Jeremy Eierman

The son of former Red Sox minor league outfielder John Eierman and the younger brother of former Rays minor league outfielder Johnny Eierman, Jeremy Eierman has one of the longest track records of success of any college player in this year's draft class. He hit .296/.336/.504 as Missouri State's everyday shortstop as a freshman, and was even better as a sophomore, when he hit .313/.431/.675 with 23 home runs, which was fifth best in Division I. Eierman's solid but less spectacular junior year has paled in comparison, as he's not hitting for the same power. Scouts also have to factor in the fact he hasn't hit with wood. He hit .125/.182/.225 with strikeouts in 25 percent of his at-bats for USA Baseball last summer and .185/.258/.277 in two summers in the Cape Cod League. But Eierman is still the best college shortstop in the class with plus speed, a plus arm (some scouts throw a 70 on it) and plus power potential. Eierman has excellent bat speed, but he generates that with a significant load that requires him to get started in his swing a little earlier. He modified his stance this year with a deeper squat, but it's made him more vulnerable to being pitched inside. On the basepaths, Eierman uses his speed well--as of late April he had been successful on 18 of 20 stolen base attempts. Defensively, Eierman has the tools to stick at shortstop thanks to his arm and his ability to throw from multiple angles. His range is average, but his hands work well. He also could be a plus defender at second or third base with the bat to handle a position switch.