Jake Burger, 3B, Missouri St | B/T: R/R
Scouting Consensus: Listed at 6’2, 220 lbs. Big-bodied infielder with a big bat. Burger has hit 20-plus home runs each of the past two seasons and power projects as plus. Above average hitter, tends not to expand the zone. Rest of profile is underwhelming. Average arm and fringy range at third.
Jared’s Take: Better athlete than he looks. Swing isn’t great, looks like Todd Frazier and Mark Reynolds. Burger is probably a fast mover but will most likely end up at first base down the road. Safer pick than the high schoolers.
Risk: Medium. Bat should get him to the Majors, glove could hold him back.
Availability: Medium. Burger has been connected to some teams in the teens but could fall on draft day.
Outlook: If he can stay at third or even in an outfield corner, I think he’s worth a look for the Dodgers. Otherwise, let another team bite on Burger.
Evan White, 1B/OF, Kentucky | B/T: R/L
Scouting Consensus: Listed at 6’3, 177 lbs. Lean and athletic frame. Smooth stroke from the right side. Hit tool is ahead of power. Outstanding defensive first baseman, athletic enough to play the outfield. Good speed.
Jared’s Take: One of the weirdest prospects in the draft. Righty hitter, lefty thrower, definite negative for me (kidding). Probably doesn’t have the power to profile at first but the defense is so good it’d be hard to move him.
Hasn’t walked much this year but is hitting .380. Hitting a career-high 23 doubles in 44 games is a good sign. Late riser. Reminds me of Smith’s late rise/overall profile last year.
Risk: Medium-low. Should hit, it’s just a matter of how much power he develops. Athleticism/defense should get him to the Majors.
Availability: High. Projected to go in the back half of the first round. Dodgers are among the teams that have been connected to White.
Outlook: Could be a stud if he develops power, but that’s a big if.
Logan Warmoth, SS, North Carolina | B/T: R/R
Scouting Consensus: Listed at 6’0, 190 lbs. Athletic middle infielder. Scouts split on whether he’ll stick at shortstop. Warmoth should be able to handle second base. Some pull side power (nine home runs this season). Hit well on the Cape last summer (.780 on-base plus slugging percentage, four home runs in 27 games). High floor.
Jared’s Take: Seems like a San Francisco Giants pick to me. High floor, not a huge ceiling. Not overly athletic. So, he’ll probably end up in San Francisco and torment the Dodgers for a decade.
Risk: Medium-low. Should stay up the middle and hit enough to make it to the show.
Availability: High. Like White, slotted in the 20-30 range.
Outlook: Not a terribly boring prospect but the upside isn’t as high as others. Similar to Gavin Lux from last year.
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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