2018 Draft Prospect Profile: Connor Scott

Connor Scott | OF

Background
Scott, 18, attends baseball powerhouse Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, which produced Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, Orioles reliever Mychal Givens, and current top Astros prospect Kyle Tucker, among many others. Scott had to sit out most showcase events last summer after having his appendix removed, and so far this spring he’s hitting .520/.613/.920 with four homers, eleven walks, and four strikeouts in 17 games. He’s committed to Florida.

Scouting Report
Naturally, Scott has drawn a lot of comparisons to Tucker leading up to the draft. They went to the same high school, they’re both good athletes with similar size (Scott is listed at 6-foot-4 and 180 lbs.), they have similar swings, and they’re both left-handed hitting outfielders. Tucker is the better pure hitter, however, though Scott is no slouch. He can drive the ball from pole to pole, and he has intriguing power potential. Scott is very good runner, which serves him well on the bases and in center field, where he is presently a good defender. Some think he’ll wind up in an outfield corner as he adds weight, but the potential to go 20-20 with above-average defense exists. It’s worth noting Scott is a two-way talent. He’s a left-handed thrower who sits in the low-90s on the mound and has a good curveball. The consensus is Scott has a brighter long-term future as a position player, so right now pitching is a fallback plan.

Miscellany
MLB.com ranks Scott as the 18th best prospect in the draft class, Baseball America ranks him 22nd, and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranks him 32nd. The Yankees hold the 23rd overall pick. Scott plays in the Yankees’ backyard — his high school is a 15 minute drive from George M. Steinbrenner Field and the Tampa offices — so I imagine they’ve had plenty of eyes on him this spring. The Yankees have selected similar tooled up lefty hitting prep outfielders high in the draft in recent years (Blake Rutherford and Slade Heathcott, most notably), and quality up-the-middle athletes are always in demand. Being unable to face premium high school talent in showcases last year hurt Scott’s draft stock, though with enough looks this spring, the Yankees could be convinced he’s worth their first round pick.