Stephen Alemais

When the draft rolls around, teams always feel safe drafting college shortstops who can handle the job defensively. And that ensures that Alemais will go well, even though there are significant concerns about his hitting ability. Alemais has the defensive tools to stick at shortstop as a pro. He plays on FieldTurf at Tulane but his excellent hands, an above-average arm (he gets plus grades from some scouts) and average range (limited by his average speed but with a quick first step) translate well to grass fields. He glides around at shortstop with the kind of smooth, athletic actions scouts want to see. He's also a savvy basestealer. At the plate, Alemais projects as a bottom-of-the-order hitter whose bat may limit his chances to play everyday. He uses the entire field but takes big swings despite bottom of the scale power-he has three home runs in three seasons at Tulane. Alemais has hit over .300 in each of his past two seasons at Tulane, but it's a light .300 that scouts worry will not carry over to a wood bat against pro pitching.