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Draft  | Prospect Scouting Reports  | 5/28/2018

2018 MLB Draft Reports: 251-300

David Rawnsley      Jheremy Brown      Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Victor Vodnik (Perfect Game)




2018 Perfect Game MLB Draft Preview Index

Top 500 Prospects (list/Insider): 1-100 | 101-200 | 201-300 | 301-400 | 401-500

Top 500 Prospect Reports (Premium): 1-50 | 51-100 | 101-150 | 151-200 | 201-250 | 301-350 | 351-400 | 401-450 | 451-500


251. Eric Cole, of, Arkansas (JR)
B-R, 5-11/195, Southlake, Texas.
Previously Drafted: Never Drafted

A switch-hitting outfielder, Cole doesn't get the same pub as underclassman teammates Dom Fletcher and Heston Kjerstad, but he has been excellent for the Razorbacks in 2018. He's slashing .330/.416/.551 with 12 doubles, 12 homers and a good amount of walks. He has good tools across the board though nothing that really stands out as plus. The feel to hit from both sides of the plate stands out and scouts believe he has a chance to be an average hitter from the left side while potentially above average from the right. There is solid raw power there from both sides of the plate, though he's closer to physically maxed out and the power is unlikely to play much above 45-50 (on the 20-80 scale) at the professional level. A solid athlete, Cole can be a good defender on an outfield corner, although scouts are a bit split on if his arm strength is enough to profile in right field.


252. Victor Vodnik, rhp, Rialto HS
R-R, 5-11/175, Rialto, Calif.
College Commitment: Cal State Northridge

Vodnik was just starting to gain some local scouting attention last fall in Southern California when he went to the WWBA World Championship with BPA and ensured himself plenty of immediate national level scouting when he topped out at 95 mph with a mid-80s slider and upper-70s changeup. Although he is only 5-foot-11, Vodnik is an athletic and well-muscled righthander who doubles as Rialto's starting shortstop and hit .418 with 15 extra-base hits this spring. His high three-quarters arm slot gives him some downward angle to the plate and he does get some quality sink on his fastball down in the zone. Vodnik often pitched at 88-93 mph during starts this spring but topped out at 95-97 mph enough to show scouts it was there. His best secondary pitch this spring was his changeup, a rarity for a high school pitcher with that type of velocity, although he does flash potential with his slider, too. Overall the Cal State Northridge signee went 5-4, 2.84 with 85 strikeouts in 49 innings, although he also walked 33 hitters.


253. Zane Collins, lhp, Wright State (JR)
L-L, 6-2/215, Bellefontaine, Ohio.
Previously Drafted: Never Drafted

The second Wright State arm who could be a top 10 round pick (along with Ryan Weiss), Collins had some ups and downs from a performance perspective this year, but still showed intriguing stuff. The southpaw has gone 6-1 with a 4.19 ERA this season across 66 2/3 innings, seeing time both out of the bullpen and in the rotation. He walked 44 and struck out 48 along the way, doing a fair job of limiting damage but allowing far too many baserunners. A lefthanded sinkerballer, Collins can work his fastball into the low-90s and can be a groundball machine when he's commanding the pitch, but, like a lot of sinkerballers, doesn't have a true out-pitch. He mixes and matches a breaking ball and changeup to solid effect, but he's not projected to be a big bat-misser at the next level.


254. Basiel Williams, of, Ponchatoula HS
B-R, 6-3/180, Hammond, La.
College Commitment: Mississippi State

Williams has been one of the standout players on the MLB Breakthrough Series teams for the last three years and is that program's highest ceiling 2018 prospect. He has a very projectable 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame that has plenty of quick-twitch but also the promise of lots of physical strength when he matures physically. Williams best present tool is his running speed. He ran a 6.59 60-yard dash at the 2017 PG National Showcase and that speed plays up in games, especially on the bases, where Williams’ easy and graceful strides are fun to watch on extra-base hits. The Louisiana native is also a switch-hitter who has shown lots of big-game power from the left side. The teams that are most interested in Williams' athleticism will know that he is likely a two-year rookie league player as he gets more repetitions, especially on defense.


255. Brett Hansen, lhp, Foothill HS
L-L, 6-4/190, Pleasanton, Calif.
College Commitment: Vanderbilt

Every year at the Perfect Game National Showcase there’s a tier of arms who fall into the ‘good present stuff, but could explode by spring’ category, whether due to physical projection, delivery or ability to spin the ball. NorCal lefthander Brett Hansen falls squarely into that category as the lanky southpaw stands at 6-foot-4, 190-pounds and offers ample physical projection while already making that first jump in velocity this spring many thought would come. Up to 90 mph at both the National Showcase and Area Code Games, Hansen made some noise early this spring as he opened up with a fastball that lived in the 90-93 mph range throughout the season. Along with the uptick in fastball velocity, Hansen also showed a tighter curveball that now works in the mid-70s, a combo of pitches he used to punch out 61 in 48 innings pitched this season. Should Hansen make it to campus he’ll attend Vanderbilt as a member of the 2019 class, providing a boost to an already talented crop.


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