Gators Shortstop Signee Colby Halter Skips MLB Draft, Will Play at Florida
Late on Thursday, Florida Gators signee, shortstop Colby Halter announced he would be continuing his career in baseball: Not in the MLB, but with the Gators.
Halter was thought of as one of the top players in the 2020 MLB Draft and would have likely been selected even with a truncated, five-round selection process this year. A Jacksonville (Fla.) native, Halter played for four years at Bishop Kenny High School, and made his way onto the USA Baseball national team last fall as a junior.
Starting nine games at third base for the U-18 Baseball World Cup team, Halter posted a batting average of .419, ranking third on the team. He tallied 12 hits, eight runs, and two RBIs.
Due to the coronavirus and all that surrounded it, his senior season was cut dramatically short. Halter ranked 149th in the nation's top-150 baseball prospects for the 2020 MLB Draft.
According to Perfect Game, Halter is thought of as an "elite level college prospect", grading out as a 10/10 on their rating chart. Below is Perfect Game's scouting report on Halter:
Solid athletic build with good present strength. 6.80 runner, is smooth and athletic in the middle infield especially for his size, has good footwork and pre-positions his feet well to throw, very quick release on his throws with good carry. Left handed hitter, hits from an open upright stance with a leg lift load and a late hand hitch to start his swing, line drive swing plane with a middle of the field to pull side approach, has strength at contact and can make adjustments for more consistent power. Also pitched and showed very good arm strength from the mound, long arm action with an extended 3/4's arm slot, medium effort at release.
While the Gators lost out on one of their top players in the class of 2020, outfielder Zac Veen who was taken with the ninth-overall selection on Wednesday by Colorado Rockies, the team should feel comfortable by adding a player with as high of a floor as Halter.
Halter was recently nominated for the First Coast News - a local Jacksonville news station - Athlete of the Year Award, and was recently named Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute Male Athlete of the Year.
In speaking to 1010XL, a local Jacksonville radio station, earlier this month, Halter discussed the prospect of joining the Gators or jumping straight into the major league. "I love the Gators and I've wanted to go there my whole life. It's an absolutely awesome opportunity," Halter told Andrew Gibson, one of 1010XL's show producers and hosts. "I feel like I'd love Florida. I'd love to go compete for a College World Series."
It appears now, the decision has been made and the Gators can look forward to having Halter on their team while he lasts.
The Gators will also return starting pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich for the 2021 season, as neither were selected in the MLB Draft.