KATOH’s Top Undrafted College Players

On Tuesday, I published a post projecting the players taken on day one of the draft. On Wednesday, I did the same for the players taken on day two. Yesterday, I did the same for day three. Today, let’s take a look at what my math says about the players who were eligible to be drafted but weren’t selected.

Below, you’ll find some quick thoughts on KATOH’s top-five hitters and top-five pitchers who weren’t drafted. Below that, you’ll find by a table with projections for all undrafted players who project for at least 0.4 WAR. As a reminder, I only have projections for college players who logged at least 100 plate appearances or batters faced in a Division 1 conference. I do not have projections for JuCo or high-school players. Note: WAR figures are projected totals for the relevant player’s first six years in the majors.

Cody Anderson, LHP, Washington State, 0.9 WAR

A 6-foot-6 lefty from Washington State, Anderson held his own in the Pac-12 this spring. He didn’t strike many guys out, but still managed to put up a 3.40 ERA.

Jared Janczak, RHP, TCU, 0.9 WAR

Janczak posted a sparkling 1.97 ERA across 13 starts, giving him the second-lowest ERA among starters in the Big 12. He also posted an impressive 91:19 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Brock Fulkerson, RHP, SIU-Edwardsville, 0.8 WAR

Fulkerson pitched to an ugly 6.32 ERA as a 6-foot-7 junior at SIU-Edwardsville, but his 69:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio suggests he was a bit unlucky. KATOH’s willing to overlook all that hard contact given his peripherals and height.

Luke Lind, RHP, North Dakota State, 0.7 WAR

Lind led the Summit League in strikeouts this spring with 92 in 82 innings. KATOH also likes his 6-foot-5 frame, although his eight homers allowed are a bit alarming.

B.J. Myers, RHP, West Virginia, 0.7 WAR

Myers’ 2017 performance was pretty ordinary, but he’s now turned in three solid seasons in a row for West Virginia. At 6-feet, he’s a little on the short side, but he rarely walks anyone.

L.T. Tolbert, IF, South Carolina, 0.5 WAR

A 6-foot-3 infielder from South Carolina, Tolbert slashed .284/.338/.368 this year. His line isn’t particularly exciting, but it came in a top conference and KATOH likes his minuscule 8% strikeout rate.

J.J Hancock, C, Washington State, 0.5 WAR

Hancock hit .298/.365/.452 in the Pac-12 this year on the strength of 14 doubles. He struck out in just 13% of his trips to the plate.

Cal Stevenson, OF, Arizona, 0.5 WAR

Stevenson slashed .311/.448/.461 at Arizona this year with a 19% walk rate and a 14% strikeout rate. He only stole five bases this spring, but swiped 10 in 36 games on the Cape last summer.

Taylor Schwaner, IF, Southeast Louisiana, 0.5 WAR

Schwaner hit a loud .332/.453/.668 this spring, and lead the Southland Conference with 16 homers. He also stole 17 bases. The downside is that he struck out 56 times in 59 games.

Ryan Anderson, IF, UC Davis, 0.5 WAR

Anderson hit .313/.372/.483 at UC Davis this spring, making him one of the Big West’s top draft-eligible hitters. He hit 14 doubles and struck out just 12% of the time.