With the 2018 Draft fast approaching (June 4-6 on MLB Network and MLB.com), we take a closer look at the top prospects in this year's class.
:: 2018 Draft coverage ::
Name: Travis Swaggerty
Position: OF
School: South Alabama
Rank on Draft Top 200: 11
DOB: 08/19/1997
Bats: L
Throws: L
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 180 pounds
Tools
(Future grades on 20-80 scouting scale)
Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55
Top 20 Draft Prospects profiles
Stats
53 G, .295/.450/.540, 52 R, 13 HR
Scouting Report
Swaggerty, a man undrafted and not on MLB radars coming out of Denham Springs High School in Louisiana, will become the first South Alabama player since 1991 to be selected as a first-round pick during the 2018 Draft, when he is expected to be among the first college position players picked.
Swaggerty gets on base at a high clip, thanks in large part to his above-average speed and patience at the plate. His power numbers have steadily risen since he entered college ball, his home run total increasing incrementally every year he's suited up for South Alabama. The lefty does strike out quite a bit -- especially for a guy with the traditional skills of a leadoff hitter -- because he can be off-balance and over-aggressive at times, especially against breaking balls. Regardless, evaluators rate him as a five-tool talent, on account of his abilities in center field as well, where his speed has afforded him MLB-level range, and his arm -- his fastball reached 92 mph in high school -- is a weapon.
MLB comp:Brett Gardner
Fun fact: Swaggerty impressed with Team USA last summer, with some scouts calling him the best position-player prospect on the squad.
He said it: "Out of high school, I always said it doesn't matter where you go to school, it's all about what you do when you're there. I think I've taken full advantage of that." -- Swaggerty, to BTS Sports
They said it: "That's really high praise, and I don't throw that around loosely. I'm just telling you what I see, and I've seen both of them. I recruited Jackie and I've been around Travis for two years. I've seen him do some similar things in terms of adjustments, and just baseball intelligence, hitter intelligence. He's on base a lot, he knows the strike zone. He adjusts pitch-to-pitch, at-bat to at-bat, and that's what the best players do." -- South Alabama head couch Mark Calvi comparing Swaggerty to Jackie Bradley, whom Calvi helped recruit to South Carolina in 2008, via AL.com.