79 replies to this topic

[BobPhelan]

21 years old - 6'1'', 170 lbs

 

1st Round Pick - Center Field

 

80 grade speed, 70/80 grade defense, great swing decisions.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Law had him ranked #12:

 

 

Enrique Bradfield Jr.

OF

VANDERBILT

DOB:

12-02-2001

HEIGHT:

6-1

WEIGHT:

170

Scouting Report

Bats: L, Throws: L

Bradfield brings two elite tools to the table – he’s an 80 runner and at least a 70 defender in center, maybe an 80, thanks to that speed and very good reads on balls off the bat. He’s stolen 129 bases in three seasons with the Commodores, through the end of this year’s regular season, with just 13 times caught stealing, none as a sophomore when he was a perfect 46 of 46. At the plate, however, he comes with some questions, including a swing that needs a ton of help. He loads his hands very deep, takes a big stride, opens his hips early, and collapses his back side … it’s a wonder he hits as well as he does, but also opens a world of possibilities for improvement. He’s slight, but not weak, with exit velocities that point to average power if he can sync up his upper and lower halves and stay more upright through contact. The 14 homers he’s hit since the start of 2022 are a promising sign, and could still get him into the top-10 picks for a team that loves the floor his speed and defense provide.

 

[Mike in STL]

Not going to pretend to know anything about the guy.

But I don’t like to hear his batting “comes with some questions” for a first round pick. Just like I hated the Ravens pick of Perriman when the scouting report was he’s fast, but hands are a questionable. Catching is part of the job. I’d be fine with Perriman as a 3rd round pick with that profile.

I don’t know. Guy is fast and plays good D. Questionable at the plate. Did they just draft Mateo but in the OF? Probably not. I tend to trust Elias and co. more than Law obviously.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Just not the profile of a guy whos likely to ever be a top 30 prospect. Prob not top 50. Unless some 20 HR pop develops quickly which no one should expect. Or the hit tool becomes amazing and people think he is going to be a consistent .300 hitter in the Show. Hes a high floor guy through and through. But that doesnt mean he cant be a 5 WAR player by being a lets say .270/.350/.410 guy.

[makoman]

Not going to pretend to know anything about the guy.

But I don’t like to hear his batting “comes with some questions” for a first round pick. Just like I hated the Ravens pick of Perriman when the scouting report was he’s fast, but hands are a questionable. Catching is part of the job. I’d be fine with Perriman as a 3rd round pick with that profile.

I don’t know. Guy is fast and plays good D. Questionable at the plate. Did they just draft Mateo but in the OF? Probably not. I tend to trust Elias and co. more than Law obviously.

The way I see it everybody available at 17 is going to have warts. There's very few sure things in the MLB draft, and none are there at 17. A late 1st rounder in the NFL is mostly expected to start in the first few weeks, a mid first rounder in MLB still needs several years of development.

 

All these guys they picked so far seem like they already have some good traits, and if they develop some particular thing they can really move to the next level. This guy has a lot of stuff you can't teach, but seems to have a wonky swing. Swings can be fixed.

 

I like that because the team has shown that they know how to develop and they know what they're good at, so they can target guys that need what they're good at. If this was say the 2010 O's I'd hate it cause I'd have no faith in the development. Obviously you aren't going to bat 1.000 with development, but "stud if they can tweak some things" is a reasonable try mid first IMO.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

The way I see it everybody available at 17 is going to have warts. There's very few sure things in the MLB draft, and none are there at 17. A late 1st rounder in the NFL is mostly expected to start in the first few weeks, a mid first rounder in MLB still needs several years of development.

All these guys they picked so far seem like they already have some good traits, and if they develop some particular thing they can really move to the next level. This guy has a lot of stuff you can't teach, but seems to have a wonky swing. Swings can be fixed.

I like that because the team has shown that they know how to develop and they know what they're good at, so they can target guys that need what they're good at. If this was say the 2010 O's I'd hate it cause I'd have no faith in the development. Obviously you aren't going to bat 1.000 with development, but "stud if they can tweak some things" is a reasonable try mid first IMO.

Again, high floor lower ceiling. They couldve took one of these prep players who went after and if everything went really well they couldve had yet another Top 10 prospect in a year and a half or two years. That wont be Bradfield. Thats ok. You dont need to swing for the fences every time. Especially middle of the first.

[BobPhelan]

I don’t know. Guy is fast and plays good D. Questionable at the plate. Did they just draft Mateo but in the OF? Probably not. I tend to trust Elias and co. more than Law obviously.

He’s better than Mateo at everything except raw power and infield defense. He has a very low chase rate, more walks than strikeouts. He’s not a sexy pick unless they develop his hit/power which at least they have the capability of doing under this FO. The defense is so good tho, that is where he compares to Mateo just in CF.

[Mackus]

I really think people need to think about what you are expecting to get in the middle of the first round. Expecting, not hoping. You can find a superstar or All-Star, but it's a 1-in-10 type thing. It's about a coin flip that they get more than a cup of coffee. Maybe 1-in-4 that you get an actual career major leaguer.

[Mike B]

It sounds like the Orioles have some work to do with his swing.  The deep farm system gives them time to work on the kid and get him ready.  He sounds like a highlight reel in the field and on the bases.

[Mike B]

Not going to pretend to know anything about the guy.

But I don’t like to hear his batting “comes with some questions” for a first round pick. Just like I hated the Ravens pick of Perriman when the scouting report was he’s fast, but hands are a questionable. Catching is part of the job. I’d be fine with Perriman as a 3rd round pick with that profile.

I don’t know. Guy is fast and plays good D. Questionable at the plate. Did they just draft Mateo but in the OF? Probably not. I tend to trust Elias and co. more than Law obviously.

Law did have him ranked 12th, so he likes the kid.  

[JeremyStrain]

Think Kenny Lofton/Marquis Grissom.

[CantonJester]

IMO he’s the perfect candidate for reconstructing a swing:

 

he’s intellectually curious, he researches everything, and he’s already got the wheels and glove. Bonus points for already possessing a good eye at the plate.

 

Personally, I don’t care about launch angles. I want to see gap power and a hit tool that sprays the ball to all fields. 

 

Like I said last night, my guess is the O’s gamed it out where if he fell into their lap, they were taking him.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Id get a Bradfield jersey today if they didnt need to be custom made

[hallas]

Just not the profile of a guy whos likely to ever be a top 30 prospect. Prob not top 50. Unless some 20 HR pop develops quickly which no one should expect. Or the hit tool becomes amazing and people think he is going to be a consistent .300 hitter in the Show. Hes a high floor guy through and through. But that doesnt mean he cant be a 5 WAR player by being a lets say .270/.350/.410 guy.

His EV on batted balls are pretty good in an elite conference, and his athleticism is obviously off the charts. If the O's think he's a mechanical adjustment away from developing game power (and with their recent track record of developing bats you can hardly blame them for thinking this way) then he has a pretty high ceiling. People are probably discounting his power potential because of his build, but Corbin Carroll exists too. He already has the bat-to-ball skills and the eye, much more so than someone like Mateo did when he was coming up

[Mike in STL]

Think Kenny Lofton/Marquis Grissom.

Kenny Lofton was a .300 hitter. Not Hall of fame, but leads that next tier. Like maybe the veterans committee puts him in one day.

I’ll gladly take that guy batting leadoff for a decade+

[JeremyStrain]

Kenny Lofton was a .300 hitter. Not Hall of fame, but leads that next tier. Like maybe the veterans committee puts him in one day.

I’ll gladly take that guy batting leadoff for a decade+

The hitting is the question with him but I feel pretty confident that they wouldn’t have taken him if they didn’t think his contact skills were up to par.

80 speed will translate to some hits in itself.

It’ll be interesting to see how he develops at the plate. If he’s got a decent eye, that OBP will get up there and you could have a dream lead off/CF type.

This kid could be a real monster.

[Slidemaster]

The Orioles seem to love taking guys with
a good work ethic and with raw tools that can't be coached. After they're in the system they rely on their coaching staff to fix the problems they might have mechanically.

Hopefully that strategy works out here too.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

The hitting is the question with him but I feel pretty confident that they wouldn’t have taken him if they didn’t think his contact skills were up to par.

80 speed will translate to some hits in itself.

It’ll be interesting to see how he develops at the plate. If he’s got a decent eye, that OBP will get up there and you could have a dream lead off/CF type.

This kid could be a real monster.

Of course. They arent taking a pure speed/D guy at 17 like dude makes it sound above. Oh, you can find speed and D at any point. Well not 80 grade speed and 70 or more grade D in CF. Regardless, there has to be a bat and there has to be potential for solid pop to go 1:17. Hes 6'1. Hes not overly small. Some of the write ups have said evaluators expected more pop to come vs when they saw him in HS. He didnt bring the pop as they hoped but its also not like he was purely a singles hitter. Law really got on his set up and mechanics. Its as if he believes there could be a relatively easy fix to find more pop.

[Mackus]

Any recent comps of bats that were "only" 850ish OPS in college that turned into good hitting pros?

 

Can't find Lofton or Grissom's college stats.  Pillar and Kiermaier were both very late picks.  Juan Pierre was 375/450/520 but at a smaller school.  Brian Roberts was 350/460/600 at UNC and South Carolina.  Not intending to only compare him to speedy leadoff guys, but those are the names we've mentioned the most in this thread.

 

Jackie Bradley Jr was under 800 as a junior in the SEC, but he had stronger years as a frosh and soph (Bradfield was also better as a soph).

[JeremyStrain]

Of course. They arent taking a pure speed/D guy at 17 like dude makes it sound above. Oh, you can find speed and D at any point. Well not 80 grade speed and 70 or more grade D in CF. Regardless, there has to be a bat and there has to be potential for solid pop to go 1:17. Hes 6'1. Hes not overly small. Some of the write ups have said evaluators expected more pop to come vs when they saw him in HS. He didnt bring the pop as they hoped but its also not like he was purely a singles hitter. Law really got on his set up and mechanics. Its as if he believes there could be a relatively easy fix to find more pop.

Yeah that’s why Lofton came to mind first. He developed some pop as he went. But just knowing how they are about on base skills and contact, seems like the kinda player they are looking at.