Ryan Bliss

An undersized, 5-foot-9, 165-pound middle infielder, Bliss stood out as a high schooler for his fantastic hands, footwork and bat-to-ball skills. Teams opted to let him get to school in part because of concerns with his offensive upside, but he was the sole Auburn player to start every game in 2019 and managed a .281/.367/.369 batting line to go with 11 doubles and 11 stolen bases. Bliss was off to an even better start in 2020, hitting .377/.412/.597 with more extra-base pop and as many walks (five) as strikeouts (five). After playing second base as a freshman, Bliss shifted to shortstop, and he certainly has the athleticism, hands and actions for the position, but fringy arm strength could make him a better fit for second base at the next level—where he’s still adept at turning the double play. Bliss has solid bat-to-ball skills and doesn’t strike out often—around 13% for his career—with bat speed and an approach that was best described as contact-oriented before he hit a career-best 15 home runs this spring through 50 games. All of those home runs went to left field and scouts still think he’ll be a below-average power hitter with wood, but for teams who want to buy into his power output this season, his combination of 15 or more homers and a 12-13% strikeout rate puts him in company that includes hitters like Henry Davis, Connor Norby and Colton Cowser—none of whom put up their numbers in the SEC.