Evan Mendoza Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Full name Evan Manuel Mendoza
Born 06/28/1996 in Sarasota, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School North Carolina State
Drafted in the 11th round (334th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 (signed for $150,000).

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Highly recruited as a two-way player out of Sarasota (Fla.) HS, Mendoza was in N.C. State's weekend rotation opening weekend as a freshman but quickly lost that spot and reinvented himself as a hitter, batting .369 as a sophomore (and .315 in the Cape Cod League) while playing third base. He spent the whole 2017 season digging out from an early slump as he tinkered with his stance, losing his rhythm and timing. When he's on, his hands work at the plate, helping him generate average raw power and gap-to-gap line drives, and in the field, where he has the potential to be a plus defender. His arm remains an asset, and scouts like his makeup.

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Highly recruited as a two-way player out of Sarasota (Fla.) HS, Mendoza was in N.C. State's weekend rotation opening weekend as a freshman but quickly lost that spot and reinvented himself as a hitter, batting .369 as a sophomore (and .315 in the Cape Cod League) while playing third base. He spent the whole 2017 season digging out from an early slump as he tinkered with his stance, losing his rhythm and timing. When he's on, his hands work at the plate, helping him generate average raw power and gap-to-gap line drives, and in the field, where he has the potential to be a plus defender. His arm remains an asset, and scouts like his makeup.

Mendoza hit .262/.342/.397 in a very disappointing junior season, which explains why he fell to the 11th round. The Cardinals got a steal, as Mendoza quickly shrugged off his disappointment to lead the league in batting. Mendoza has very loose hands and an extremely repeatable swing. He has limited experience as a hitter, as he was more of a prospect as a pitcher until his sophomore college season, so he focuses on contact over trying to hit for power. Mendoza uses the entire field and had the bat speed to drive the ball into the gaps. He'd have to retool his swing to start clearing the fence more often. Mendoza has an above-average arm and soft hands but his first step quickness needs to improve to stay at third base long-term.