Yesterday we looked at some potential arms. Today, we look at some potential bats, with one carry-over from yesterday.
In a draft year where the collective talent ceiling is so low, it is hard to find excitement for the prospects that are likely to be available to the Diamondbacks at picks 18 and 29. But, here we are, getting dinged in the draft because Mike Hazen has managed to turn this team around somewhat. Still, the position player side of things has a handful of candidates that could propel some excitement for Arizona.
So, without further ado, here are some position player prospects to keep an eye on, representing everything from a true steal to a bit of a reach that fits the Arizona success model.
The Candidates
Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville (AL) – committed to Tennessee
DOB: 24 July 2007
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 180 lbs.
B/T: R/R
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 80 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
Chances are, Hall is selected in the top-10. However, given the way the talent pool shakes out after the top few elite players, and the way some teams are getting funny with the money early in the draft, there is still a small chance that Arizona finds themselves fortunate enough to see Hall tumble to them at #18. IN fact, there are a few mocks out there that have Hall tumbling to 14 or 15 already.
Steele was originally supposed to be part of next season’s draft class. But, after watching the way things went last year, Hall chose to take the steps needed to reclassify for this year’s draft. It appears to have been the right choice, with Hall expected to be a sure-fire first night selection, with a decent possibility of going late in the top-10.
Hall is on the younger side, not turning 18 until just after the draft completes. This is extra incentive for teams to bid on the young man who has all the defensive nous necessary to stick at shortstop for the long haul. Hall is a twitchy athlete with elite speed, a slick glove, and an above average arm. While a bit on the slimmer side during last season’s showcases, Hall has packed on somewhere from 15-20 pounds of muscle and it has done him wonders. Once considered a slap-hitting hit over power bat, Hall now looks to be a legitimate 15-20 home run threat.
Hall’s biggest standout tool is his elite speed, which allows him to turn weak contact into possible hits and also allows him to cover great swaths of space when it comes to fielding. At the plate, Hall is something of a free swinger. He is good at hitting pitches in the zone, but still has trouble laying off of secondary pitches that move out of the zone. While this may be concerning for some, it is hardly much of a knock on a hitter who is only 17 and has already shown he has the stuff to play at an elite level. A quick, easy comp for Hall is Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz.
Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona
DOB: 13 November 2003
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 200 lbs.
B/T: L/R
Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
A prospect with local ties, Summerhill is looking to extend the Wildcats’ legacy of producing first round picks. Summerhill is able to play anywhere on the grass and profiles well in center field, where he has the range and instincts to stick. However, he also has the arm to play successfully in right field and played there almost exclusively for the University of Arizona this season. Last year, when playing in the Cape Cod League, he played exclusively center field.
Summerhill’s biggest selling point is his ability to barrel up balls that are in the zone. Summerhill possesses a smooth left-handed stroke with above-average power to the pull side, as well as advanced feel for the barrel to the tune of a 90% overall in-zone contact rate. His speed is solidly above average, allowing him to cover plenty of ground in the outfield while also being a sparkplug on the bases.
There is plenty that could be said about Summerhill, but there is one thing that seems to me to stand out more than just about anything else. The comp that is repeatedly dropped for Summerhill, from numerous outlets and evaluators is Arizona’s very own Jake McCarthy (the good version).
With Summerhill expected to go somewhere from the ninth pick to the twentieth, there is a very real possibility that he could be available to Arizona at #18. As a seasoned college bat, there is also the upside of Summerhill being a potential fast-riser, assuming he can avoid the injury woes that plagued the first two season’s of Tommy Troy with the Snakes.
Recently, Summerhill has been linked more heavily to Arizona after having spent much of the lead-in to the draft linked to Minnesota
Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
DOB: 14 April 2004
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 180 lbs.
B/T: R/R
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
After going undrafted out of high school, Houston found a way to win the starting shortstop position at powerhouse Wake Forest in his freshman season. Houston’s biggest calling card is his glovework. At short he flashes the leather with the best of them. However, Houston has also shown himself capable of playing defensively anywhere on the diamond. He has great fielding instincts and a solidly above average arm with good accuracy on long throws.
When Houston first arrived at Wake Forest, he was hit over power at the plate. Over the last three years, he has bulked up some and is now likely a 12-15 home run threat.
Houston’s speed plays better in the outfield than it does on the bases.
While Houston possesses good bat-to-ball skill, his lack of true power may limit him at the plate somewhat, especially against advanced pitching that can force him to lean into his weaknesses instead of his strengths. If this leads to Houston lacking enough bat to be an everyday starter, Houston possesses enough glove that he still would profile as a super utility player, capable of doing a stint at all nine positions on the field.
Houston, like Summerhill, has been linked to both Minnesota and Arizona, with the two recently swapping places, Houston now more readily expected to go to Minnesota. However, with Minnesota selecting at #16, there is a good chance for Marek Houston to still be on the board for Arizona.
Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee
DOB: 28 March 2004
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190 lbs.
B/T: L/R
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55
The traditional argument made about second basemen is to not select them in the early rounds, but rather, to take shortstops and to let them fail their way across second to the keystone. More modern front offices are not quite as tied to that particular philosophy. As a result, Gavin Kilen is almost certain to be a first round selection.
Kilen would have been an early selection in the 2022 draft. At that time, Kilen showed arguably the best bat-to-ball skills amongst prepsters in the draft and was considered by many to have some of the best such skills in the draft overall. However, the young man was heavily committed to Louisville, and so he tumbled down the boards before being picked up by the Red Sox in the later rounds. Once Kilen arrived at Louisville as their starting shortstop, he continued to show an advanced feel for hitting where he made remarkable gains in both contact and power. Between his sophomore and junior years, Kilen transferred to Tennessee. There, he slid back across the diamond to second base.
At Tennessee, Kilen established himself as one of the best hitters in the grueling SEC. Very much a hit over power bat, Kilen’s ability to make contact with any sort of pitch has made him a table-setting sparkplug. However, a move to Tennessee also brought a coaching change to his swing, which allowed him to get his back hip more involved in his approach at the plate. This slight tweak to his mechanics allowed him to hit a career high 15 home runs. That is the sort of power he is expected to display moving forward as well.
There is little question that Kilen possesses the glove to play shortstop. However, Kilen’s arm is on the fringy side for a fielder expected to stick there long term. He is capable of making highlight reel stops and all the routine plays at short. But, rushed plays or throws from deep in the hole are likely not in his future.
For teams looking for a plus fielder with an advanced feel at the plate who could move rapidly through the minors, Kilen is a solid choice. Kilen has been mocked everywhere from 14-21 in the draft, putting him solidly in the range of players for the Diamondbacks to consider.
Slater de Brun, OF, Summit (OR) – committed to Vanderbilt
DOB: 8 June 2007
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 187 lbs.
B/R: L/L
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 65 | Arm: 50 | Field: 60 | Overall: 50
Slater de Brun represents one of two potential draft targets for Arizona that fits the Mike Hazen bill, an undersized, sparkplug, up-the-middle player with speed, leather, and a chance to be a plus hitter.
Slater de Brun is another player in the same vein as Corbin Carroll and Slade Caldwell. He is capable of playing any of the three outfield positions, with enough arm to even stick in right, though the arm profiles as average there, that is still better than most of his undersized peers. His fielding instincts and 70-grade speed mean he will likely see most of his time in center, at least until he rises through the ranks to the point where he comes up against a defensively elite MLB-caliber CF, of which Arizona has a number of such candidates.
De Brun shows a great feel for the bat in the zone and has an advanced understanding of the strike zone and pitch identification for someone of his age. Power is never likely to be de Brun’s calling card. Even bulking up some now that he is starting to fill out his small frame, he will likely never be more than a 10-12 home run bat – in a good year. De Brun does show a good ability to drive the ball on a line, making use of gaps and ground balls the other way to then make the best use of his speed, which plays as well on the basepaths as it does in the outfield.
Most evaluators have de Brun slotted as a late first round pick. The result is that, Arizona will almost certainly have an opportunity to take him at #18. Or, they could also hold out and see if he is available at #29., something that seems like close to a 50/50 proposition. However, if Arizona was to reach for de Brun at #18, his talent profile makes it an acceptable reach and not one that is terribly crazy. In fact, de Brun has been mocked by most in the 17-26 range. As Mike Hazen has demonstrated a track record of success with such players, de Brun at #18 make an awful lot of sense.
Kayson Cunningham, SS/2B, Johnson HS (San Antonio) – committed to Texas
DOB: 25 June 2006
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 182 lbs.
B/L: L/R
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Kayson Cunningham represents a second player in the draft that fits what has become the “Mike Hazen model” of player. Cunningham is yet another undersized, dynamic, speedy player with good defensive skills and a nose for causing trouble. Again, like de Brun, Cunningham is more hit over power. There is a big difference here though. Cunningham, at “merely 19 year of age”, can make a strong argument for being the best pure hitter in the entire draft class. Cunningham’s elite bat-to-ball skills could se him selected just outside the top-10. Or, because of his size and the variability of talent in this draft, he could fall to the likes of Arizona at #18. He has been mocked as high as 12 and as low as 24. Cunningham’s elite plate discipline and pitch recognition make him one of the hardest hitters to strike out in this season’s draft. He rarely takes a swing and comes up empty. With a swing that produces solid gap-to-gap line drives, Cunningham is an on-base machine with 40 double potential. This paired with his elite base running makes him a dangerous table-setter Between Cunningham’s excellent contact ability and his propensity for barreling the ball, Cunningham projects as a 15-20 home run hitter, though most will be of the lofting line drive variety.
Unlike Corbin Carroll, Slade Caldwell, and Slater de Brun, Cunningham currently plays on the dirt, though he has the defensive instincts and speed to also play comfortably on the grass. He has the defensive range and the soft hands to play either middle infield position. However, his mechanics and average arm strength could see him slide over to second base should he find himself playing alongside a plus defensive shortstop. Should a team want Cunningham to move more rapidly through the minors, a shift to the outfield is not out of the question. Such a move will take advantage of Cunningham’s plus speed and his strong defensive instincts.
The Holdover, Josh Hammond, RHP/3B/SS, Wesleyan Christian (NC) – committed to Wake Forest
DOB: 21 September 2006
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 215 lbs.
B/T: R/R
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 65 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50
Yesterday, we covered prepster, Josh Hammond as a potential two-way player. Not only would he be a potential target for Arizona if they were interested in pitching in the first round, but he would also be a fair pick should they be considering a young impact bat.
Coverage of Hammond can be found in yesterday’s article, here.
Hammond is this season’s draft’s best chance of developing as a two-way player. The biggest impediment to that may be Hammond himself, who prefers to be a hitter than to be a 100 mph pitcher. As a fan, this is somewhat disappointing, as Hammond is largely considered to have one of the top-5 fastballs and one of the top-5 breaking balls in the draft.
Hammond is a solid defender at third with a cannon for an arm. There is little doubt that he has the glove and reflexes to stick there for the long haul. Should his bat continue to improve incrementally as it has for the last three years, Hammond will be quick to playing third in the Majors. If he elects to be used both ways, he is probably on a four-year arrival timeline.