Alex Bregman

Bregman brings the longest track record of success of anyone in this draft class. He led USA Baseball's 16U team to a gold medal in 2010, led the 18U team to another gold medal in 2011 and set the New Mexico single season high school home run record as a junior. He's earned Baseball America Freshman of the Year honors in 2013. If there is anything disappointing about Bregman's career, it's been the difficulty of topping his outstanding freshman season. His numbers this year are quite similar to what he produced in his LSU debut. Bregman is one of the safest picks in this year's draft, as scouts are nearly unanimous that he should at the worst be a productive big league middle infielder. The debate revolves entirely over how much of an impact he will make. Blessed with excellent bat speed, Bregman has a flat bat path and contact-oriented swing that fits well with his excellent hand-eye coordination. This year, he's walked significantly more than he's struck out. He's a tick above-average runner who has gotten more aggressive on the basepaths, leading the Southeastern Conference in stolen bases. He's proven to be a very reliable shortstop and a number of evaluators believe he will be able to stick at shortstop as a pro with average range, an accurate, average arm and quality hands. Average isn't enough at short for most teams, and Bregman projects as an above-average defender at second base. Wherever he goes, he'll make his new team better with his follow-me approach.