Christian Lopes

Lopes matured early and has been a nationally prominent player for a long time. As a high school freshman he looked like a future first-round pick, but he never developed premium tools and other Southern California high schoolers have leapfrogged him. Some scouts compare Lopes to former Cal State Fullerton star Christian Colon at the same stage of his development, though others scoff at that comparison, saying he lacks Colon's competitive fire, instincts and defensive ability. Lopes does play hard and is instinctive, but not to an extraordinary degree. He played shortstop in high school and could play there if he winds up in college at Southern California, but scouts project him as a second baseman in pro ball. He has good hands and smooth infield actions, but he tends to sit back on balls and sometimes adds unnecessary flash. He was an average runner when he was younger, but as his 6-foot, 180-pound body has matured his speed has regressed to well below-average. He lacks the range for shortstop but should be all right at second, where his fringe-average arm should play. Lopes' best tool is his righthanded bat. He has an advanced approach for a high schooler and does a good job using the opposite field, though scouts would like him to tinker less with his swing. Assessments of his power potential range from below-average to average. With his lengthy track record and feel for the game, Lopes has a chance to be drafted in the top five rounds, but he might find himself a victim of overexposure and wind up at USC.