The Cleveland Guardians swung for the fences with their first-round pick.
They took Texas A&M star OF Jace LaViolette with the No. 27 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
And while the upside is most definitely there, there are also some major concerns about his strikeout rate and plate discipline.
With that in mind, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report claimed that he had shades of Adam Dunn:
“MLB Comp: more athletic Adam Dunn,” Reuter wrote. “LaViolette was one of the leading candidates to go No. 1 overall at the start of the spring on the heels of a sophomore season where he hit .305/.449/.726 with 29 home runs and 78 RBI in 68 games. Those gaudy numbers helped mask his 81 strikeouts, and the swing-and-miss issues became more pronounced this spring as he hit just .258 with a 25.2 percent strikeout rate. He still logged a .427 on-base percentage and swatted 18 home runs, but he now profiles more as a three outcomes guy with 30-homer upside than a potential offensive superstar.”
That seems to be a fair comparison.
LaViolette was a true three-outcome player last season, and while he has an ability to draw walks with ease, his tendency to chase pitches is quite worrisome.
The Guardians’ development and training staff will have their work cut out for them, as they need to clean up his game to help him fulfill his true potential.
He has the physical tools to be one of the deadliest sluggers in the game, and he absolutely crushes the baseball once he gets hold of it.
Unfortunately, he’s not going to get many opportunities if he keeps chasing and striking out, at least in the majors.
To add insult to injury, literally, he might not even play at all in the minors this season as he’s recovering from surgery.
Even so, we’re talking about a young man who was in legitimate consideration for being the first player taken off the board.
He was supposed to be taken earlier in the MLB Draft, and the upside and talent were just too notorious not to roll the dice on him at No. 27.
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