Jacob Melton

An All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2021 after slashing .404/.466/.697 with six home runs, Melton has continued to produce at a high level during his 2022 draft year while moving from first base and right field to the everyday center field role for the Beavers. A 6-foot-3, 208-pound lefthanded hitter, Melton hit .371/.435/.684 over his first 57 games, with 15 home runs and 21 doubles, while going 20-for-21 (95.2%) in stolen base attempts. Melton’s production is prettier than his swing, which is described as “unorthodox” and features plenty of moving parts. He starts with an open stance and features a leg kick in his load, with a long load that includes a barrel dump on the back half and an arm bar. Despite those mechanics, Melton has plenty of bat speed and the athleticism to make it work. While his bat path might not be ideal, his barrel stays in the zone for a long time and he has the strength to drive the ball with authority, with a frame that suggests more could be coming. Melton will expand the zone at times and there’s some swing and miss—particularly against breaking balls and offspeed pitches—but he has hammered fastballs, produced against 93-plus mph velocity and displayed all-fields home run power. Some scouts have given him plus raw power grades. Melton has turned in 70-grade run times from home to first and is a plus runner consistently who should be able to stick in center field, with an average throwing arm. While Melton is a bit on the older end for the college class (he turns 22 in September), his power-speed tool set, Pac-12 production and lefthanded-hitting center field profile will check plenty of boxes for teams and he has a chance to be selected at the back of the first round and shouldn’t get out of the second.