2016 Phillies Draft Preview: Lux, Trammell and Hansen

Gavin Lux - Lux is a High School Shortstop from Wisconsin with a College commitment to Arizona State. Lux stands 6'2" 175 lbs. Lux is a very good defensive shortstop, very likely to stay at that spot in the pros. There isn't much projection in his defense, he has a good shot at sticking at Short, though his arm is only above-average, if needed he has experience at Second Base and his above average speed and smooth footwork should keep him up the middle of the Defense. That's a good thing, because the bat and power have some questions. His swing does have some uppercut so he could develop some power as he adds muscle.He has a swing with good bat speed and weight transfer keeping his head pretty level. He uses a leg kick for timing, but it's pretty small and shouldn't need to be altered as a pro. I like Lux, but what hurts his draft stock is really his arm. It's marginal for Shortstop, playable at Third and plenty for Second Base. His power is unlikely to get better than Average, which is not ideal for Third Base, but perfect for Second. So, if you view him as a Second Base only prospect, that limits the value quite a bit. If he gets drafted in the First then a team really believes in his arm and may project added throwing power with more muscle. It's possible though that he slides to 2:1, where I'd be thrilled to get him. I think there's potential for a First Division regular at Second Base and probably a Second Division regular at Short. That's pretty solid and I think his D and contact skills give him a pretty high floor for a High Schooler. Video from the Prospect Pipeline.

Taylor Trammell - Trammell is a 6'2", 195 lbs. Outfielder from Kennesaw, GA with a commitment to Georgia Tech. I am also entirely certain he is in no way related to should be Hall of Famer Alan Trammell. Trammel was a two-sport star heading into this season, but has dedicated himself full time to baseball, and that has helped increase his stock in the draft. His football background aids his defense too. His time spent at Defensive Back (though he's best known as a top Running Back prospect) means he's unusually comfortable back peddaling on deep fly balls instead of turning his back to the hitter. He's a Left handed hitter and thrower.  He's a likely First Rounder, but this draft is tough to predict, so I'm previewing him, just in case. Some mocks and rumors even have him on the fringes of the Top 10 picks. It's easy to see why. Trammel has easy 70 speed and potential to be an All Star Center Fielder. His arm is fringe average and his weakest tool. As his bat, for a High Schooler looks pretty advanced for contact. The Power right now is pretty much gap doubles power, fine for Center Field, but some scouting reports see him adding some muscle and loft to generate average Power, very nice for Center. Since he's an unlikely Phillies pick I won't delve too much deeper, but he's exactly the kind of kid the Phillies used to draft like junkies searching for their fix. Video from Baseball Factory.

Alec Hansen - It's hard to believe how pear shaped things have gone for Hansen. For those who may not know Hansen is a 6'7" 235 lbs RHP originally from Colorado and currently at Oklahoma. I mention Colorado because the Phillies have pretty strong scouting in the region and often seem to end drafts with a few kids from the Denver area on their board. As recently as 3 months ago Hansen was in the conversation for the top overall pick. The good news for Hansen is he could still be a top pick. The bad news, it will likely be in a different round. The good news for the Phillies if he falls to 2:1: the tools that made him possible for #1 overall are still there. The bad news: so are the problems that dropped him out of that discussion. Hansen's Fastball is electric and he regularly works in the upper 90's, touching 100. He has a solid Changeup and a potentially nasty Curve. He also has a Slider, which exists. Hitters have a terrible time figuring his Pitches out as he sports a K rate beyond 13 per nine innings. Unfortunately Hansen also can't seem to figure out his pitches, as he walks more than 6 batters per nine innings. He has a workhorse build and still could get ironed out to be a potential top of the rotation Starter. I think there's a better bet his mechanics stay a disaster and he's destined for a bullpen role. In the BP that fastball, Curve and occasional Changeup mix could be dominant and his relative lack of control would be downplayed in shorter stints (though Phillippe Aumont never got over very similar issues). If you told me last fall the Phillies could draft both Mickey Moniak and Alec Hansen I would have been thrilled that Moniak fell to the Second. This is a weird draft. Video from Prospect Pipeline.