Austin Beck, OF, North Davidson High School (NC) | B/T: R/R
Scouting Consensus: Late riser. Listed at 5’11, 175 lbs., has premium bat speed, plus raw power, plus speed. Little physical projection. Some swing-and-miss issues this spring. Hasn’t had a lot of playing time against top competition.
Jared’s Take: Reminds me of Clint Frazier in profile and swing. Missed the summer showcase circuit last year due to a torn ACL. Was considered a top-10 talent early in the spring but recent contact issues have pushed him down boards.
Like Adell, Beck could still go in the top-half of the first round, or could be there when the Dodgers pick.
Risk: High. Lack of experience last summer was a significant blow to his development.
Availability: Medium-low. While he could be there at No. 23, I think someone pops him in the top half of the round.
Outlook: Draft stock ballooned early and has since deflated a bit. I trust North Carolina area scout Lon Joyce more than almost anyone. And hey, the last time the Dodgers took a prep bat from North Carolina in the first round, it didn’t turn out so bad.
That was Corey Seager, in case you needed a refresher.
Heliot Ramos, OF, Martinez High School (PR) | B/T: R/R
Scouting Consensus: Physical build, listed at 6’2 and 185 lbs. Akin to a toolshed; double-plus runner, plus arm, plus raw power. Likely stays in center field. Very raw at the plate.
Jared’s Take: Young for the class; won’t turn 18 until September. Swing is a little stiff, looks like he bars out a bit. Was the MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game last year, going 3-for-3 with a triple and a homer.
Very similar profile to Adell and Thompson. His brother, Henry, was an non-roster invitee with the Dodgers this spring and is on Triple-A Oklahoma City’s roster but hasn’t played.
Risk: High. Probably going to need a few years to get his hitting mechanics in order.
Availability: High. Seems like Ramos will be there at No. 23.
Outlook: There’s some rough edges to Ramos’ game but his overall talent is among the best in the draft. He’s 15 months younger than Thompson, which gives up a slight edge developmentally.
Drew Waters, OF, Etowah High School (GA) | B/T: S/R
Scouting Consensus: Very toolsy with exciting offensive potential. Listed 6’2, 185 lbs., with room to add strength. Switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate. Plus runner with a very strong arm. Profiles to stay in center. Hit tool lags behind.
Jared’s Take: Seems like all the outfielders on this list are different shades of the same color. The switch-hitting ability is intriguing and his arm is very strong. Not as fast as the other three.
Risk: High. See above.
Availability: High. Waters should definitely be there for the Dodgers’ first pick.
Outlook: It’s a pretty deep year for high school outfielders when a fast, switch-hitting outfielder with power may not go in the first round. I’d love to see the Dodgers try for an overslot deal for someone like Waters in the second round.
Scouting Glossary
Scouts and evaluators have a shorthand for explaining how good certain tools are. It starts at Average, or 50 on the 20-80 scale, and has three standard deviations in each direction. Here are examples:
80 – Elite | Almost never given out to prospects, still rare among Major Leaguers. Think Clayton Kershaw’s curveball or Yasiel Puig’s arm strength.
70 – Plus-plus | Still rare, but more common than 80s. Think Justin Turner’s defense or Rich Hill’s curveball.
60 – Plus | Pretty common among prospects and Major Leaguers alike. Think Corey Seager’s arm strength or Kenta Maeda’s slider.
50 – Average | The most common grade. Think Corey Seager’s speed or Maeda’s fastball.
40 | There really isn’t a name for 40 grades, they’re just 40s. Think Joc Pederson’s speed or Seager’s defense.
30 – Poor | Even rarer. Think Puig’s plate discipline or Kershaw’s changeup.
20 – Bad | It’s not really identified as “Bad” but it should be. Think Chase Utley’s arm, Adrian Gonzalez’s speed and Pedro Baez’s pace of play.
Scouting consensus culled from MLB.com, FanGraphs, Baseball America and other sites. Video courtesy of Steve Fiorindo of The Prospect Pipeline, The Prospect Lab and MaxPreps.
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