Cole Gillespie

The best hitter on Oregon State's first-place team in the Pacific-10 Conference, Gillespie has improved his draft stock considerably this season. Scouts regularly describe him as a hard-nosed player who doesn't have a glaring weakness and has solid tools across the board. He impressed scouts last year by playing both infield corner spots and has spent a lot of time in center field in 2006, filling in for the injured Tyler Graham. His versatility and solid bat may lead him to become a valuable utility player in the future. Gillespie's arm is fringe-average, and he's a solid athlete and runner. His bat is his best tool, as scouts consider his hit tool average or slightly above-average. While he has considered switch-hitting in the past, he has a sound righthanded swing that generates average power and allows him to catch up to good fastballs, as he did when he hit a homer off Tim Lincecum in May. Gillespie has had left shoulder problems in the past and doesn't do anything pretty, but his performance in a draft shy on college hitters was expected to earn him a spot in the first five rounds.