Brady Ballinger

Ballinger had a huge breakout year this past season as Kansas, slashing .353 with 16 homeruns and an astounding 1.164 OPS. While the track record of hitting is limmited, from a batted ball data perspective, this has to be one of the more intruiging profiles in the class.

Ballinger sets up from a wide base, utilizing a huge leg kick and coiling into his back hip before drifiting forward to his front side. It can be a noisy opperation at times, but the production speaks for itself. Ballinger has an advanced approach at the plate, walking at a high clip and rarely expanding the zone. The contact quality stands out aswell, as Ballinger's barrel rates land towards the top of class, and there's significant feel to lift the baseball to the pullside. It's above average power projection, and a relatively mature hitter with at least average bat to ball skills.

Ballinger is on the bigger side, standing at 6 foot 2, 220 lbs with not much physical projection left. He projects as a long term first baseman with a well below average run tool, not much benefiting on the base paths. Even with the limited value of defense, the bat stands out in a big, big way. The offensive performance will have to keep up to expectations, but Ballinger looks like one of the top college first basemen in the draft class.