ProfileHt.: 5'11" / Wt.: 175 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School
Eustis
Drafted in the 4th round (118th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2006 (signed for $1,000,000).
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There isn't a player in this year's class scouts want to see succeed more than Lemon, the son of former major leaguer Chet. He's a throwback who puts his best effort into everything. To go along with his championship makeup, Lemon has played through his senior season with his dad extremely ill. Lemon works counts, makes consistent contact and uses the entire field, but he doesn't have much load in his swing and lacks looseness in his hands and wrists at the plate. He has some pull power but because he's a fringe-average runner, he can't rely on a slap approach. He has good hands and enough arm to make plays in the hole at short. His remarkable feel and instincts for the game allow him to make spectacular plays. His ceiling isn't considerable, which could lead him to slide outside the top three rounds. Signability could become a question at that point for the Texas signee.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
The son of former major league all-star Chet Lemon has baseball instincts to match his bloodlines. Though he had an accomplished amateur career that included standout performances for his father's Amateur Athletic Union club (Chet Lemon's Juice), Lemon's college commitment to Texas scared off many teams in the draft. The Rangers took a shot on him and signed him for $1 million, the highest bonus in 2006's fourth round. Lemon showed off his baseball savvy and solid all-around tools in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League. He has an advanced offensive approach for his age, plus a short stroke with snap in his hands. He can turn around quality fastballs to the pull side, though his power is more to the gaps than over the fence. Lemon has slightly above-average speed and baserunning smarts. Defensively, he has sure hands to go with an average arm and range, though he needs to work on his consistency. Lemon lacks a standout tool and isn't a sure thing to stick at shortstop, but the Rangers will leave him there as long as possible. He should have little trouble handling the jump to low Class A in 2007.
Minor League Top Prospects
The son of a former all-star, Lemon played for his dad's amateur club--Chet Lemon's Juice, which counts big leaguers such as Rickie Weeks among its alumni--while building an impressive prep career. Lemon plays like the son of a big leaguer, and his outstanding makeup was a factor in the Rangers giving him a $1 million bonus as a fourth-rounder. While his University of Texas commitment helped scare teams off, so did questions about Lemon's bat and his average speed. However, managers liked his athleticism and the offense he showed in the AZL. His instincts were obvious at the plate (16 walks vs. 10 strikeouts) and on the basepaths (11 steals in 13 tries). He had competitive at-bats and showed a good two-strike approach for a young hitter. "I liked him better on defense early," Royals manager Lloyd Simmons said. "But he got better and better as the year went on. He was very heady, always in the game."
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