Ryan Bolden
| AB | 372 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .164 |
| OBP | .273 |
| SLG | .245 |
| HR | 3 |
- Full name Ryan Christopher Bolden
- Born 09/17/1991 in Jackson, MS
- Died 12/17/2014 in Atlanta, GA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: L
- School Madison Central
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Drafted in the C-A round (40th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2010 (signed for $829,800).
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Mississippi has produced plenty of raw, toolsy outfielders over the years, with recent examples including Wendell Fairley (Giants, first round, 2007), Justin Reed (Reds, fourth round, 2006) and Bill Hall (Brewers, sixth round, 1998). Hall is the last Mississippi high school signee to reach the major leagues for more than a cup of coffee. Bolden has excellent size at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, and big tools to go with his athletic body. He's a 65 or 70 runner on the 20-80 scale, and his strength gives him above-average raw power. He is raw in all phases of the game. He has bat speed and hitting ability--he's unusual as he bats right but throws left--but hit at the bottom of the order as a junior, when Madison Central won a state title, and still swings and misses a lot as a senior. Scouts question his pitch recognition and ability to hit breaking balls. While he has played center field, Bolden also logged time in right because of his inability to get good reads in center. He profiles better in center field due to his fringe-average arm. While Bolden is an Ole Miss recruit, most clubs considered him signable, and he fits the mold for teams that love pure athletes, such as the Phillies, Rays and Marlins. He also would be a better risk for a club with multiple selections.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Bolden will try to make good where other Mississippi high school products thrust into pro ball have faltered. He has explosive raw power and speed, just like Brewers 1998 sixth-rounder Bill Hall, a Nettleton, Miss., prep product made good. Hall needed six years in the minors to develop into a major league talent, however, and Bolden is so raw that he'll need plenty of time as well. That didn't stop the Angels from selecting him with the 40th overall pick last June and buying him out of a Mississippi commitment for $829,800. True to form, Bolden struck out in 45 percent of his at-bats in the Arizona League, though he did begin taking better swings at the end of the season. Scouts question his pitch recognition and ability to hit breaking balls. A rare righty hitter/lefty thrower, he probably won't make enough contact to hit for much average. He has plus raw power, but to unlock it he'll have to better implement his lower half and not rotate his upper body so dramatically. Bolden also is unrefined in the outfield, despite his plus-plus speed, and will need to improve his reads to stick in center field. His fringy arm probably will make him a left fielder if he can't handle center. Bolden pulled his hamstring during instructional league and took just a handful of at-bats. Even without that setback, he would have been a strong candidate to begin 2011 in extended spring training.
