Matt Thaiss | C

Background
Thaiss, 21, is a somewhat local kid from Jackson, New Jersey. He’s been one of the best hitters in college baseball the last two years, and this spring he put up a .375/.473/.578 batting line with ten homers, 39 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 60 games for Virginia. Thaiss was a 32nd round draft pick out of high school in 2013 (Red Sox).

Scouting Report
Thaiss is a bat first prospect with very good bat speed who projects to hit for both average and power from the left side. He has excellent strike zone knowledge and knows how to work the count and when to be aggressive early in an at-bat. The question with Thaiss is his defense. He’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 197 lbs. and he’s not a bad athlete, but his receiving is rough and his arm is below-average for the position. There’s better than a 50/50 chance he’ll wind up at another position down the road, either left field or first base. Whichever team drafts Thaiss is buying the bat and hoping he can catch.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Thaiss as the 21st best prospect in the draft class in his most recent rankings. Baseball America and MLB.com have him outside the first round at 28th and 35th, respectively. The Yankees pick 18th, and for what it’s worth, they’ve been connected to college bats in several mock drafts in recent weeks. Thaiss is arguably the best college hitter expected to actually be available when the Yankees pick.