Phillies select Florida SS Dalton Guthrie in sixth round of 2017 MLB Draft
Continuing to opt for college players in the draft, the Phillies selected University of Florida shortstop Dalton Guthrie in the sixth round of the MLB Draft.
The Phillies said before the draft they are going to go heavy on college talent, and they are doing just that. In the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft, they selected University of Florida shortstop Dalton Guthrie with the No. 173 overall selection.
Guthrie was ranked as the No. 140 overall draft prospect by MLB.com and No. 168 overall by Baseball America. He is the son of 15-year MLB veteran Mark Guthrie, so he has experience in professional baseball.
In his junior season at Florida, Guthrie had a .262/.342/.351 slash line in 57 games. His performance was certainly hampered by a shoulder injury he suffered beforehand. Guthrie had surgery last year to move a nerve in his right arm, sapping some of his strength.
Where Guthrie stands out is on defense. He definitely has the glove to stay at shortstop. Just watch this video of Guthrie making three separate spectacular plays at shortstop:
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The 21-year old Guthrie’s future at shortstop will depend on if he can regain the strength in his throwing arm. If he can, then he should be above-average there in the future. If not, a move to second base may be in his future.
At the plate, the 5’11, 175-pound Guthrie does not have a lot of power. He has a solid approach at the plate which gives him an average of better hit tool.
Guthrie can run well, but he suffered an ankle injury this season that kept him out of the SEC Tournament.
Next: Phils select Ga. HS LHP Ethan Lindow in fifth
If Guthrie can recover from his current injuries, he seems like the poor man’s version of Scott Kingery at the plate who can potentially play shortstop. If not, he won’t last very long as a professional.