That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies MLB Draft: Five players worth considering at No. 14

By John Town

LEXINGTON, KY - APRIL 18: University of Kentucky left handed pitcher Zack Thompson (#14) releases a pitch as the rain starts to come down during a regular season college baseball game between the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats on April 18, 2017, at Cliff Hagan Stadium in Lexington, KY. Kentucky wins the game 11-7. (Photo by Mat Gdowski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - APRIL 18: University of Kentucky left handed pitcher Zack Thompson (#14) releases a pitch as the rain starts to come down during a regular season college baseball game between the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats on April 18, 2017, at Cliff Hagan Stadium in Lexington, KY. Kentucky wins the game 11-7. (Photo by Mat Gdowski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – MARCH 28: Tulane Green Wave third baseman Kody Hoese (15) fields a ball during a baseball game between the Tulane Green Wave and LSU Tigers on March 28, 2017, at Alex Box Stadium, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3B Kody Hoese, Tulane

Buster Olney of ESPN mocked Hoese to the Phillies in his most recent mock, which may seem a little high. He is ranked No. 25 overall by MLB.com and No. 27th by Baseball America. However, Law stated that Hoese is one of the players he has heard linked to the Phillies, so he may be higher on the club’s draft board than other teams or media outlets.

Hoese is very similar to last year’s first-round pick, Alec Bohm, as a heavy-hitting third baseman. Hoese finished the year with a .779 slugging percentage and 23 home runs, good for second and tied for fourth among D-1 NCAA players, respectively. He was a strong hitter across the board with a .392 batting average, .487 on-base percentage, and eight more walks than strikeouts.

What concerns evaluators is Hoese’s lack of track record as a strong hitter. He hit no home runs his freshman year and just five last year as a sophomore. He had an abysmal .566 OPS as a freshman and a respectable but not great .803 OPS last season. Hoese had an .863 OPS in 38 games in the wood-bat New England Collegiate League last summer. His entire draft stock is tied to one good year of production.

Also like Bohm, Hoese may not have the glove to stick at third base. He may be able to stick there long-term, but he will only be average at best at the position. His bat will have to carry him to the majors; hopefully, it can.

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