Anthony Silva gained valuable experience against high-end prep pitching during the 2021 summer. The Clark High (Texas) School senior shortstop participated in major showcase events, including the Prospect Development Pipeline League and Area Code Games, last summer.
Silva’s quality approach, swing mechanics and advanced defensive tools stood out to scouts. His present skillset and overall potential also intrigue scouts, which is why Silva is drawing interest in anticipation of July’s MLB draft.
Scouts project the high school shortstop as a potential top-five-round pick in the draft.
“I think it is pretty fun,” Silva said. “It’s a good experience. I don’t think about it, but it’s hard not to notice the scouts there watching your games. God has a plan for me. If it happens this July or in a few years, I know God has a plan for me. Everything will work out in the end.”
Silva is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-handed hitter who consistently hits line drives to all fields. Scouts rave about his bat-to-ball abilities and understanding of the strike zone.
Defensively, Silva has all the tools to stick at shortstop long term. He is athletic and moves well laterally to make all the necessary plays at the position. The advanced defensive player also has above-average arm strength.
Silva credits the development of his defensive skills to the coaches he has worked with, including Cincinnati Reds bench coach Freddie Benavides. Silva and Benavides are family friends, and Silva usually works out with Benavides at least once each year.
“My glove, fielding awareness and defensive skills are my biggest strengths,” Silva said. “I have just stayed athletic and take advice from people at the level I want to be at.”
Silva is a strong defensive player and features plenty of potential at the plate. He projects to hit for more power as he matures physically due to his swing mechanics and knack for squaring up the baseball.
“I need to change my approach from hitting line drives to second base to trying to hit the fence in right-center and swing with more intent,” Silva said.
Besides his status as a draft prospect, Silva is a Texas Christian University commit. He committed to TCU leading up to his sophomore year of high school on Aug. 19, 2019.
Silva received interest from numerous college baseball programs. But his passion for TCU and the program’s track record of success stood out to him throughout the process.
“I have always been a TCU fan growing up,” Silva said. “My uncle played there as a catcher for four years. We have been familiar with TCU, and they were one of the first schools to reach out to me. I just kept working on my craft. I had a couple of schools in mind, but TCU is where I wanted to go. After going to a camp, I fell in love with TCU. I think I was the first commit they had in the class.”
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Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for seven years. He has interviewed 356 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com and The Arizona Republic, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
