- Full name Brady Trace Neal
- Born 10/10/2004 in Tallahassee, FL
- Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School IMG Academy
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Drafted in the 17th round (522nd overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022.
View Draft Report
Originally a member of the 2023 class, Neal reclassified and will be 17 years old on draft day and one of the younger players in the class. He stood out for his sweet lefthanded swing over the summer showcase circuit and continued to hit well in front of big scouting crowds and against solid competition with IMG Academy this spring. Neal has a compact swing, and he consistently finds barrels against quality high school velocity and secondary pitches. He uses the entire field and hits the ball hard, though scouts don’t see big-time raw power just yet. It’s possible he grows into more in the future, but he has a fairly maxed-out build at 5-foot-9, 181 pounds. Neal is a solid athlete who moves well and puts himself in good positions to receive behind the plate. He also has the advantage of handling big-time arms like lefthander Jackson Ferris regularly, and he caught lefthanders Drew Gray and Mason Albright in 2021. Neal has solid arm strength and moves well enough to potentially play an outfield corner but should stick at the position with continued refinement. He is committed to Louisiana State but is one of the more well-rounded prep catchers in the class.
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Alabama
Neal last season was the Tigers’ starting catcher before going down with an injury, but came back this season and had a career year in which he hit .276/.409/.578 with 17 extra-base hits—including nine home runs—and 31 RBIs. It was a little surprising to see Neal enter the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season, and he eventually committed to Alabama. He is a defense-first catcher with above-average arm strength and solid receiving skills, and he moves well laterally. Neal showed the ability to handle one of the best pitching staffs in college baseball. His offensive profile will need to improve, but he does have some thump to the pull side. -
School: IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. Committed/Drafted: Louisiana State
Age At Draft: 17.8
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
Originally a member of the 2023 class, Neal reclassified and will be 17 years old on draft day and one of the younger players in the class. He stood out for his sweet lefthanded swing over the summer showcase circuit and continued to hit well in front of big scouting crowds and against solid competition with IMG Academy this spring. Neal has a compact swing, and he consistently finds barrels against quality high school velocity and secondary pitches. He uses the entire field and hits the ball hard, though scouts don’t see big-time raw power just yet. It’s possible he grows into more in the future, but he has a fairly maxed-out build at 5-foot-9, 181 pounds. Neal is a solid athlete who moves well and puts himself in good positions to receive behind the plate. He also has the advantage of handling big-time arms like lefthander Jackson Ferris regularly, and he caught lefthanders Drew Gray and Mason Albright in 2021. Neal has solid arm strength and moves well enough to potentially play an outfield corner but should stick at the position with continued refinement. He is committed to Louisiana State but is one of the more well-rounded prep catchers in the class.
