Decker is a LHP/OF from Sunrise Mountain HS in Peoria, AZ. Though he throws 90 mph with a good curveball as a pitcher, we see Decker as a hitter and he's a pure hitter.
A left-handed hitter, Decker has fantastic discipline, big power, and a beautiful swing. More than anything though, Decker has a natural rhythm and timing to hit that is innate to all great hitters. He hit 14 homers this spring in just 72 at-bats while also maintaining his patience as the opposition pitched around him. Jaff plays CF in high school, though we expect that he'll be more of a corner outfielder in the long-term.
Though high school bats are always more risky, we think that Jaff has big bat potential and was worth the selection at 42. At present, he is committed to Arizona State. We were thrilled to get him.
4 comments:
Thanks for the explanation Paul. The Decker pick sounds really intriguing.
You can see some video of Jaff Decker on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4weJOMO4M8
BA compared him to Matt Stairs or Brian Giles. I see neither. His swing is extremely clean, wonderfully compact, and well balanced. He will hit. He has a Major League swing right now. The issue will be finding a position for him.
Unfortunately everyone gets the idea that Decker is SLOW - he's not, he's just not lightning fast. He's got average speed for an outfielder and I don't see any problem patrolling Petco's space. His arm is outstanding, this is a guy who throws 93 and has a great curve and change up. Just wait and see - I think this pick will work out just fine...
The FriarJohn blog at mlb.com says he had 21 SBs his senior season ... doesn't sound slow to me ... nice signing!
Post a Comment