Beau Amaral

Amaral's father, Rich, was a second-round pick out of UCLA in 1983 and spent 10 years in the big leagues as a utilityman; he now works as a Southern California area scout for the Royals. Beau has all the intangibles you'd expect from the son of a big leaguer, and he has been a solid everyday center fielder for three years at UCLA. Though he is just an average or slightly better runner, Amaral is an above-average defender thanks to his ability to read the ball off the bat and take direct routes. His portfolio of diving and leaping catches has made him a fan favorite, though his arm is below-average. Offensively, Amaral is a bit too prone to swing and miss for a leadoff man (he has 134 strikeouts and 61 walks in his collegiate career), but he has learned to hit the ball up the middle and to the opposite field, giving him a chance to be an average hitter down the road. He'll never have better than below-average power, and he profiles as an extra outfielder with plenty of heart and baseball skills. In other words, a lefthanded-hitting version of his father, but without the versatility of being able to play the infield.