2014 MLB draft prospects rankings: nos. 20-16

18. Jacob Gatewood, Clovis HS (CA), SS, 6′ 5″, 180 lbs.

From an offensive angle, much of what I stated about Schwarber can apply to Gatewood. He possesses power to all fields with plus-plus potential. His bat speed is among the best in this class, prep or college. There have been comparisons to Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Troy Tulowitzki. Pretty hefty comps.

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But the bat has seemingly lost a bit over the past few months. Could the pressure of being a highly touted prospect be in play? Possibly. Some of the recent mock drafts I’ve been reading have Gatewood a little more down the order as when I first started to read a few.

Gatewood wants to play shortstop, another potential reason for the slippage with the bat. He may be concentrating on that too much, but the concerns are legit. Those concerns are mostly in relation to his size, not that 180 pounds is big. As Gatewood matures and fills out his lanky frame, the foot speed will most likely decrease and along with it, so will his range.

The arm is strong enough to play third or even a move to the outfield. That bat should certainly play regardless of position.

And if an organization should choose, Gatewood has pitched. He’s hurled a no-no. In that game, he also scored the game’s only run. But I can’t see that happening.