Andrew Papantonis

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #224 prospect in 2017 draft
  Papantonis opened eyes on the national scene with an explosive three-week stretch in the summer; he played in the Under Armour All-America Game, the East Coast Pro Showcase and then the Area Code Games. Between those events, Papantonis went 9-for-26 with three doubles and hit a home run at Blair Field, a park notorious for suppressing power. In the summer, the physically sculpted Virginia recruit showed a wide array of tools, including velvet-smooth hands at shortstop, plus arm strength and average speed. He showed plus or better bat speed from the right side of the plate and made hard contact consistently at the plate, showing home run power in batting practice and getting to it in games. Papantonis had limited exposure to quality pitching, but his timing seemed to improve as he caught up to the speed of the pitching. His tools and potential to stick at shortstop could have made him a day one pick, but he tore his ACL playing football in the fall and was slow to return. He began DH'ing for his high school team in late April, and started playing the field in games at the very end of May. Scouts laud his competitive nature and desire to improve himself. While it's possible a team could take a shot at signing Papantonis out of high school, he has the potential to develop into a front-of-the-draft talent if he honors his Virginia commitment and performs well in the ACC.