Our top 100 countdown rolls on with number 95 and Connor Grant out of North Greenville University in South Carolina.
Grant began his collegiate career at the College of Charletson during the 2016 season. As a freshman there he hit .229 in 21 games (9 starts) and 35 at-bats.
After that season he decided to transfer to North Greenville.
The summer after his freshman season he played in the Coastal Plain League where he hit .256 in 32 games and 117 at-bats. He scored 18 runs, hit 3 home runs and drove in 13. He also stole nine bases, but was caught nine times as well.
Grant had much more success as a sophomore at North Greenville. This past spring he hit .338 in 49 games and 201 at-bats, while scoring 52 runs with 13 doubles, 5 triples, 7 home runs and 40 RBI. He was a much better base runner stealing 17 bags in 19 attempts. His walk-to-strikeout ratio was also much improved as he drew 14 walks with just 22 strikeouts.
The 6-foot-3, 190 pound outfielder followed that up with a very good performance in the Coastal Plain League this past summer. This time around he batted .351 in 28 games and 94 at-bast with 7 doubles, 2 home runs and 19 RBI, while stealing 18 bases in 21 attempts.
That led to Grant being named to the All CPL First Team, as well as being named a top 10 prospect in the Coastal Plain league by Baseball America.
The right-handed hitter has a slightly open stance and a quick load, which requires very little movement, allowing his head to stay still as the baseball is coming into the zone.
He’s now begun to open up that up a little bit more to show off some of his power potential. As we’ve already seen on this list, the ability to have speed and power is what makes a player a hot commodity. That will certainly be the case for Grant as he continues to progress.
Connor certainly had a great 2017, so we’ll see if he can build on that success this spring.
You can check out the rest of the Top 100 by clicking here.
