Lakewood baseball player Bo Bichette, a senior, could be headed to the Major League with the 2016 draft coming in less than a month. A potential first-round draft pick, Bichette is ranked by various websites as a top 10 or 30 high school senior prospect.

The draft starts on June 9 in Seacaucus, N.J. and goes through June 11. If Bichette is to be drafted, he wants to be drafted in the first or second round on June 9.

 

“Anywhere in the first round I’d sign,” Bichette said.

 

Bichette has been playing travel ball year round since his freshman year and playing for Lakewood since his sophomore year.

Lakewood coach Jayce Ganchou met Bichette’s dad, Dante Bichette Sr., a former Major League Baseball player, two years ago. Dante Sr. was throwing balls to his other son, Dante Bichette Jr., who is in the New York minor league system, on the field opposite of where the Spartans practice and play.

 

Ganchou recognized Dante Sr. and started to talk to him. Their conversation lead to Bo - who is home schooled and didn’t play high school baseball his freshman year - joining the Spartans.

 

“We all kind of thought he was going to suck at first. Then he started hitting homers in batting practice. We were kind of amazed and surprised,” teammate Sonny Neuman, a senior, said about Bichette’s first day with the team.

 

Listed at 6 feet, 200 pounds, his primary position shortstop, Bichette has helped the Spartans with his various skills, but his one huge talent is his bat.

 

Bichette has a batting average of .569, with 13 of his near 40 hits this season having gone over the fence for a homerun. In the Spartans most recent game, a class 5A regional quarterfinal game, Bichette hit a homerun, had three walks, and scored four runs, helping the Spartans in a come-from-behind win against Lemon Bay High School.

 

Adding to his offensive skills, opposing teams fear him at the plate, intentionally walking him. Walking him doesn’t do any good, though, as he has almost 20 stolen bases, and has over 40 runs scored in the season.

 

But according to Ganchou, Bichette isn’t just a big bat. He’s not just a five-tool player, with his talent for hitting for batting average and power, stealing bases, and throwing and fielding abilities. He’s also a six-tool player.

 

“The sixth tool is his mental cap, his baseball knowledge. He’s able to slow the game down and that’s key in baseball. It’s hard to control baseball and he can do that. Slowing (the game) down is key (in baseball),” Ganchou said.

 

Fifteen of the 30 teams in the MLB have invited Bichette for a pro workout, including the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays.

 

“I want to go to the Red Sox, but I don’t know if I can, (because) some of the dates are the same,” said Bichette, who’s favorite team is the Red Sox.

 

Though Bichette has received a lot of attention and is a top prospect, he still may not go first round.

 

“He’s going against college juniors and seniors who have a few years of college ball experience. (Shortstop) is a high profile position. His fall back plan is Arizona State,” Ganchou said.

 

If he does not sign with any team in the MLB, Bichette will look to play in a summer league in California and then start his college career with Arizona State in the fall.

 

“He kind of showed me how much it really takes to play at the next level, ” Neuman said. “I don’t know much about (Bichette being drafted), but I’d take him first round. That’s the best I’ve seen ever.”

 

“There’s no science to (it),” Ganchou said on whether or not he thinks Bichette will go first round. “His bat is something they definitely like (though).”