2022 Mets Draft profile: Nick Morabito

Nick Morabito comes from a baseball family. His father, Brian Morabito, played baseball for James Madison University when he attended the school in the late-80s and early-90s and his uncle, John, played baseball at Wake Forest University and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1987, spending a year in their minor league system. Brothers Nick and John instilled in their children a love of baseball.

Nick took to the sport like a fish to water, playing little league in his native McLean and eventually going off to Washington D.C., attending high school at Gonzaga College High School, a private Catholic college-prep school. Morabito was not highly scouted as recently as his junior year but shot up draft boards this spring after having a monster senior year for the Eagles, helping lead them to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and D.C. State Athletic Association titles. Winning Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year honors, he hit .545 with 10 doubles, 6 triples, 12 home runs, 52 stolen bases.

The 5’11”, 185-pound Morabito is built like a football player, solid and thick yet athletic. He stands square at the plate with a wide base, low hands, and a high back elbow. His right-handed swing has short levers and is direct to the ball, short and compact with very little wasted movement. He generates power with bat speed and natural strength, and while his physical projection may be limited due to his size and how filled out his body already is, he already possesses above-average raw power. He also possesses above-average speed, allowing him to leg out extra base hits and cause havoc on the basepaths.

A shortstop and center fielder, there are questions as to where Morabito’s ultimate defensive home will be. His arm strength is below-average-to-fringe-average, but his quickness gives him excellent range, in both the infield and the outfield. The Mets drafted Morabito as an outfielder, making center field his most likely defensive home for the time being.

Morabito has a commitment to Virginia Tech, but has expressed his interest in skipping college and going professional.