Phillies draft Jamari Baylor, SS in the third round

Jamari is a 5-11 190 lbs Shortstop who plays at a military Benedictine High (a military school) in Virginia. He repeated 11th grade when he transferred to the school, but he was young for his grade, so he’s age appropriate as a draftee. He’s ranked 303 by Baseball America, but Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen projected him to go late in the second round, so this isn’t the reach that it seems.

Jamari is probably a second baseman as a pro, but the Phillies will likely keep him at Short in the short term while he gets his feet under him in pro ball. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that while there he fixes his footwork issues and stays at short. He has an above average arm and that could improve as he matures, so plus isn’t entirely out of the question. I’d expect he’ll be an average defender at either Short or Second.

Jamari is a plus runner and seems to be pretty good at using the speed as a baserunner. Maybe he could be fast enough for Center, but no scouting reports mention that as his future (though every other position but Catcher, LHP and First were mentioned in places).

As a hitter he swings from the Right side and shows a big leg lift as a timing mechanism. He has a fairly flat, line drive oriented swing, but good bat speed. A few small tweaks to add lift and he could get to average power. Some reports project him as a corner player and I worry he may be a bit like Cornelius Randolph in that he won’t really have the power for that role. Still, for a 3rd rounder, it’s a good risk. The hit tool itself flashes plus, but is very inconsistent. Hopefully a pro hitting coach can clean up the swing and approach to get it to average. I’m generally not a fan of comps, but if I had to here, maybe a more athletic Luke Williams. Video from 2080 Baseball.