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The Cincinnati Reds hold the 7th overall pick in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. It will start on June 3rd and run through June 5th. Today we will take a look at the outfielders who could be potential targets for the Reds in the first round. We’ve covered the starting pitchers and the infielders already (part 1 and part 2).
How is this group?
It’s a shallow group, but it’s top heavy, too. The depth isn’t there for the entire first round but there are four outfielders in the top 10, too.
The Rankings
Earlier in May I went through the rankings for several national publications and averaged out their rankings to give an “overall” ranking for the Top 30 players in the draft. Here’s how the rankings lined up for the outfielders, with their overall ranking in parenthesis:
- Corbin Carroll (5)
- Riley Greene (6)
- JJ Bleday (7)
- Hunter Bishop (9)
That’s the extent of the outfielders in the top 20. And all of them happen to be inside of the top 9 prospects in the draft. That puts them all in the right “range” for the Cincinnati Reds at the #7 overall pick. It’s worth noting that the above rankings would look a little different today than they did at the start of May when they first came out. Carroll would probably be the 4th player on the list – but he’s still well within the range of the others.
Corbin Carroll Scouting Report
The 5′ 10″ and 170-pound outfielder from Lakeside High School in Seattle tore up summer baseball in 2018. He’s carried that forward into the 2019 spring season, too. The left-handed hitter is old for his class – he’ll turn 19 in August.
A true center fielder with plus-plus speed, Corbin Carroll has plenty of range and a strong arm that should play well in center at the Major League level. At the plate he shows an above-average hit-tool to go with average power in the future. He also seems to have a good understanding of the strikezone.
The speed clearly stands out for the center fielder, but it’s his well-rounded game that’s such a selling point. There don’t appear to be any weaknesses in his game. And there are more than a few strengths, too.
Riley Greene Scouting Report
The 6′ 1″ and 191-pound outfielder from Hagerty High School in Florida may be the best hitter in the high school draft class depending on who you ask. His above-average to plus hit-tool is expected to develop rather quickly. He’s played high level competition, both in high school and on the international level with Team USA. While his power isn’t quite there yet, he’s got above-average power potential in the future to tap into from the left side. The one concern is that there has been times where he’s shown some swing-and-miss in his game.
Entering the season there were some questions about whether or not he’d wind up in left field or not due to his arm strength. This spring, though, his arm has improved and he looks like he’ll be able to play right field rather than left. The arm won’t stand out, but it’s strong enough to make right field work. His range should be fine for either corner spot, both now and in the future.
JJ Bleday Scouting Report
Vanderbilt’s 6′ 3″ and 205-pound corner outfielder is the top college outfield bat on the board. Maybe. Through 58 games played for the Commodores, JJ Bleday is hitting .357/.466/.758 with 11 doubles, a triple, and 26 home runs. He’s also walked 46 times and struck out 48 times.
The bat is the selling point for JJ Bleday. He entered the season as a back-of-the-first-round kind of player. But his power went from potential to present as he’s crushed 26 homers and he’s now seemingly cemented as a Top 10 pick. With plus raw power and an above-average hit-tool, his bat profiles very well for right field.
Defensively, either corner will work for Bleday, but his arm is just good enough to stick in right field. It won’t stand out there, but it’s strong enough to make the throws needed to play an ideal right field. His speed is fringe-average now and he’s expected to lose a step as his body matures. Ultimately that could push him to left down the line.
Hunter Bishop Scouting Report
The 6′ 5″ and 210-pound outfielder has been tearing up the Pac-12 this season. He’s hitting .347/.473/.765 on the season with 15 doubles, 4 triples, and 22 home runs. He’s also walked 43 times and he’s struck out 58 times.
Like Bleday, it’s the bat that is the selling point for Hunter Bishop. He’s already showing big time power, and there’s more to tap into in the future. The lefty hitter has plus-plus raw power that he may be able to tap into in the future. His hit-tool grades out as average, but his ability to make contact could keep him from reaching that. Big time power will play either way, though.
Defensively things can get interesting depending on who you talk to. Some believe he has a chance to stick in center, though most think he winds up in left field as a pro. He’s got plenty of speed to work with, which should work very well if he winds up in left. His arm won’t work in right field, and some don’t think it would work in center, either.
For the Cincinnati Reds
The college bats are both “bat first” types with some slight concerns about their contact, but not much concerns about how well the power will play. That is slightly more of a concern with Hunter Bishop than JJ Bleday – but both players have struck out more than they’ve walked this year and that’s always a bit of a red flag in the 1st round when it comes to the safeness of a college player.
Both Riley Greene and Corbin Carroll, the high schoolers from the group, have potential plus hit-tools to work with. Greene has the same big time power potential that the college group has, while Carroll is the true center fielder of the group. There’s more risk here given the developmental path and time likely required as high schoolers instead of a college hitter who is likely to move more quickly.
The Reds haven’t been directly linked to any of these guys, but have been indirectly linked to both of the college guys. It’s been mentioned nearly everywhere that the Reds would prefer a college bat at #7, and a guy like Bleday or Bishop could fit there well.