Drew Gilbert

Gilbert might be a smaller center fielder at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, but in 2022 he’s been the best hitter on the best team in college baseball, and he’s got the physical tools to back it up. Through 54 games during his junior season, Gilbert slashed .380/.474/.696 with 10 home runs, 20 doubles and as many walks (32) as strikeouts (32). Gilbert controls the zone well. He rarely chases at pitches outside of the zone and he also makes plenty of contact, with low whiff rates across all pitch types. He’s a twitchy, lefthanded hitter with bat speed and strength—with some of the louder exit velocity numbers among the top college hitters in the class. Most of his in-game power came to the pull side this spring, but he has shown enough juice to homer to left and left-center as well, though some scouts wonder if he’ll maintain that power at the next level with a wood bat. Gilbert has played a strong center field and should stick at the position at the next level. He’s turned in plus run times and he also has a strong, plus throwing arm that will be an asset for him regardless of the position. There’s a lot of safety in Gilbert’s profile given his up-the-middle defensive role and solid tool set across the board. The industry may be split on his overall upside potential, however, with some scouts more skeptical because of his maxed-out frame with little physical projection remaining. For teams who think his power and exit velocity numbers are more a product of aluminum bats and a good hitting environment in Knoxville, he could be viewed as more of a second-round pick, but his contact ability, performance and well-rounded tool set certainly has others interested in the second half of the first round.