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Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 5/11/2018

MLB Draft Pack: May 11

David Rawnsley

Photo: Nick Decker (Perfect Game)

Mock Draft v. 2 | 2018 MLB Draft Preview Content | PG College Player Database

Once a week leading up to the 2018 MLB Draft Perfect Game will provide detailed scouting reports, and video (when available), on 10 of the top draft-eligible prospects. The first report each week will be available for free, the rest can be viewed with a PG Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game’s subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.

April 27 MLB Draft Pack: Kyle Bradish, Steven Gingery, JT Ginn, Jordan Groshans, Kyle Isbel, Jeremiah Jackson, Osiris Johnson, DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., Trey Riley, Jayson Schroeder.
May 4 MLB Draft Pack: Hogan Harris, Aaron Hernandez, Justin Jarvis, Jake McCarthy, Mason Montgomery, Noah Naylor, Noah Song, Nick Sprengel, Austin Wells, Kerry Wright.

Prospects covered this week: Blaze Alexander, Nick Decker, Gunnar Hoglund, Nolan Kingham, Adam Kloffenstein, Grant Little, Ford Proctor, Cole Sands, Mike Siani, Riley Thompson

Blaze Alexander, SS

Height/Weight: 6-1/175
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: June 11, 1999
High School: IMG Academy
Hometown: Cape Coral, Fla.
Travel Team: FTB
Commitment: South Carolina
Projected Draft Round: 2-3

Alexander garners plenty of attention for his elite level arm strength, as he hit 99 mph on the radar gun during infield drills at the 2017 PG National Showcase, where he was selected as a PG All-American, and one senses he enjoys that attention. But that one tool has perhaps served as a distraction when it comes to the rest of his game, as it is the rest of his game that has grown on scouts and raised Alexander's draft stock this spring.

For starters, the rest of Alexander's defensive game is strong and gives him a good chance to stay at shortstop moving forward in his career. While he's not a plus runner, Alexander is agile and athletic moving after the ball both laterally and charging the ball and has soft and quick hands. The mistakes he does make defensively have mostly involved rushing plays and actually not trusting his arm strength enough, something that talented infielders often grow out of as they get more repetitions and develop their internal clocks.

Much of the focus on evaluating Alexander this spring has come on the offensive side of the ball. At 6-foot-1, the righthanded hitter has long arms and a longer, leveraged swing and will show outstanding raw bat speed at times. Alexander's approach is very aggressive and he's looking to drive the ball hard somewhere and has the tools to do that. He's hitting .405-8-27 in 25 games for IMG Academy this spring, having transferred to that program from Bishop Verot High School about two hours south along the West Florida coast.

With that power and hard contact comes a swing-and-miss concern. Alexander has struck out 18 times this spring and has shown vulnerability in the past for breaking balls on the outside half of the plate that he can't attack with his current swing.

A potential ceiling for Alexander is a Trevor Story-type shortstop who will be solid defensively in the middle of the field and hit for enough power and run production to justify a lower average and a likely large walk-to-strikeout ratio disparity. It's also worth noting that Alexander will turn 19-years old a week after the draft, and if he were to attend South Carolina, would be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2020.

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