSmittyGA) October 8, 2022
“I’m mainly focused on winning a state championship with Millburn and playing with my boys that I’ve been playing with since I was growing up,” Echavarria said. “I’m just focused on this season and doing well.”
He has winning on his mind for the rest of this season and for his collegiate career if he goes that route at Florida, but at some point, Echavarria wants to win at the highest level.
“The main goal is to make it to the MLB,” Echavarria said. “Hopefully that will happen one day, too.”
