Justyn-Henry Malloy
Physical Description: Average height with muscular build. Thick powerful thighs with some room for upper-body growth, but probably close to maxed out.
Hit: 45
Shows a good bit of hand movement before the swing, but ultimately uses a minimal load and above-average bat speed to wait on pitches and whip the bat through the zone. A short strider who sometimes steps in the bucket and opens up early, leading to weak fly balls to center and ground balls to the left side. Has a tremendous idea of the strike zone and rarely chases, but he can be beaten in the zone, particularly with breaking balls and changeups. At his best when he stays back and uses the whole field.
Power: 55
Shows above-average raw power and can drive the ball to all parts of the park, but his over-the-fence pop is almost exclusively to the left of center field. Should get to at least average game power, and may top out closer to 25 home runs if he looks to drive the ball a bit more.
Speed: 30
Well below-average runner who typically gets from home to first in 4.5 seconds or more. Not a stolen base threat, and tendency to roll over to the left side may result in a high number of double plays.
Defense: 45
Throwing issues led Malloy off third base, but he has adjusted fairly well to the outfield. His his lack of speed makes him a corner-only defender and limits his range, and his reads and reactions are still developing. Has the arm strength to handle right field and should develop into a passable defender there, but he may ultimately move to first base.
Arm: 50
Shows above-average pure arm strength, but is still adjusting his arm to throwing from the outfield. Will occasionally release the ball late and send a four-hopper to the infield, but he has made progress with his throwing decisions and has improved at hitting the cutoff man.
Overall: A bat-first profile, but there’s enough potential here to think Malloy can make it work. His plate-discipline is an easy plus, which gives him a great chance to maximize his above-average power and fringy bat-to-ball skills. His defensive limitations put more pressure on the bat, but he could develop into an average hitter with above-average power, making him a potential MLB regular in a corner.