Evan Skoug

Coming out of high school Skoug ranked 96th on Baseball America's 2014 BA 500 draft rankings as the top high school prospect from Illinois. He quickly lived up to those expectations at Texas Christian, as he started every one of TCU's games as a freshman. He was even better as a sophomore and was the primary catcher for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer. But Skoug started his junior year with the worst slump of his career. He was hitting under .200 a month into the season as his swing had gotten longer and loopier, making him an easy mark for pitchers with a plan. Skoug lowered his hands, shortened his bat path and got back to the quicker, shorter swing that worked for him earlier in his career. He halved his strikeout rate after the adjustments and ranked among Big 12 leaders in most offensive categories in conference games. Skoug's calling card is his short stroke that generates all-fields power; the lefthanded hitter can leave the yard as easily to the opposite field as he can to right. Scouts have long questioned his defensive ability behind the plate. He struggles to handle the low pitch and some evaluators question how much room for improvement there is considering his limited flexibility. But the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder has shown a desire to catch and the durability to handle the workload. He's good enough defensively to at least get a shot at catching as a pro, and his bat may be good enough to handle a move to an easier defensive position further into his career.