Jacob
Blas

Undervalued and ranked at No. 269 in the college class going into the Frisco Classic, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound shortstop impressed with strong defense and consistent passes at the plate. Blas has great feet and is very athletic, showing above average range with smooth actions and an arm that plays better than average due to his quick release and ability to accurately throw on the move from all angles. With quick hands at the plate and the ability to stay balanced and keep his hands back, he showed the ability to produce hard contact the other way against offspeed pitches. Finishing the Classic 8-for-19, one home run, a triple and six RBI, Blas opened some eyes in the industry. Based upon my four game look this weekend and a thin college shortstop crop, I would place Blas in the 4th-5th round range at this point of the season. With that said, as a fourth-year college player, he may be penalized due to his age. It remains to be seen how MLB analytics departments will adjust for a much older, on average, college class. However, if recent college shortstops like Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) can be selected in the 2nd round and Anthony Servideo (Ole Miss) can get a nearly $1M signing bonus in the 3rd, there has to be a place earlier in Day Two for Blas.