The Cincinnati Reds have selected Sammy Stafura with the 43rd overall pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. Stafura is a shortstop out of Walter Panas High School in Cortlandt Manor, New York.
Sammy Stafura Scouting Report
Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 188 lbs.
Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Position: Shortstop
Highest Ranking: 25th – Keith Law/The Athletic
There’s a lot of upside with Sammy Stafura. Already known earlier in his high school career, he really took off in the last year. A strong athlete, Stafura has 5-tool potential. At the plate he’s got a chance to hit for both average and some power, with 25 home runs being the upside.
Where he really stands out is with his speed where he’s a plus to plus-plus runner. Defensively he’s no slouch. He’s a shortstop now and he should remain there long term where he’s got good range and a quality arm. With his speed there’s some thoughts that he could slide to center if shortstop doesn’t work out for one reason or another. He’s considered one of the best athletes in the draft.
Sammy Stafura Video
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I would be lying to all of you if I said that I didn’t prefer the high upside picks, even if there’s some risk involved with them, once you get outside of the top 15 picks in the draft. And that’s exactly where the Reds went with this pick. Stafura’s tools, if they develop into skills, could make him a 25-25 shortstop at the big league level.
While you will see plenty of 50 grades on his future hit tool (league average), some scouts think there are some unanswered questions about just how much he will hit for and have him as more of a power over hit kind of player. At shortstop that’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as you can hit for enough average to remain an every day player.
Scouting Director Joe Katuska on Sammy Stafura
On what they liked:
Sammy’s a tremendous athlete. We believe he will stick in the middle of the field. Plus run, plus arm, good shortstop actions with a bat that we’ve seen and like. There’s power potential. I think people have seen video from the combine and what he looks like. Very strong kid, hard worker, really self made. We like what the future has for him when he gets professional instruction.
For information on all of the Cincinnati Reds 2023 Draft Picks click here