For today’s 2020 prospect breakdown we will be looking at former first-rounder, Royce Lewis. Royce is a plus speed shortstop with a good average.
I believe there are some things about his swing that limit his decision-making ability and it will be interesting to see how he continues to handle professional pitching.
As we know, Royce was drafted out of high school and certain things that work at that level don’t always translate to the professional level.
For today’s 2020 prospect breakdown we will be looking at the switch-hitting catcher of the Baltimore Orioles, Adley Rutschman.
Following an outstanding career at Oregon State, Adley was drafted number one by the Orioles in 2019.
He is obviously a very young player and is just getting started but there might be something in his swing that could hinder his movement upward in the organization. Watch to find out if this might apply to you as well.
Today we will look at Louis Robert of the Chicago White Sox. Louis stands at 6’3 185 pounds. Louis is a big guy whose power potential is off the charts. While he does hit the ball extremely hard, I did find a slight issue when I watched a good number of his swings.
I saw a good number of pop-ups and foul ball tips. There is a chance that his slightly forward head position could cause some issues as he moves up the ranks.
Number two on our 2020 Prospect List is Gavin Lux of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gavin is a middle infielder standing at about 6’2 and 190 pounds. Gavin has been great for most of his young career with some actual MLB appearances.
Though Lux went 20th overall in the 2016 Draft, that made him only the second-highest pick in his family behind uncle Augie Schmidt, the No. 2 overall pick and Golden Spikes Award winner in 1982. After signing for $2,314,500, Lux struggled for most of his first full pro season but has dominated since. He batted .347/.421/.607 in 2019, becoming the first middle infielder age 21 or younger to post a 1.000 OPS in the upper Minors since Gregg Jefferies in 1987 and coming within .001 in OBP of topping all Minor League shortstops in all three slash stats for the second straight year (Via MLB.com)
We will be looking at one of his post-season home runs as we break down what makes him a top prospect.
For any of you taller hitters, really pay attention to his ability to set certain angles from which to rotate on. This will be key as you get older and pitchers begin to locate down and away more often.
Gavin does a phenomenal job of setting his hinge and turning up behind a well-located pitch in this video. Yes, he pulls and outside pitch. It can be done!
Today is the first day of my 2020 prospect series. In this series, I will dissect baseball’s best up and comers. I will review their swings and highlight the things that I like and if needed, comment on what I think might hold them back.
My goal for this series is to show how some of the best young players in the game use their bodies. I want everyone who watches to pick up on something and perhaps be able to apply that to their own swings.
We will start with Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays. Wander is a switch-hitting shortstop who has had an incredible start to his career. Just recently, he was tabbed as Baseball America's #1 Prospect to start the 2020 season.
As one of the hottest names coming up through the baseball ranks in a while, I thought it would be cool to look back at all of the #1 Prospects from the past decade:
| 2019 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr, 3B | Blue Jays | |||
| 2018 | Ronald Acuna, OF | Braves | |||
| 2017 | Andrew Benintendi, OF | Red Sox | |||
| 2016 | Corey Seager, SS | Dodgers | |||
| 2015 | Kris Bryant, 3B | Cubs | |||
| 2014 | Byron Buxton, OF | Twins | |||
| 2013 | Jurickson Profar, SS | Rangers | |||
| 2012 | Bryce Harper, OF | Nationals | |||
| 2011 | Bryce Harper, OF | Nationals | |||
| 2010 | Jason Heyward, OF | Braves |
As you can see, he's put himself into some ELITE company. Does Wander have the swing right now to make in an All-Star? Our answer to that question might surprise you. Check out JK's breakdown below:
Attack Angle | In-Season | JK Whited | Leg Kick | Load | MLB | Power Swing | Swing Breakdown
