Number 92 on our top 100 countdown is South Florida outfielder Chris Chatfield.
The 6-foot-4, 200 pound junior was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2015 draft by the San Diego Padres, but decided to keep his commitment to South Florida.
His overall numbers in college have not been that impressive, but he stills possess great power potential.
As a freshman he hit just .184 in 136 at-bats, but he belted a team-high 7 home runs.
That summer in 2016 he played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League where he hit .185 in 119 at-bats with 5 home runs and 24 RBI.
This past spring we saw the average go up a tick as he hit .226 in 164 at-bats for the Bulls. He also increased his home run and RBI totals with eight and 30 respectively. Another good sign was that he also struck out less and walked more as a sophomore.
Charfield spent this past summer in the Coastal Plain League where his numbers continued to get better.
In 115 at-bats he hit a solid .243 with 9 home runs and 30 RBI. Those are certainly numbers you can live with from your corner outfielder.
Here is a video of Chris from high school:
As you can see, he actually has a very sound swing mechanically, but he does tend to be a dead pull hitter. Anything on the inner third he is going to crush, but obviously he has problems covering the outer half.
Still, he has the kind of power potential that scouts will drool over. They can live with an average around .250 if he can hit 30-plus home runs a year at the major league level.
He’s continually gotten better average-wise and in the power department throughout his college career, so I can’t wait to see how he does for South Florida in 2018.
