The player in question may have relatives who have made it at least to the D1 level college sports. Relatives may be a size that project well for the kid. Instincts and athleticism are great for projection. But when D1 ball comes around the kid better have the bat speed and quickness. If he doesn’t knock considerable time off his sixty chances are he’s moved to the corner of the field in college.
If coaches project wrong he’ll get the “I can’t see you getting on the field here” pitch before NLI day. Early verbals work 99% in favor of the coaches. They have nothing to lose. The kid has taken himself off the market. If kids don’t project as high school seniors as they did as committed freshmen they often end up at JuCos.