Cranny wrote: ↑23 Mar 2025 07:36 am
I don’t care who they draft at #5, as long as it’s a power hitting college outfielder.
to give you an idea where current (March or February) draft boards stand, here's Prospects Live midseason College draft board. Top 10 was free to the public. The rest is behind a paywall.
1. Jamie Arnold, LHP (Florida State)
2. Aiva Arquette, SS (Oregon State)
3. Devin Taylor, OF (Indiana)
4. Tyler Bremner, RHP (UC Santa Barbara)
5. Brendan Summerhill, OF (Arizona)
6. Jace LaViolette, OF (Texas A&M)
7. Dean Curley, INF (Tennessee)
8. Nicholas Dumesnil, OF (California Baptist)
9. Luke Stevenson, C (North Carolina)
10. Marek Houston, SS (Wake Forest)
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Summerhill's power was supposed to come in this Spring....to hopefully surpass his 8 HR total from last season. He only has 2 HR on the year, but his contact rate has gone through the roof. Batting .414, 1.172 OPS, 152 wRC+
LaViolette has been a major disappointment on an extremely weak A&M team. Swing and Miss are still an issue, contact issues are new, and his Power Drain is very concerning. He's on his way out of Top 10 mocks once you throw in the HS kids.
Dumsnil had a jaw dropping Sophomore season, coming from nowhere....19 HR, 168 wRC+....only 4 HR, and his K % has shot through the roof this season. 2024 might've been in a outlier in B rated league.... the WAC is a very different league than it was 25 years ago.
Devin Taylor is the only consistent power bat. He's on his way (baring injury/slump) to another 20 HR season for IU. He's a Corner OF that profiles to DH/1B in the majors. He'd have to hit the dickens off the ball in the majors to stay in LF/RF...he's not a fielder
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if you want a Power Hitter in college.... SS/3B might be your better option. That seems to be a crowded field. While OF is rather thin....And I think Taylor is the only one with an outside chance of cracking the Top 10. The Angels like their advanced 1 Tool / College power bats, they would be dumb enough to reach on Taylor at #2.