Eric Kennedy
CF 5-11 200 Texas
2020 Texas stat line - 17-G, 59-AB, .288/.380/.356, 1-HR
7. CF Eric Kennedy, Texas
Bat: L. Throw: R. 5’11”, 200 lbs. Born 9/15/1999. Hometown: Tampa, FL
2019-2020: 3 HR, .305/.381/.403, 17 SB, 35/30 K/BB in 66 games.
The top position player prospect in the Big 12, Kennedy is also our third Longhorn on the list. There really isn’t much going on in terms of impact bats in this conference, especially if you’re looking for power, so the contact-oriented Kennedy rises to the top just based on his consistency. After hitting .310/.382/.418 with a very strong 23/21 strikeout to walk ratio as a true freshman in 2019, he followed it up with a solid, albeit unspectacular, start to the 2020 season with a .288/.380/.356 line and eight stolen bases through 17 games.
Kennedy isn’t a power hitter, but he does a lot of everything else well. The Tampa native is a plus runner, and he deploys that speed very well on the bases, swiping nine bags in eleven attempts as a freshman before going a perfect eight for eight as a sophomore. That speed will enable him to stick in center field as well, where his strong arm makes him a valuable overall defender. At the plate, he’s hit over power, employing a quick left handed swing to drive the ball around the yard and to the gaps. His patient approach combined with strong bat to ball skills means there is very little swing and miss in his game, and it gives him a high floor as someone who will for sure hit in pro ball. Whether you see Kennedy as anything more than a fourth outfielder, though, likely depends on how you project his power. At 5’11”, he’s not the biggest guy in the world, and he hasn’t shown much even in the way of simple extra base power so far at Texas. Given his very strong feel for hitting, some swing changes to give him more extension could help him profile for 5-10 home runs per year or more, and he’ll have a chance to show more pure offensive impact in 2021.
Hookem -
Among Big 12 freshmen, Kennedy ranks first in batting average (.311), runs (27) and RBIs (20). Kennedy has registered more walks than strikeouts. The Big 12’s reigning player of the week is also six-for-six on his attempted steals.
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