Michael Lorenzen

Lorenzen's loud raw tools make him an intriguing prospect as a position player and as a pitcher. A freshman All-American in 2011, Lorenzen's OPS dropped from .906 that season to .788 in 2012, as his strikeout total nearly doubled. His contact issues continued last summer with Team USA, but he has rebounded to post his best season as a junior, posting a .938 OPS and seven home runs through 46 at-bats, after he hit just two long balls in each of his first two seasons. Many scouts harbor doubts that he will hit enough in pro ball to be a regular, citing his exaggerated load and struggles against breaking balls. His pitch recognition has improved--he is doing a better job laying off pitches in the dirt this spring--but it still has a ways to go. He has slightly above-average raw power but is learning to harness it. If he hits, Lorenzen could be a star, because he is an outstanding defensive center fielder with a bazooka arm. He is a slightly above-average runner with superb instincts, translating to excellent range. Some clubs prefer Lorenzen off the mound, where he attacks hitters with a 93-97 mph fastball with minimal effort. His hard curveball projects as an above-average pitch, but it's fringy now, and he needs to command it more consistently. A team that likes Lorenzen as a position player has a nice fallback of putting him on the mound if his bat doesn't pan out.