With their 9th round draft pick, the Cincinnati Reds selected Jack Rogers, an outfielder from Sam Houston State. Rogers is a four-year member of the Sam Houston State Bearkats. He made incredible strides as a player in his four years of college, which resulted in his selection in this year’s draft. He signed for $127,500 which is just below his slot value of $153,600.
Incredible Raw Power
He showed signs of being a mature and developed hitter in his last two seasons. He posted a .367 average and an OBP that was north of .470. This was much improved from his freshman season in which he hit below .300.
But for the most part, Rogers was known mostly for his power. During his senior season, he posted a tremendous .696 slugging percentage and an impressive 16 home runs and 18 doubles in just over 250 at-bats. His OPS was north of 1.000 which is an incredible number to post for a full season.
Throughout his career, he has been an all-or-nothing player. This has resulted in a higher number of strikeouts than most hitters of his caliber. In his college career, he struck out 166 times in just 650 plate appearances. In those 650 plate appearances, he only drew 65 walks.
Projectability
Rogers has shown the ability to play a few different positions in his career. He was mostly a corner outfielder but he showed the ability to play first base as well. When looking at his next level projectability, he mostly looks like a corner outfielder, where he shows the potential to be a good defender in either left or right field.
Another thing of note is his size. Rogers is 6’2 and listed at 185 pounds. He has a very projectable frame and still has room to grow into it as he begins his professional development. If he can keep his athleticism, he has room to gain a good amount of muscle to improve all aspects of his game.
Rogers even made a few appearances on the mound, showing a bit of promise when he did so. Although he was drafted and will begin his career solely as an outfielder, this idea leaves the door open to a possible position switch and career revival down the line. This isn’t a very popular route and is almost never successful. However, Anthony Gose found a career rejuvenation on this path. He spent his career as an outfielder but transitioned to a pitcher and now is a major leaguer for the Cleveland Indians.
Conclusion
Rogers has a ton of potential to be a very good player in the Cincinnati Reds farm system. He must continue to develop as a hitter and grow into his body a bit more if he wants to be the player that the Reds are imagining. The sky is the limit for the young prospect. It will be interesting to see how much of that potential gets tapped into.
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