Bat-first, or bat-only, position prospects are a funny lot when it comes to the early rounds of the draft. They often seem, on the surface, like a safer sort of bet than some wiry, waterbug middle infield prospect who requires a ton of projection to see any offensive value at all. The bat-first guy, despite being defensively limited, comes with the most difficult to evaluate tool already included in the box. A guy who can hit, the reasoning goes, will always be able to provide that value with the bat, regardless of how the rest of his game turns out.
2018 Draft Preview Supplemental: The Bats of ‘08
