Amateur Hour: Colin Moran

Colin Moran strays a bit from my previous two spotlights on Clint Frazier and Kris Bryant. Both of those two are somewhat raw power hitters and there’s obviously some risk in taking somebody like that. There’s much less risk with Colin Moran, a third baseman from UNC who has shot up draft boards after a great spring at Carolina. He is one of, if not the most polished hitter in this year’s draft but although there’s a much greater chance he will pan out into a big league player, he also doesn’t have the same ceiling as Frazier and Bryant.

Jun 11, 2011; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran (18) throws to first during the first inning of the Chapel Hill super regional of the 2011 NCAA baseball tournament at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

However, being the #7 pick in the draft would have to entail a somewhat high ceiling and Moran has the chance to be a very good major league player. Moran has a great hitter’s frame at 6’3″, 209 lbs and will likely grow into more power as he fills out. He’s no slouch at the plate right now though, as he has hit .379/.512/.636 with 13 home runs with the Tarheels this year. The metal bats used in college obviously bump up his power numbers a bit, but power isn’t the main reason the Red Sox would draft him.

That reason would be that he is arguably the best pure hitter in the draft. His smooth, polished hitting mechanics make for a player who makes solid contact as much as anyone in college baseball. He has good enough opposite field power that he could probably compare to an Adrian Gonzalez type as his absolute ceiling, somebody who hits over .300 with around 20 home runs, a good number of which are over the monster. That would be the ceiling, but even if Moran doesn’t turn into Adrian Gonzalez, a guy who consistently hits .280-.300 with 15-25 homers has a ton of value.