With the 2016 Draft fast approaching, we take a closer look at the top prospects in this year's class.
Name: Kyle Lewis
Position: OF
School: Mercer
Rank on Draft Top 200: 3
DOB: 7/13/1995
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 4" Weight: 195 lbs.
Complete 2016 Draft coverage
MLB Draft profiles
Tools
(Future grades on 20-80 scouting scale)
Hit: 55
Power: 60
Run: 50
Arm: 50
Field: 50
Overall: 55
Stats
Games: 61
Average: .395
AB: 223
2B: 11
HR: 20
RBI: 72
OBP: .535
Scouting report
Lewis may have boosted his stock more in the past year than any college prospect for the 2016 Draft. Undrafted out of a Georgia high school in 2013, he played sparingly as a freshman before nearly winning the Southern Conference Triple Crown and then starring in the Cape Cod League in 2015. Lewis repeated as SoCon Player of the Year in 2016 while contending for the NCAA Division I lead in batting and home runs, making it a virtual lock that he'll become the first first-rounder from Mercer.
• After setting bold goal, Lewis could be 1st pick
With his leverage and bat speed, Lewis has easy pop to all fields. His swing is busier than most scouts would like, but his approach is generally sound and he tied for the D-I lead with 66 walks entering NCAA Tournament play.
Lewis is a fringy runner out of the batter's box, but he has solid speed once he gets going. Some evaluators think he has a chance to stay in center field, but most believe he's destined for right field, where he could develop into a serious home run threat with average or better tools across the board.
MLB comp: Jason Heyward
Fun fact: Lewis didn't play summer baseball until the summer before his senior year of high school, when he decided to pursue college baseball over college basketball. He was recruited to play both sports, but he told his high school basketball coach before his senior season that he was planning on playing only baseball going forward.
He said it: "When you consider the number of games high school players have played vs. how many games I played coming into college, I'm just starting to scratch the surface of my abilities, and I think you're still seeing an upward projection of my skills every year. You're seeing growth in every category. I'm only just starting to be as good as I can be."
They said it: "He's shed a lot of light on our program. He's handled [all of the attention] just like a champ, and he's a great teammate, he's a great role model and we couldn't have anyone out in front who represents our program any better than him and his family."
-- Mercer baseball coach Craig Gibson