The Cleveland Guardians were used to picking higher in the first round of the MLB Draft.
However, they may have still made the most of their No. 27 selection.
They swung for the fences and took Texas A&M star outfielder Jace LaViolette.
He was one of the biggest sensations in high school just a couple of years ago, and he looked like a grown man among children even in college.
Nevertheless, given his worrisome tendency to strikeout, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes he’s the ultimate ‘boom-or-bust’ prospect.
In his latest column, he pointed out that the Guardians’ decision to take LaViolette will turn heads for years to come:
“The Guardians have been searching for answers in the outfield and in the middle of their lineup for years, so this was the perfect team to roll the dice on perhaps the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in this entire draft,” Reuter wrote of LaViolette.
Some thought that LaViolette could and should be the first player off the board in his class.
Unfortunately, a down junior season took a big toll on his draft stock.
He was projected to be taken in the early 20s, so watching him fall to No. 27 may have been a blessing for the Guardians.
He has a quick left-handed stroke and mesmerizing power, and standing at 6-foot-6, he has the physical and athletic tools to be an Aaron Judge-type slugger at the next level.
Of course, he still has to clean things up at the plate and be more disciplined.
But given how much the Guardians need help in the outfield and in the middle of the lineup, this could be the type of risky decision that could end up taking this team to the next level once and for all.
NEXT: MLB Analyst Raves About 1 Guardians Draft Pick
