Armani Smith

A 35th-round pick by Indians in 2016, Smith mostly struggled in his first two seasons at UC Santa Barbara before breaking out this spring as a junior. He developed an effective launch angle swing under Gauchos associate head coach Donegal Fergus, keeping his bat in the zone longer on an uphill path to get to his massive raw power. Smith is built like a linebacker at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and he has raw power some evaluators grade as an 80. He is a slugger with supreme bat speed who makes balls disappear when he connects, and he has the strength to muscle balls out even when he mishits them. Smith’s ability to make contact is steadily improving, although he still projects as a below-average hitter. He is an average right fielder with a fringe-average arm. Smith’s physicality, power and improved contact rate have him in consideration in the top 10 rounds. How well he maintains his new swing in pro ball will be key to his rise.