Jake DeLeo

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #304 prospect in 2023 draft
  School: Georgia Tech Source: 4YR
  
  Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 22.1
  DeLeo was a notable prospect out of high school when he ranked as the No. 268 prospect in the 2020 class thanks to solid tools, but he made his way to campus at Georgia Tech and also went unselected as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2022. After hitting under .300 in his first two seasons, DeLeo took a step forward in 2023 and slashed .365/.426/.651 with 14 home runs, 23 doubles, a 17% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. The well-built 6-foot-2, 201-pound righthanded hitter shows most of his power to the pull side, and while he has a significant amount of swing-and-miss against breaking balls, he drove them hard when he made contact and produced a 1.070 OPS against spin this spring. DeLeo runs well out of the box and turns in plus run times from home-to-first. His speed and arm strength should allow him to play all three outfield positions, but the quality of his hit tool will ultimately determine his role in pro ball. His high miss rates against spin could prove more harmful at the next level, if he’s not able to replicate the damage on contact that he managed this spring as a 22-year-old against ACC pitching.
• Ranked #267 prospect in 2020 draft
  A tools-over-production player right now, Deleo was impressive on the showcase circuit over the summer and fared well at Jupiter and East Coast Pro. Deleo is older for his class and physically mature at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, but there is still a little more room for him to grow. He has some power in his bat now, but there are questions about his ability to hit a breaking ball, and some scouts want to see how his in-game pitch recognition improves at Georgia Tech. Deleo has good bat speed with a small leg kick and an uphill finish and is quick down the line. Deleo has shown the ability to hit fastballs well, but he will need to be more consistent against low-to-mid 90s velocity. Defensively, he should be able to stick at center field, where he’s a solid defender with great speed and solid-average arm strength to allow him to stay there.