Jace Jung (report by Chris Brown)

Physical Description: Listed at 6 feet tall, but likely an inch or two shorter than that. Body somewhat pear-shaped with narrow shoulders and thick, powerful legs, and small feet.

Hit: 50

Unusual setup with the bat pointed backward and one hand higher than the other. Shows average bat speed, but may have an issue getting to the zone on time against better pitching. Showed a tendency to hit fly balls to left field and only pulled the ball when he ambushed the pitcher. Has a terrific idea of the strike zone and almost never chases. Will work plenty of walks, but does seem to have a hole under his hands against breaking balls.

Power: 60

Above-average raw power here, with 90th-percentile exit velocity above 103 MPM.

Jung has shown solid progress in his first full year of pro ball. We had questions about his game power last year, but he has answered those rather emphatically. He consistently hits the ball hard in the air, and he increased his pull rate by 8% in High-A, leading to significantly more home runs.

Run: 40 

Well below-average runner who routinely posted home-to-first times above 4.5 seconds. Not a base stealing threat.

Defense: 45

Fringe-average defender. A gamer type who lacks ideal range at second base, but he makes plays on just about everything he gets to, and his arm is adequate with solid accuracy.

Arm: 45

Shows average arm strength for a second baseman. Might not turn every double play possible, but throws with accuracy.

Overall: Jung is a bat-first player with a long track record of success in college, where he showed a mix of patience, hitting ability, and power. Only the patience showed up in pro ball, but it was at the end of a long season and he was dealing with some injuries. If he maximizes the hit and power tools he has a chance, but anything short of that and he’ll struggle to be an MLB regular, because he lacks the supplementary tools to make up for it. 

August 2023 Update: And despite his below-average foot speed he has proven himself to be a very reliable defender, so we bumped him up there. We aren’t as confident in him becoming an average hitter though. He still shows a strong eye, but he continues to swing-and-miss in the zone a bit too much to project him as more than a fringe-average bat.