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| Born: 05/27/1995 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 4" | Weight: 200 |
| Mechanics |
| Physical: Skinny build, small waist and small limbs. Medium torso, mild projection. Average athlete.
Choppy mechanics, average extension, parts are in-sync; Three-quarter arm slot, hand stab, average arm speed, 1.34-1.36 to home. Control: 55/60 |
| Evaluator | Greg Goldstein |
| Report Date | 08/15/2017 |
| Affiliate | Winston-Salem Dash (High A, White Sox) |
| Dates Seen | 8/9/2017 |
| OFP/Risk | 45/Low |
| Realistic | 45; No.5 Starter/Swingman |
| MLB ETA | 2019 |
| Video | Yes |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 50 | 50 | 91-92 | 94 | Little life, fairly straight, plays below velo, barreled when left over plate, won’t throw by MLB hitters often, driven when elevated, needs to locate to be effective, flashed above-average command to both sides |
| Changeup | 60 | 60 | 80-81 | Possessed tumble/w fade, throws on FB plane. Soild arm speed, hitters were frequently out in front, plays at put-away offering right now. Worked low with consistency. | |
| Curveball | 40 | 45 | 74-76 | 11/5 shape, flashed above-average bite. Fringy depth, inconsistent break, fairly tight, hung at times. Mild-to-moderate late action, keeps mechanics/arm speed, can be tough to square. Flashed command, below-average feel at present. |
| Overall |
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Puckett is a developed 22-year-old starter who brings little projection to the table. His fastball plays down from its low-90s velo because of his inability to throw it by hitters. His change acts as a plus put-away offering when he gets to two-strike counts. The curve is fringy, too, so the command needs to be there to both sides of the plate in order for Puckett to remain effective multiple times through an order. His fastball and lack of a quality breaking ball portend a potential move away from the rotation long-term, but he has good enough command and a good enough swing-and-miss change to realistically project to reach his ceiling of a back-end innings-eater. |
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| Born: 02/11/1995 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 180 |
| Mechanics |
| Medium frame, heavier than listed 180 pounds with thick lower half; physically mature. Above average arm speed, hands go over head in full wind-up. High leg kick, throws from 3/4 arm slot, deep hand break, hard drive off rubber. Clean foot strike, will get off-balance, shows mild effort; 1.31-1.45. |
| Evaluator | Nathan Graham |
| Report Date | 08/17/2017 |
| Affiliate | West Michigan Whitecaps (Low A, Tigers) |
| Dates Seen | 8/2/17 |
| OFP/Risk | 50/High |
| Realistic | 40 Middle Reliever |
| MLB ETA | 2019 |
| Video | Yes |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| FB | 65 | 70 | 95-96 | 98 | Explodes on hitters with late life. Features mild arm-side run. Works low in the zone and induces ground balls. Command can get loose; average control projection. |
| CB | 40 | 50 | 80-82 | 82 | 1-7 shape, has some bite. Still developing feel, struggles to stay on top of it. |
| SL | 30 | 40 | 88-89 | 89 | Only showed a few times, lacked consistent spin and movement. Struggled to command, still a work in progress. |
| Overall |
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Currently a starter but profiles as a power arm out of the bullpen. Features an electric fastball that has the potential to be plus-plus. The secondary offerings are inconsistent and only project as average at best. He has a tendency to rely on velocity and he lacks the command and feel to remain a starter long-term. However, in short, late-inning bursts, the fastball/curve combination could be very tough, especially against left-handed hitters. |
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| Born: 03/15/1993 (Age: 24) | |
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 0" | Weight: 175 |
| Primary Position: CF | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Shorter, fairly muscular, in-shape. Little projection remaining, plus athlete. |
| Evaluator | Greg Goldstein |
| Report Date | 08/15/2017 |
| Dates Seen | 4x in July |
| Affiliate | Akron RubberDucks (AA, Indians) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2018 | Mild | 50 | 45; Second Division Regular/Quality 4th OF | Yes |
| Makeup |
|
Stayed level-headed; assertive enough to stick in CF. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 50 | Hands start low, has compact stroke from both sides. Fairly smooth swing as RHH, above-average bat speed, still late on velo at times. Quality barrel control allows for use of the entire field. Flashed ability to turn on pitches, although not his strength. Bat stays in zone, has solid plate coverage, fights off borderline pitches; tough to K. Employs a patient approach. Capable bunter. Projects to have average hit utility. |
| Power | 30 | Average raw, power comes mainly from left side, can be sneaky at times. Mild load, mild leveragel can run into HR power on occasion. Lack of consistent uppercut. Plays to gaps; plus doubles hitter, prefers to drive tup the middle. Projects to well below-average game utility. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 60 | Timed 4.10. Hustles, bursts out of the box, plus stolen base threat. |
| Glove | 55 | Athletic enough to stick in CF, runs down balls in the gaps. Plus range, capable of flash plays, needs to settle down in CF, took a few weird routes. |
| Arm | 55 | Shows above-average arm strength. Makes all the throws necessary to stick in CF, gets power behind throws on the move.
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| Overall |
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Allen is a typical top-of-the-order threat who uses a contact-oriented approach and speed to get on base. His stroke plays similarly on both sides. He flashes the barrel control needed to cover the plate while making consistent line-drive contact to all fields. Allen drives balls at times, but that’s just not his game given his fairly linear swing and short mechanics. He profiles as a potential top-of-the-order starter who has a floor of a quality, speedy fourth outfielder |
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| Born: 05/29/1996 (Age: 21) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 225 |
| Primary Position: 1B | |
| Secondary Position: DH | |
| Physical/Health |
| Bigger guy. Round, out-of-shape, poor athlete. |
| Evaluator | Greg Goldstein |
| Report Date | 08/15/2017 |
| Dates Seen | 4x in July |
| Affiliate | Akron RubberDucks (AA, Indians) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2018 | High | 50 | 40; Power Bench Bat | Yes |
| Makeup |
|
Steady personality, doesn't show much emotion on the field. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 40 | Really open stance, awkward stroke, doesn’t extend hands, chops at pitches when on the corners. Plus bat speed, can catch and drive heat up in the zone. Long swing; better stuff can expose holes in swing. Capable of fouling off pitches. Ball needs to be in the middle of zone to drive. Below-average plate coverage, below-average barrel control. Lacks consistent bat-to-ball ability, barrel doesn’t stay in zone long. High-strikeout potential, walks help to slightly mitigate lower projected average. Projects to below-average utility. |
| Power | 60 | Natural strength and size contributes to plus-plus raw. Turns on inside pitches well. Power mainly comes pull-side; will drive oppo when late at times. Capable of producing moon shots due to very leveraged swing, doesn’t use lower body well when driving. Has the upper-body strength and strong enough hands for the power to project to plus in-game. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 20 | Timed 4.52. Aggressive on bases, despite poor speed. Liability on basepaths. |
| Glove | 40 | Flashed semi-soft hands on hard grounder. Not flexible for 1B; trouble extending body to finish close plays, body doesn’t give him much room to improve. Probable DH-only at the major league level.
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| Arm | 50 | Average arm strength, capable of starting a solid double play. |
| Overall |
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Bradley is carried by his exemplary power potential. A big-bodied first baseman who is likely to be relegated to DH in the big leagues, Bradley is likely to become a "power or bust" guy vs. MLB-caliber stuff. He can get beat on the corners and really only drives pitches in the middle of the plate. His swing is a bit odd, as he doesn’t extend his arms to cover the plate, but still has a ton of home run power in his profile. Any prospect who relies on a singular tool carries significant risk, and I have serious concerns that his hit tool will play below 40 given that he currently struggles to make consistent solid contact vs. minor league pitching. The power could play big enough for Bradley to become a capable starter, but he’s got a low floor given his unusual swing. He's likely to be more of a Chris Carter-type at maturity. |
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| Born: 04/12/1994 (Age: 23) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 0" | Weight: 210 |
| Primary Position: C | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Average build, bit of a stomach. Strong lower half, limited projection. |
| Evaluator | Greg Goldstein |
| Report Date | 08/15/2017 |
| Dates Seen | 2x in August |
| Affiliate | Binghamton Rumble Ponies (AA, Mets) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2018 | High | 50 | 40; Backup Catcher | Yes |
| Makeup |
|
Energetic. Likes to have fun on the field; high-effort player. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 40 | Extreme open stance. Uses toe-tap, noise in swing affects contact skills. Frequently drops hands, swing gets unhinged; high-effort. Plus bat speed, pull hitter, long to ball at times, turns on pitches well. Swing is fairly compact for a power stroke; capable of creating loud/hard contact when he squares. Beaten frequently by the CB, pulls head when trying to drive, gets under hittable pitches. Sells out for power often, high-K hitter, body is wild during swing. Won’t hit for consistent solid contact. Aggressive approach limits tool grade to below-average |
| Power | 50 | Plus raw, plays to a power over contact. Leveraged swing hits with home run launch angle. Heavy load allows him to drive pitches when he connects; gets a ton of weight behind swing. Questionable barreling ability limits him to average game power. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 30 | Timed 4.52. Typical runner for a catcher, better athlete than pure speed indicates. |
| Glove | 55 | 1.95, 2.00, 2.04 pop times. Athletic behind the dish, quick out of stance. Needs to get body in front of ball better, a little too loose on occasion; raw ability leaves room for improvement behind the plate. |
| Arm | 55 | Above-average arm strength, fringe-average accuracy. Clean arm action; expect slight improvement with continued development. Can throw on a rope, carry/velo present to nab fast runners. |
| Overall |
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At 23 years old, Nido still has some development to do in terms of his approach at the plate and behind the dish. However, there’s enough raw talent here to project him as a potential starter due to his power/field profile. Nido has the bat speed and strength to hit for more power than the typical catcher, and projects as a capable defender. His swing is wild and there’s not much feel for hitting, which makes him high-risk; his raw pop might not translate in-game. But the tools are there; Nido just needs to refine his overall game over the next few years. |
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| Born: 08/11/1995 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 5' 10" | Weight: 210 |
| Primary Position: 3B | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Athletic build with a little room to grow. Muscular, with strength present throughout frame. |
| Evaluator | Greg Goldstein |
| Report Date | 08/15/2017 |
| Dates Seen | 4/23/17 (DH), 8/11/17-8/13/17 |
| Affiliate | Portland Sea Dogs (AA, Red Sox) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2018 | Moderate | 50 | 45; Second Division Regular | Yes |
| Makeup |
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Wears emotions on his sleeve at times, seems invested in games, shouldn't be a problem at the major league level. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 45 | Slightly open stance, above-average bat speed. Ball jumps off bat, loud contact, bat head gets to pitches on the inner half. Athletic/compact stroke, barrel gets to ball well, hard contact mostly comes pull side. Primarily a fly-ball hitter. Collapses his back leg on occasion; pulls head. Swings mostly for power only, gets under pitches using moderate leverage, struggles waiting on off-speed. Feel for the zone needs improvement. Projects to fringe-average utility. |
| Power | 55 | Plus raw, bat speed and strength to frequently drive pitches. Swing plays well for power pull-side. Compact power stroke allows him to get to pitches on the inner half; strong enough to drive oppo when late but contact skills aren't quite there yet. Projects above-average utility at maturity. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 40 | Timed 4.38. Below-average runner, solid athlete for muscular build. Gets to the bases he needs to, doesn’t have the body to be a burner. |
| Glove | 45 | Flashed glove skills, average range. Rushed himself a bit, doesn’t play like a natural. Not real twitchy at 3B, potential move to 2B/LF is likely. |
| Arm | 55 | Above-average arm strength, has velo/carry to make throws from the line. Arm slot wandered and caused some inaccuracy. |
| Overall |
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Chavis’ game is built on his ability to drive the baseball, but everything else is a bit fringy. His swing is strong, powerful, compact and fast, but his bat-to-ball is inconsistent due to his aggressiveness and some approach issues. He has enough natural skill to hit for a workable average with power, which does profile well at a corner infield position. His glove and footwork make me question whether third base is his long-term defensive home, but he has enough natural range to work in second or left field. Chavis has lots of imperfections in his profile and still needs to answer some questions, but the ceiling is there for Chavis to become a major league regular. |
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