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1/28/18

2018 Draft - Top 10 Outfielders Available in the 2018 MLB Draft






Jarred Kelenic         Waukessha West HS (WI)

            6-1  -  196  -  L/L

PG Grade: 10 - Jarred Kelenic is a 2018 OF/LHP with a 6-1 196 lb. frame from Waukesha, WI who attends Waukesha West HS. Very strong athletic build. 6.57 runner, has centerfield range and speed with a high level right field throwing arm, makes accurate throws with very good carry, highest level defensive outfielder. Left handed hitter, hits from a spread stance, excellent raw bat speed with a low tension swing and loose hands, ball flies off the barrel, big power when he turns on the ball but will let it travel and drive it up the gaps as well. Advanced player with all the tools, plays hard. Good student, verbal commitment to Louisville. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.



Griffin Conine         Duke          
        
            6-1  -  200  -  L/R

2080 Baseball   - Athletic right fielder with plus bat and power potential; good, sound approach at the plate from a slight open stance; good balance; plus bat speed with quick hands and quick wrists; plus barrel control, barrels up balls and projects as a plus hitter; present strength; loft and leverage to all fields, projects to plus power; below-average run; did not produce home-to-first run time;  above-average arm strength (55) with good carry; average defensive actions; tools to be above-average major league regular contributor.



Travis Swaggerty              South Alabama

            5-11  -  185  -  L/L

2080 Baseball - Played both center and left field in viewings; compact, athletic frame with both present strength and room for additional weight and strength gain over course of physical maturation; plus athlete; slight open stance to start, closes with good trigger; quick bat with ability to manipulate the barrel and use the entire field; comfortable will going the other way; good plate discipline, ability to make adjustments; will fight off pitches he can’t handle to get counts in his favor; good pull power with loft and leverage in his swing; projects to plus hit/power guy; arm plays average to above-average with good carry; average glove, steady fielder; plus runner underway with fringe average times out of the box (4.25 seconds home-to-first times).



Seth Beer                  Clemson       

Baseball Draft Report -     You can’t write about Clemson without mentioning the big guy, so here goes: Seth Beer is a star and deserves all the hype he’s gotten since first stepping on campus. He’s great. His long-term defensive forecast scares me, but any doubts about his bat qualify as the definition of nitpicks. In what might be a slightly spicy take, I think Logan Davidson is arguably on the same tier. Defense matters, after all. In any event, it’s hard to adequately describe how much I enjoy watching each player do what they do best. Great college players and outstanding pro prospects, both.

             https://youtu.be/4TKttGARCOw


Joe Gray Jr.              Hattiesburg HS (MS)      

            6-3  -  195  -  R/R

PG Grade: 10 - Joe Gray Jr is a 2018 OF with a 6-3 195 lb. frame from Hattiesburg, MS who attends Hattiesburg HS. Outstanding physical build, very projectable. 6.75 in the sixty, plays much faster on the baseball field. Outstanding range in the outfield, gets quick jumps and runs direct routes, laser arm strength, fields the ball easily and gets rid of it quickly, highest level defensive tools. Right handed hitter, hits from a wide base with a short swing and good extension out front, generates big bat speed and power in batting practice, game swing is less fluid and consistent but the big tools are there with more repetitions. Good student, verbal commitment to Mississippi. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.



Tristan Pompey      Kentucky       
         
            6-4  -  200  -  S/R

  2080 Baseball -     Well-proportioned, athletic body with width to his shoulder and hips; five-tool player; open stance that closes at contact; quick bat; plus bat speed with a good trigger, gets bat through the hitting zone with quick hands and wrists; feel for the barrel; strength, loft and leverage to his swing; plus power potential; above-average runner out of the box and double-plus runner underway with good running stride; plus defensive actions seen in right field with good routes, jumps, and reads; plus range, glides to the ball; above-average arm with good carry; potential first-round tools for the 2018 MLB Draft who should hold down center field for the Wildcats; should be one of the top players in the SEC.  



Steele Walker         Oklahoma    

            5-11  -  190  - 

Oklahoma website -  2017 [Sophomore]: Garnered First Team All-Big 12 honors… started all 59 games for the Sooners… led the team with a .333 batting average and a .413 on-base percentage… ranked fifth in the Big 12 with a .541 slugging percentage… finished tied for fifth in the Big 12 with 51 RBI… posted his third multi-hit game of the season and hit his first triple of the season in a win vs. Long Beach State (2/19)… recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the season and drove in four runs in a 17-1 rout of Villanova (2/24)… launched his first home run of the season with four RBI in a win over Central Connecticut State… totaled five hits, including two extra-base hits, in a doubleheader sweep of Central Connecticut State (3/4)… surpassed 50 RBI in his career and extended his hit-streak to 19 games dating back to 2016 against Buffalo (3/9)… cranked his third home run of the season and had a career-high five RBI at Kennesaw State (3/18)… posted his 13th multi-hit and seventh multi-RBI game of the season in a series-clinching win over Texas Tech (4/2)… became the first Sooner to homer in Austin since 2011 at Texas (4/7)… launched his sixth home run, registered his 17th multi-hit game and 10th multi-RBI game of the season against Kansas (4/23)… recorded the first two-home run game of his career in a win at Kansas State (5/5)… registered his fifth three-hit game of the year in a contest vs. TCU (5/12)… logged his 12th multi-RBI game of the season in a matchup against Oklahoma State (5/19). Summer 2017: Split his summer between the Team USA Collegiate National Team and the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League… named MVP of Team USA’s series wins over Chinese Taipei and Cuba… hit .333 with two home runs and five doubles for Team USA… appeared in eight games for Brewster and hit .280 with four RBI.             



Connor Scott           Plant HS (FL)         

            6-4  -  180  -  L/L

PG Grade: 10 - Connor Scott is a 2018 OF/LHP with a 6-4 180 lb. frame from Tampa, FL who attends Plant HS. Outstanding athletic build, long and lean with some present strength and plenty of room for more. Left handed hitter, deep hand load, loose and fast hands, big raw bat speed, lots of lift in his swing and can hit it a long way, ball flies off the barrel, low effort fluid swing, could be scary with 20 pounds of additional muscle behind it. Still developing footwork to show true arm strength in the outfield. Didn't run sixty but 4.08 home to first from the left side. Also pitches, simple delivery mechanics with a loose arm, limited lower half use, 3/4's arm slot. Fastball topped out at 92 mph, slider shows some tightness and bite. Could develop into a top level pitching prospect if he worked at it but his future is in the batter's box. Excellent student, verbal commitment to Florida. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.     



Mike Siani                Penn Charter HS (PA) 
 
            6-0  -  195  -  L/L

PG Grade: 9.5 - Mike Siani is a 2018 OF/LHP with a 5-11 180 lb. frame from Glenside, PA who attends William Penn Charter. Medium-large frame with excellent present build and athleticism, quick-twitch with excellent strength throughout. Ran very well, posting a 6.75 seconds 60 yard dash. Outstanding bat speed when hitting, lifts and separates with serious intent, narrow stance with big stride into contact while retaining balance, swings hard, big hip torque and excellent power, HR potential to all fields at maturity, plus hand speed with strong wrists and forearms, very impressive hitting prospect. Moves extremely well to the ball in the OF, attacks the ball and fields cleanly, impressive arm strength with excellent carry on throws with accuracy to target. Pitched as well, shorter arm circle in back but quick and loose, up to high 3/4 slot and gets on top of ball, exclusively out of the stretch, gets downhill with authority generating plane, FB worked 85-87 with solid cutting life, showed sharp 1/7 CB with hammer depth, balanced delivery throughout. Very high two-way upside prospect. Verbally committed to Virginia. Named to 2015 Northeast Underclass Showcase Top Prospect List. Very good student.



Jake McCarthy       Virginia                   

College Baseball Daily -        The 6-foot-2, 200 pound outfielder is one of the best left-handed bats in college. He has a very easy swing with little movement, helping him to create a lot of contact. He barely takes his front foot off the ground and puts it down early. Despite that, he’s able to generate some good pop. But with his speed, you just want McCarthy to put the ball in play, and he has a swing that allows him to do that on a consistent basis.  
           
            https://youtu.be/_4vg7lO-T6A


5 comments:

  1. Considering that Bruce and Cespedes are signed for just 3 more years, I would not mind one bit to see two IMPACT outfielders signed in rounds 1 and 2. Kelenic and whichever one is best thereafter

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  2. Thomas we all need to stop worrying about this stuff because Sandy is now "thinking expansively" which should help us all sleep better at night.

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  3. Tom/Gary -

    Very few players get to the majors as quick as Conforto (did we rush that?).

    It will take a minimum of 3 years for someone drafted to get to Queens. 4 if you are coming out of high school.

    As of right now, there isn't a single contract on the books past the 2020 season. This includes 3 outfielders (Cespedes, Bruce, Lagares).

    We seem to have tremendous pitching depth coming out of the DSL chain this upcoming season, both as starters and relievers. If half of these kid are for real, it would lead me to concentrate this next draft on bats.

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  4. Mack, I agree 100%. Pitching-wise, my guess is this team's prospects somewhere in the top 10-15 of all teams. Hitting? Almost has to be bottom 5. We need hitting mainstays to come through the system more than once every 5 years or so.

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