Cole Brannen

On the competitive summer showcase circuit, Brannen showed the ability to go with pitches away and drive the ball with authority to the opposite field. He has a compact swing from the left side of the plate and controls his barrel well. Brannen can sometimes expand the strike zone and will need more reps against quality pitching to improve his pure hitting ability. While Brannen has shown some ability to loft the ball in batting practice, scouts don't envision him being a huge power producer with a wood bat. Instead, Brannen's game will be built on his quick hands, barrel awareness and speed. Brannen is a plus runner underway and his speed plays well on the bases and in center field. He also has an above-average to plus arm. | Brannen broke his hamate bone this spring and missed some time. He hasn't been tested against quality pitching this spring. The team that takes Brannen will likely believe in his ability to stay in center field long term and will probably feel more comfortable projecting him to add power as he gets stronger and fills in his frame. Brannen is appealing because of his long-term projection, and could hear his name called on the first day of the draft. He is committed to Georgia Southern but is expected to sign professionally.