Phillies first-round picks a mixed bag of results in 2017
By John Town
2015: Cornelius Randolph
The Phillies went back to the high school ranks in the 2015 draft, taking shortstop Cornelius Randolph and immediately sliding him down the defensive spectrum to left field. They put a lot of pressure on his bat, and so far it has been a mixed bag of results for Randolph.
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This year, Randolph’s average is at its lowest at just .254, but he has kept his on-base percentage at a respectable .345 thanks to an 11.5 percent walk rate. Where he has really shone is with his power, knocking 11 home runs with a .148 isolated slugging percentage. Through his first two years as a professional Randolph had just three home runs combined.
Randolph was projected to have decent power when he was drafted, and it’s good to see that power coming through in games. The biggest thing for Randolph to do now is find the balance between hitting for power and for average. Then he will really start to come into his own as a hitter.