1. Elijah Green (previously #1)
6-3 215 IMG Academy
Could be a plus hitter with plus-plus raw power.
Already tapping into that juice in-game.
The ball comes off his bat in a special way.
Above-average raw power and speed.
Quality center fielder with a strong arm. Five tool player.
Swing and miss concerns.
Everyone has Green in their Top 5.
Right now… my 1.1 pick.
2. Andruw Jones (previously #3)
6-3 180 Wesleyan HS (FL)
Athletic ability among the best in this year’s crop.
++ speed and amazes in the field and at the plate.
Exit velocity off his bat is eye-popping.
Swing change recently now generating more power.
70-grade runner. Double-plus speed.
Five-tool potential.
Premium defensive center fielder
3. Chase DeLauter (previously #2)
6-4 230 James Madison
2021 James Madison stat line -
26-G, 101-AB, .386/.508/.723/1.231, only 14-K, 6-HR
2021 Cape -
34-G, 9-HR, .589
Physicality along with plus athleticism.
A career average in the .380s.
Some prodigious raw power
Potential to hit 40 home runs at the next level.
A ++ arm in a corner. Rangy speed. Sound fundamentals.
Clocked 6.4 second 60 at pro day
Rising on the charts every week.
Ranked at No. 3 for Perfect Game's Top 300
4. Brock Jones (previously #4)
6-0 203 Stanford
2021 Stanford stat line -
56-G, 206-AB, 59-K, .311, .646-slug, 18-HR, 62-RBI
Ultra-physical, muscled-up outfielder.
One of the best power-speed combinations.
4-tool player. Limited arm.
Strikeout rates healthy and drew a lot of walks.
Above average runner, maybe plus.
Projected more power to come.
Played safety in 2019.
5. Gavin Cross (new)
6-3 210 Virginia Tech
2021 - VT stat line -
51-G, 203-AB, .345/.415/.621/1.036, 11-HR, 48-K
2020 -
.369, .629-slug%
Drives the ball to all parts of the field.
Plenty of power.
May have the best college hit tool in draft.
Will stick in right.
Above-average arm.
Has moved into the first round.
6. Dylan Brewer (new)
6-3 175 Clemson
2021 stat line -
49-G, 174-AB, .207, 10-HR
65 strikeouts in 215 plate appearances.
2021 Coastal Plain League -
.350/.444/.608.
Simply had a very unproductive college 2021.
So far, defense first.
Raw power.
Above-average arm and speed.
Projected to stick in center.
Don’t sleep on him.
7. Paxton Kling (new)
6-2 195 Central HS (Pa.)
Stats -
42 games, .444-4-32 with a 1.218 OPS
Hits for power.
Above average hit tool.
Clocked at 106 mph off the bat.
Above-average runner.
Projects as center fielder.
I like all of the top 5 outfielders listed. I'll take any one of them gladly.
ReplyDeleteI just remembered Brock Jones did THIS in 2021:
ReplyDeleteBrock Jones hit three home runs, Alex Williams pitched a complete game shutout, and No. 9 seed Stanford advanced to the College World Series with a 9-0 win over No. 8 seed Texas Tech in Game 2 of the Lubbock Super Regional on Saturday.
Jones went 3-for-5 and scored four runs. His solo home run in the first, grand slam in the sixth and solo shot in the eighth accounted for all six of his RBIs.
I love Jones though many so called experts have him as a min 1st rounder.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know the players, but based solely on Mack’s descriptions, I don’t like Elijah Green, especially at #1. Several years back, I was pissed that the Mets passed on Jayden Kendall who had the same “tapping into”, “could be”, etc but had swing and miss concerns (that never got solved) and high signing concerns. He dropped to #24 to the Dodgers, of course, but he is unprotected in the Rule 5 draft because he never solved his problems. Prior to Kendall, I remember the White Sox taking a pure stud outfielder in Courtney Hawkins, right after the Mets took Cecchini. Well, he flamed out too due to swing and miss concerns. Hence, I’m putting him second to Andrew Jones and possibly behind Brock Jones because I know weak arms can improve with good accuracy.
ReplyDeleteGus . . I agree with you on the swing and miss and K rate issues in college ball. When I see college guys, even those with good power strike out against non-professional pitchers a quarter or more of the time, that just says red flag.
ReplyDeleteI like what I see of the DeLauter guy from James Madison.
Great to have spring baseball for draftees to see if flaws go away or persist.
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, Brock Jones added a rocket HR in the next game, the College World Series final, too.
ReplyDeleteHey guys anyone hear anything about trading draft pick in the next CBA?
ReplyDelete