Newcomer To Keep An Eye On: Ronnie Dawson, OF
Birthdate: 5/19/95 (21 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: short season A
Stats in 2016: .225/.351/.373, 7 HR, 12 SB
Dawson was one of the best athletes in the 2016 collegiate class, being a former legit football recruit as well as a baseball prospect. While Dawson’s 6’2, 225 pound build would indicate his power, he also has exceptional speed as well.
The Astros plucked Dawson out of Ohio State in the 2nd round in June, and he flashed all the good, bad, and in between in his debut, showing his power, his speed, his willingness to take a walk, but also his contact concerns and his strikeout issues.
As you can see in the video, Dawson has a pretty power swing from the left side, and he can sometimes fall in love with the power swing, making the swing extra long and leading to the swing and miss seen in his game.
Once he gets moving, he is an excellent runner, but he doesn’t have great instincts in the outfield, and his fringe-average arm likely will play best in left field.
Dawson reminds me a lot of Derek Fisher coming out of college with his raw power/speed combo, and the Astros can hope for similar production when Dawson moves to full-season ball in 2017.
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