Top 3 Picks in 2019 MLB Draft Finish High in 2020 Prospect Rankings
Top 3 Picks in 2019 MLB Draft Finish High in 2020 Prospect Rankings
Andrew Vaugh – Ranking: 16th overall
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Coming into the 2019 amateur draft, Andrew Vaughn was widely regarded as one of the best hitters in the draft and already had an impressive accolade under his belt when he won the Golden Spikes Award in 2018.
Described as a natural hitter in the box, Vaughn allows his hands and power to do the work and has the ability to put the ball in play across the entire field. Combined with his eye at the plate and ability to leave borderline pitches, Vaughn’s bat is what will most likely carry him to the MLB.
On the defensive side, Vaughn does possess enough movement and ability to stay at first base over the long run. He does have below-average speed, which combined with his movement could see his role move towards being a designated hitter as his career moves forward. He did try third base before the draft but didn’t win a lot of scouts over at the position with many preferring him at first and in the batter’s box.
Jim Callis on Andrew Vaughn “Right handed swing, there’s no holes, great power. He’s the best first base prospect since Cody Bellinger. That’s how good he is.” #WhiteSox
— Sean Williams (@SeanW_21) January 25, 2020
Similar to Rutschman, the California alum began his professional career in the Rookie League and would finish in Class A+ with the Winston-Salem Dash.
His slash line across all three leagues was impressive at .278/.384/.449, finishing the season with 6 home runs, 36 RBI’s and 30 walks in 55 games. His OPS was the highest out of the three at .832, and he did play the most games when compared to Rutschman and Witt Jr.
On the defensive side, Vaughn only committed two errors all season and would finish the campaign with a .994 fielding percentage. These are very solid numbers to have in your first professional season, and can hopefully be replicated this upcoming season to make Vaughn a more rounded player instead of being just an offensive weapon.
If it wasn’t for his slightly less impressive defensive ability compared to the other two draftees, it’s entirely possible that Vaughn could have found his way further up the MLB Pipeline list heading into 2020.
As of right now, Vaughn’s ETA for the MLB is in 2021, which is entirely possible if he continues to hit and produce like he did in 2019. The only issue in front of him is Jose Abreu, who currently occupies first base with the White Sox and could block Vaughn from playing at first and possibly send him to the DH role (or vice versa, depending on the direction management chooses to go).
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While this could cause issues in a few year’s time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vaughn finish in either AA or AAA when the 2020 season comes to a close.