Round 1, Pick 1 (Connecticut Colonials): CF Ernesto Encarnación (Texas Tech University)
If you took a caveman and put them at a field with all of the draft picks and had them watch them all play for 20 minutes, even he would know that Ernesto would go first overall. A 6’3″ 190 lb. centerfielder with terrific speed, great reads and a top notch arm. Even without considering his bat, he would be considered a top player in the league. But his strong wrists, leading to good bat speed profiles him as a potential perennial .330+ hitter, with the ability to get upwards of 30 or more homeruns. His one weakness is he does have the potential to be a high strikeout guy, chasing many off-speed pitches when behind in the count.
Because of his unique skillset of elite defense combined with the tools to be a top-5 hitter in the league, there is no comparison to him in the league. While he is considered to be several years away, he’s already shown he’s ahead of the rest of his draft class, batting a lifetime .369 with 23 homeruns in his 2 years at Texas Tech.
Hit: 80 | Power: 75 | Run: 70 | Arm: 75 | Field: 80 | Overall: 75