John Rhodes

Rhodes became eligible for the 2021 draft after it was moved from June to July. He turns 21 on Aug. 15, which just gets him inside the Aug. 27 cutoff date. Because of that, Rhodes entered the year as a top-two rounds sort of prospect thanks to an impressive freshman campaign in the shortened 2020 season. Rhodes hit .426/.485/.672 with 10 doubles in 17 games. He didn’t quite live up to the expectations teams had for him offensively this spring, however, struggling to a .252/.397/.508 line, though a 12% walk rate still allowed him to get on base almost 40% of the time. Despite Rhodes’ down year, scouts still like his bat and pure hit tool, with good contact ability, solid balance at the plate and a swing that is more geared for low line drives than home runs at the moment. Outside of his hitting ability, Rhodes’ other tools are average. He’s a solid runner and a fine defender in a corner outfield spot, and evaluators don’t see big power potential with Rhodes barring a swing change that helps him elevate the ball more consistently. Because of that, he has a bit of a tweener profile, though some teams want to try him on the infield. He’s played third base, first base and caught in the past. Rhodes was mainly a catcher throughout his youth, but a broken back transitioned him off of the position. Rhodes could be a tough sign as a draft-eligible sophomore coming off a down year, and he has the option to return to Kentucky to try and rebound for the 2022 class.