Jeren Kendall

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #17 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Kendall looked like a potential top-10 pick after starring for U.S. Collegiate National Team in 2016, drawing comparisons to Kenny Lofton. A concerning amount of swings and misses the following spring at Vanderbilt dropped him to 24th overall. Kendall continued to show premier athleticism his first full season with high Class A Rancho Cucamonga, but also a distressing amount of whiffs. He hit just .215/.300/.356 with a 32 percent strikeout rate, tied for third-worst in the California League.
  
  Scouting Report: Kendall is one of the most dynamic athletes in baseball. He's a plus-plus runner who gets to top speed quickly, is a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder who runs pristine routes, and has a plus, accurate arm that yielded 11 assists. He even flashes plus raw power out of his sneaky strong frame. Kendall's problem is he has yet to find a workable setup at the plate, resulting in a terrifying number of late, non-competitive swings. With an upright, inanimate stance, Kendall doesn't catch up to velocity and freezes on breaking balls. He draws walks and is a dangerous basestealer when he gets on, but pitchers who throw strikes neutralize him. For the second straight year the Dodgers spent instructional league tinkering with Kendall's setup, aiming to get him in a better position to hit.
  
  The Future: Kendall's big tools give him upside, but his hitting has to improve significantly to even be a backup. He'll try to make the needed adjustments in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #7 prospect in 2018
  Kendall grew up in Wisconsin playing hockey and baseball and went on to Vanderbilt, where he started as a freshman on the 2015 national runner-up and blossomed into a top draft prospect. Kendall had top-10 pick helium entering his junior year, but a 25 percent strikeout rate dropped him to the Dodgers at 23rd overall, and he signed for an above-slot $2,897,500. Kendall is a premium athlete capable of a highlight-reel play at any moment. He'll run down balls to the deepest parts of center field with his plus-plus speed, make leaping catches at the wall, throw out a runner on a line to or swipe a crucial bag. He shows a plus arm and is becoming a more efficient basestealer. The question is how much he'll hit. Opponents exploited the holes in his swing throughout college and at low Class A Great Lakes, deflating his average and nullifying his plus raw power. The Dodgers tweaked his setup and reworked his swing in instructional league to incorporate a more pronounced leg kick, and believe he can be an average hitter in time. Kendall has all the tools to be an everyday player but has to prove he can hit. He'll try to do that at the Class A levels in 2018.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #18 prospect in 2017 draft
  Kendall's father Jeremy played in the Phillies farm system for five years, and the dynamic outfielder has baseball and youth hockey in his background. The Wisconsin prep product starred in the 2013 Area Code Games but got limited looks from scouts due to weather and modest competition. He wound up at Vanderbilt, starting as a freshman for the 2015 national runner-up, then making strong progress in 2016 before playing for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team that summer. Kendall has the best tools of any college position player in the class. He's an 80 runner and has plus arm strength and accuracy. He's a plus defender in center field. The biggest question with him is how much he'll be able to hit at the highest level; he has plus bat speed and raw power, but Kendall had struck out in more than 25 percent of his plate appearances with a month left before the draft. Kendall doesn't use his lower half much and doesn't create much separation in his swing. He has electric hand speed and strength in his 6-foot frame. Kendall often whiffs at pitches thrown in and out of the strike zone, even when facing below-average college pitchers. He tends to pull the ball--even when he's pitched away--and the ball consistently comes off his barrel with authority. Kendall compares favorably with Corey Ray, the Louisville outfielder that Milwaukee drafted fifth overall in 2016, but Ray made more contact as a junior and showed more present hitting ability. Kendall's other tools are better, but he may wind up being drafted lower than Ray was a year before.
• Ranked #88 prospect in 2014 draft
  The Badger State has produced just two high school position players drafted in the top 10 rounds of the modern draft era, and Kendall could top that list with a selection in the top three rounds. Kendall, the breakout star of the Area Code Games, has earned the nickname "Honey Badger" for his physical resemblance of the Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Matheiu. The speedy lefthanded hitter has the skill set of a classic leadoff hitter in center field. He has plus-plus speed that reaches top speed quickly and plays out of the box, on the bases and in center field, where he has plus range and could become a plus defender with at least an average arm. With a short, compact stroke, Kendall is a contact-oriented hitter with a line-drive swing and up-the-middle approach. At a lean, athletic and live-bodied 5-foot-9, 175-pounds, Kendall's physique and swing path will likely limit him to 30 power--though he does show a surprising ability to drive the gaps for his size. After a superlative showing at the Area Code Games, Kendall swung and missed a considerable amount at the World Wood Bat Championships in Jupiter, Fla. The weather has limited scouts looks so far this spring, when he has faced subpar competition. Some scouts question his ability to impact the baseball, as his offensive profile depends upon him being a high-contact player. Kendall comes from a baseball family, as his father, Jeremy, was a speedy minor league outfielder who stole 62 bases in a season.

• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Kendall grew up in Wisconsin playing hockey and baseball and was drafted by the Red Sox out of high school. He instead went to Vanderbilt where he started as a freshman on the 2015 national runner-up and blossomed into a top draft prospect. Kendall had top-10 helium entering his junior year, but a 25 percent strikeout rate dropped him to the Dodgers at 23rd overall, and he signed for an above-slot $2,897,500. Scouting Report: Kendall is capable of a highlight-reel play at any moment. He'll run down balls to the deepest parts of center field with his plus-plus speed, make leaping catches at the wall, throw out a runner on a line to or swipe a crucial bag. He shows a plus arm and is becoming a more efficient basestealer. The question is how much he'll hit. Opponents exploited the holes in his swing throughout college and at low Class A Great Lakes, deflating his average and nullifying his plus raw power. The Dodgers reworked his setup and swing in instructional league to incorporate a more pronounced leg kick and believe he can be an average hitter in time. The Future: Kendall has all the tools to be an everyday player but has to prove he can hit. He'll try to do that at the Class A levels in 2018.