If you look at the Top 100 of the best Draft Prospects 2018 of MLB Pipeline, you will notice pitcher in the first place. The first position player to be mentioned is Nick Madrigal, the Second Baseman of the University of Oregon. And for good reason.
Madrigal is a dream for many scouts and even the analytics departments of the MLB clubs should be enthusiastic about the 21-year-old. The reason for that is the fact that he’s getting on base. And how!
In three years at the Pacific-10 Conference, Madrigal increased his on-base performance days from .380 to.496 in the 2018 season, which, admittedly, should only be used to a limited extent as the infielder broke his wrist at the start of the season and therefore only played 29 games.
Nevertheless, the number is outstanding and becomes even better when you look at his strikeouts and walks. Madrigal knows exactly where the strike zone is and makes perfect use of it. In all his college years he always had more walks than strikeouts – in 2018 even eleven walks compared to only four “Ks”.
It is not a power hitter, but a constant supplier of hard contact. He hits the balls with authority and should be a constant danger for extra basehits. He also has elite speed that allows him to steal bases. The instincts are also there for good base running – the result: in 2017 alone he scored 53 runs in only 60 games.
2017 was his best year ever for the Beavers. Not only was he voted Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-10, he was also named Player of the Year.
The first title also shows how talented he is in the field. Quite a few assume that he could be a second baseman at gold-glove level, perhaps even giving a convincing shortstop. For Oregon State he only doesn’t play shortstop because this job is already occupied by the equally highly talented Cadyn Grenier.
However, Madrigal is no blank slate for the MLB, after all, the Cleveland Indians drew him in the draft as early as 2015. In round seven, he was 514th pick to the team from Ohio. However, no contract was signed because the Indians were unable to pay the demanded hand money of more than one million dollars due to pool money restrictions. So Madrigal went to college.
Three years later, however, he is considered the first-hour and in some circles even the top 3 candidate in the MLB Draft 2018.
All this even though the Second Baseman doesn’t exactly have guardsize. With a height of 1.70 meters, Madrigal would only be the second Middle Infielder since 1965 after Joey Cora (1.70 m), who is 1.72 meters or smaller and was drawn in the first lap. The Padres grabbed the older brother of today’s Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, with the 23rd pick.
In 2018, however, size will only play a minor role in the eyes of those responsible for MLB. This is not least due to Madrigal, especially Dustin Pedroia. The 1.75 metre tall Red Sox second baseman, who was drawn in the second round in 2004, even won the 2008 MVP Award of the American League, despite his low height.
In a way, he laid the foundation for the much greater acceptance of comparatively smaller players today. Ozzie Albies (1.73 m) from the Atlanta Braves and of course AL MVP Jose Altuve (1.68 m) from the Houston Astros benefit from this fact.
And so Madrigal is all about his abilities and the – and impressive – achievements on the field so far. “I think people are beginning to realize that there are winners and big leaguer in different sizes and styles. He can do things in baseball that many other guys can’t even dream of,” Beavers coach Pat Casey summed it up.
As for the lack of power so far – he only hit seven home runs in three years – it is quite conceivable that he will improve in this discipline. “Some of the tougher exit velocities come from people of smaller stature,” an American League official told mlb.com: “Some of these guys can create a lot of pressure and bat speed with shorter swings. The current prime example of this is Mookie Betts (1.75 m), who leads the MLB in home runs.
Casey also highlighted another quality of his protégé to mlb.com: “If you sometimes have high-profile players, you have to motivate them and take care of them. Not with this guy. No counseling. He’s a great man, a good student.” And Casey even went one step further: “He’ll end up in the Big Leagues in a year, a year and a half or two. I know, you’ve got to evolve first. But put him in a big league uniform and e.r. can play immediately.”
This article was published without previous view by the Major League Baseball.