AB 2521
AVG .28
OBP .351
SLG .376
HR 27
  • Full name Joshua Ryan Horton
  • Born 02/19/1986 in Chapel Hill, NC
  • Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: L / Throws: R
  • School North Carolina
  • Drafted in the 2nd round (90th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2007 (signed for $380,250).
    View Draft Report
    Among the second tier of college position players, Horton has the best combination of performance and tools. He was a second-team All-American as a sophomore, when he won the Atlantic Coast Conference batting title with a .395 mark and helped carry North Carolina to the College World Series. He struggled in the Cape Cod League last summer, however, and has an unorthodox approach at the plate. What he does best as a hitter is use his hands to square balls on the barrel and use the whole field. He has excellent strike-zone awareness and lets balls travel deep in the hitting zone. He's an average runner and an adequate defender with a chance to stay at shortstop, though his range will never be a plus. He has a solid-average arm, though he struggles with accuracy occasionally. Scouts who like him compare him to Adam Kennedy as an offensive-minded doubles machine who can stay in the middle of the field. Other teams have little interest in drafting him in the top five rounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Best Tools List

  • Rated Best Strike-Zone Discipline in the Oakland Athletics in 2010

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