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Born:
August 4, 1998
Macon, GA
Height:
6-0
Weight:
170
Bats:
Left
Throws:
Right
Drafted:
2nd round, 2017
How Acquired:
Draft
High
School: Westfield (GA)
Photo ©
Kelly O'Connor
Links
Scouting Report Update (7.29.2020)
Released (March 2022) |
Physical Description: Very lean frame.
Looks smaller than listed height and weight. Minimal remaining projection.
Does not have the frame to sustain significant weight gain.
Hit: Starts open and vertical with his hands high.
Utilizes a toe tap timing device. Has tinkered with swing mechanics a fair
amount since signing. Used to start square with little incorporation of
his lower half, and has also tried starting open with a leg kick of
varying heights as well. Lacks bat speed. Struggles with velocity, lot of
swing-and-miss at present. Shows a willingness to take a walk, but can be
overly passive at times and work himself into bad counts. Has not shown
the ability to hit the ball in the air with regularity, consistently posts
groundball rates above 50 percent. Potential well below-average hit tool.
Power: No power potential. Not a part of his game.
Does not hit the ball in the air enough and lacks the strength to hit the
ball over the fence. Has yet to show even consistent gap power in pro
ball.
Run: Slightly above-average speed.
Baserunning instincts are still a work in progress and base stealing
ability is limited by his inability to get on base. Pre-draft reports of
60 or even 70 speed have not really proven accurate.
Field:
Potential above-average defender. Gets good reads in the outfield and has
a quick first step. Uses speed to close down on balls in the gap.
Arm: Below-average arm strength.
Career
Notes: Was a highly regarded prospect coming into the 2017 draft
after excelling on the showcase circuit. Underwent surgery to repair a
broken hamate bone in his right hand prior to senior season of high
school. Had been committed to Georgia Southern. Assigned to Greenville to
start the 2018 season, but was sent back to extended Spring Training after
extreme struggles at the plate, posting a ground ball percentage near 70
percent and a sub-.500 OPS. Has improved groundball rate somewhat, but
still has continued to struggle at the plate. Participated in the Fall
Instructional League in 2018. Got some limited playing time in the Coastal
Plains League, typically a collegiate summer wooden bat league, in 2020,
and struggled at the plate in a small sample size.
Summation: Projects as a low minors bench outfielder. Needs to
make significant progress to re-establish prospect status. Does not
project to hit enough to allow speed and defensive ability to carry him.
Will struggle against more advanced pitching. Needs to add strength and
settle on comfortable mechanics at the plate. Does not profile to hit for
any power, so needs to focus on a contact-oriented swing and using all
fields. |
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