Top 10 College Hitters in the 2019 MLB Draft
The 2019 MLB Draft is quickly approaching and Off the Bench is proud to present a series of Top 10s, running through the various groups that MLB clubs will be picking from. First up, and for good reason, is the crop of college hitters who figure to go early in next month’s MLB Draft.
#1 ADLEY RUTSCHMAN, C, OREGON STATE
Adley Rutschman is the heavy favorite to go first in the draft this year. I remember watching Adley Rutschman last year as he was part of one the best lineups in the country. He hit alongside two first round draft picks in Nick Madrigal and Trevor Larnach and helped lead Oregon State to a College World Series Championship and he went on to win the Most Outstanding Player Award. Last year he led the Beavers in hitting and is continuing to do that once again this year, even improving on his stats from a year ago. Through 49 games, he has a slash line of .433/.582/.793. I remember even a year ago thinking that Adley Rutschman was one of the best all around talents I have seen and that he very well could be the first overall pick. After winning the College World Series, Rutschman joined Team USA and he would go on to lead that team in average, OBP, and slugging. As a freshman, he played college football and was Oregon State’s Kicker.
Size: 6’1″, 185. Hits: S. Throws: R
Hitting: Rutschman is a plus hitter from both sides of the plate and he has plus power as well. He has an advanced approach and has walked more times than he’s struck out.
Fielding: Adley Rutschman is one of the best defensive catchers in college and he has a plus arm and apparently does a great job of working with pitchers.
2019 and beyond: Rutschman seemingly has no weaknesses and is a great defensive catcher. I think he will be the first pick in the draft and he should be able to move quickly after he gets drafted. Imagine a Gold Glove Catcher who can hit 25-30 Home Runs and still hit for a good average.
#2 ANDREW VAUGHN, 1B, CALIFORNIA
In 2017 Andrew Vaughn was the Pac-12 Freshman of the year, and in 2018 he won the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the top player in College Baseball after he hit .402/.531/.819 with 23 home runs. There were thoughts early on in the year that he could possibly be the 1st college first baseman to go first overall.
Size: 5’11”, 214. Hits: R. Throws: R
Hitting: Scouts love Vaughns hit tool. He also has a good feel for the strike zone and tremendous raw power. He is considered to be the best hitter in the 2019 draft class. Vaughn has an advanced approach at the plate and has drawn more walks than strikeouts consistently throughout his college career. He is an all fields type of hitter and he is good at barreling balls up.
Fielding: Vaughn is a solid defender at first base. He believes he has the ability to play either third base or the outfield but most scouts feel he is first base only. He has a strong arm that allowed him to pitch his Freshman year.
2019 and beyond: Andrew Vaughn should be among the first few names called on draft day and he projects to be a future middle of the lineup run producer/All-Star. Some scouts feel he is the best hitter in this years draft and that he is the most advanced hitter which should allow him to move through the minors quickly.
#3 J.J. BLEDAY, OF, VANDERBILT
J.J. Bleday is one of the best outfielders available in this years draft class. Watching him play last year, he did not have as much power as he has shown this year. He has always been a middle of the order hitter due to his hitting ability, but the pop has really shown through this year. Last summer, scouts voted him as the top prospect in the Cape Cod League. Through 51 games this season Bleday was tied for the NCAA lead in Home Runs with 23.
Size: 6’3″, 205. Hits: L. Throws: L
Hitting: Bleday is good at recognizing pitches and consistently makes nice hard contact often times resulting in extra base hits and home runs. He has excellent bat speed and plus raw power that he has been able to tap into more this season. He is an average runner but he has good baserunning instincts.
Fielding: Bleday has a plus arm and is a solid fielder with average speed and good instincts. He profiles as a future right fielder.
2019 and beyond: This season he has hit more home runs than he had during his first 2 years combined. If this is the real Bleday, what with his plus raw power translating to in-game dingers, he is going to be a special player at the major league level, capable of being an All-Star someday.
#4 HUNTER BISHOP, OF, ARIZONA STATE
Hunter Bishop is the younger brother of Mariners outfielder Braden Bishop. He has some of the best tools in this years draft class. Coming into the 2018 fall, he changed his stance and it has helped to transform him into one of the best hitters in college baseball. He has been able to make more consistent hard contact all while cutting down his strikeouts. Through 49 games this year, he owns a slash line of .366/.492/.814 with 22 home runs.
Size: 6’4″, 215. Hits: L. Throws: R
Hitting: The first thing that stands out with Bishop is his ridiculous power, his raw power grades as a 70 and if he can continue to improve his hit tool, which projects to be above average, it should allow him to hit for more in-game power. He could eventually hit 25-30 home runs someday. He has shown the ability to drive the ball to all fields this year. He also has plus speed.
Fielding: Hunter Bishop projects to be a future center fielder thanks to his plus speed and he also has an above average arm.
2019 and beyond: Hunter Bishop lacks the track record of the other top college hitters but scouts believe in Bishop’s newfound swing and approach. The ability to play in centerfield, and the potential for a middle of the order hitter, make a scout’s dream. He is a toolsy left handed hitter who should go early this year even though he might not move as quickly as the other 3 college hitters ranked ahead of him.
#5 SHEA LANGELIERS, C, BAYLOR
Shea Langeliers in most years would be the best catcher in his draft class due to his defensive ability, which alone would make him a first round talent. This spring, he has shown more with the bat than he had as a sophomore. In 2018, he was awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove award for being the top defensive catcher as an underclassman.
Size: 6’1″, 190. Hits: R. Throws: R
Hitting: Langeliers projects to be an above average hitter with above average power. He is a below average runner, but Brian McCann likely will not be challenging him to any footraces soon.
Fielding: Shea is one of the best defensive catchers to come along in years. He is a plus plus defender with a great arm that grades as a 70, he was able to throw out almost 70 percent of base stealers last year. His in game pop times are around 1.8, the average major leaguer is around 2.0 and the leader this year has averaged 1.9.
2019 and beyond: Thanks to his skills as an outstanding defensive catcher with the ability to hit at the next level, I believe he should go among the top 10-15 picks. If he fell lower than that, it would be a surprise as catchers like him don’t come around often. Whichever team feels like it needs a catcher for the future would love to take him early on draft day as he should move quickly because of his defense.
#6 BRYSON STOTT, SS, UNLV
Bryson Stott is one of the best college shortstops in this years draft. He played for Team USA this past summer and he is a very toolsy shortstop, who is a plus defender. He reminds some of Brandon Crawford. Through 51 Games this spring he has a slash line of .369/.498/.636 with 10 home runs.
Size: 6’3″, 195. Hits: L. Throws: R
Hitting: Bryson projects to be a plus hitter and does a great job of making contact. For his career, he has drawn more walks than strikeouts helping to show that he has an advanced feel and knowledge of the strike zone. He currently doesn’t show a lot of power at the plate but in BP he shows the ability to hit maybe 15 or more homeruns. He is an above average runner.
Fielding: Stott is an above average defender with a strong arm. Scouts feel that he could play multiple positions if necessary.
2019 and beyond: Bryson Stott is at least average or better in all five tool categories and scouts feel his bat is his best tool. Although he might not hit for much power, he is still a difference maker due to his ability to be an above average defender with above average speed. He could move fast through the minors since his floor is relatively low and his athletic ability figure to make him at least an average player on the infield.
#7 JOSH JUNG, 3B, TEXAS TECH
Josh Jung has had success since the start of his college career when he won Big XII Freshman of the Year honors in 2017. As a Sophomore he led the Big XII in Hitting, On-Base, and RBI’s and helped lead Texas Tech to the College World Series in Omaha last year. A top name in the draft back in February, he struggled a bit early on and moved down the list but he has started hitting again more recently. Through 46 games this year he owns a slash line of .355/.491/.634. with 9 Home Runs.
Size: 6’2″, 215.Hits: R. Throws: R
Hitting: Jung has an all fields hitting approach and scouts believe he will be an above average hitter. He should be able to tap into his above average power once he learns to turn on pitches more. He has good knowledge of the strike zone and has good bat speed. He is an average runner.
Fielding: Jung has a strong arm that should allow him to stick at the hot corner. He lacks quickness and the lateral range to be an above average fielder, but he has good instincts and good hands. Texas Tech has had him play shortstop at times this season.
2019 and beyond: Jung is one of the better college hitters in this draft class and is still continuing to improve his game. He should be able to stick at third base and he has the potential to hit 25 plus home runs some day.
#8 WILL WILSON, SS, N.C. STATE
Will Wilson has been one of my favorite players to watch this year as he has been one of the best hitters in the ACC. He helped NC State become quite a force; the team won 28 of its first 30 games before Wilson was injured. Will Wilson is back healthy and hitting again. Through 47 games played, he owns a slash line of .346/.429/.681 with 15 Home Runs while playing solid defense at shortstop.
Size: 6’0″, 180. Hits: R. Throws: R
Hitting: Will Wilson is an excellent hitter with good instincts and he has above average power. Wilson is an average runner. He projects to be an offensive-minded middle infielder, likely sliding over to second as he approaches the Majors.
Fielding: Will Wilson is a solid average defender at shortstop but he profiles better at second base due to his lack of speed.
2019 and beyond: Will Wilson is a good hitter who should hit for both power and average and he is versatile enough to play shortstop but he profiles better at second base. He could move quickly and should be among the top 25 picks this year.
#9 KAMERON MISNER, OF, MISSOURI
Kameron Misner perhaps has the best tools among all the outfielders in the draft, but his hit tool is behind a few of the other top outfielders in this year’s draft class. He has struggled in conference play this spring, but there is still a lot to like. He has a great chance to be the first position player to be drafted in the first round out of Missouri.
Size: 6’4″, 220. Hits: L. Throws: L
Hitting: Misner looks like a potential big time power hitter as he displays plenty of loft in his swing and he is very strong and athletic. He projects to be an average to above average hitter with above average power. If he can continue to improve as a hitter, he could grade better in the future as he shows plenty of power in BP. He is also a plus runner and a good base runner with good instincts. He has the potential to be a 20 Home Runs and 20 Stolen Base type of talent.
Fielding: He can play all three outfield positions and has looked good in centerfield, even though this year was his first year playing out there. He also has a plus arm which would play well in right field as well. He looks to be an above average defensive outfielder regardless of position.
2019 and beyond: Misner will have to improve his contact to help tap into his power potential, but he has all the talent in the world. Scouts like his makeup, so the likelihood of maximizing that talent is higher than most. He could end up some day being the best outfielder in the class but he has a lot of work ahead of him and it might take him a bit to develop.
#10 LOGAN DAVIDSON, SS, CLEMSON
Logan Davidson is an exciting player thanks to his athleticism. He can play almost any position on the infield and he is a switch hitter which means he would be a great utility player for some team. He might possibly have been considered the best shortstop had he not struggled to hit with wood bats the past few summers. He has had a nice spring putting up a slash line of .300/.418/.599 with 14 Home Runs in 53 games. His dad is a former major leaguer.
Size: 6’3″, 185. Hits: S. Throws: R
Hitting: Logan Davidson has struggled to show he can hit with wood the past few summers, but he is still getting stronger and filling out more of his 6’3″ frame. He generates plus raw power. His swing at times can get long, which leads to strikeouts against offspeed stuff. His bat has its questions but he has shown the ability to improve every year and he should have above average power as he develops more. He is an above average to plus runner.
Fielding: Davidson is tall for a shortstop but he should still be able to stick there thanks to his athleticism and strong arm.
2019 and beyond: Davidson is a super athletic player, who is still improving his game and might take a bit longer to develop. He has a solid chance to stick at shortstop and develop into a special player. He’s a guy that checks all the boxes: can switch hit, has above average speed, and can hit for above average power as well.
-Jim Weisser
