Phillies select Houston 3B Jake Scheiner in fourth round of 2017 MLB Draft
By John Town
The Phillies went completely off the board with their fourth-round pick, selecting third baseman Jake Scheiner from the University of Houston.
The Phillies went back to college ranks once again in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft, this time selecting University of Houston third baseman Jake Scheiner. Scheiner is the first position player selected by the team since Adam Haseley in the first round.
Scheiner is a relative unknown in the draft world. He doesn’t appear on MLB.com’s top 200 draft prospect list or even the Baseball America top 500.
I have found one report on Scheiner on Baseball Draft Report, an independent blog site that follows the MLB draft intensely. This is what they had to say about Scheiner on a report from May 8:
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"Jake Scheiner may not have standout tools, but his production over the years, including a first year run at Houston matched by few in college baseball this season, is too good to ignore. My only notes on him coming into the year are short and sweet: “damn good hit tool.” Defensively, I’ve heard mixed opinions on the likelihood he can stick at his college position of shortstop.There are some who think he’s just athletic enough to pull it off, but most seem to believe he’s best as an offensive second baseman and/or utility infielder. I’d have no qualms drafting him as a shortstop with the plan to develop him at second if need be (there’s no shame in playing second once you make it to pro ball) before exploring that utility option. I like Scheiner a lot."
The report says Scheiner was a shortstop in college and may transition to second in the future. However, it appears the Phils believe enough in Scheiner defensively to have him play third professionally.
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Scheiner spent his first two college seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College where he won several honors as he led the team to a state championship in 2016.
Scheiner signed with the University of Houston for his junior season and lit up the AAC pitchers this year. He hit 18 home runs in 63 games, posting a .346/.432/.667 slash line. Strikeouts weren’t too big of an issue as he had 41 strikeouts in 285 plate appearances.
The slot value for this pick is $473.2K. With the team drafting plenty of college players, signability shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Next: Phillies draft RHP Connor Seabold No. 83 overall
A top college hitter like Scheiner could very well jump into Low-A Lakewood, but short-season Williamsport seems more likely to start his pro career.