Andy Dirks Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Andrew Lee Dirks
Born 01/24/1986 in Hutchinson, KS
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Wichita State
Debut 05/16/2011
Drafted in the 8th round (253rd overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2008 (signed for $35,000).

View Draft Report

Andy Dirks has a knack for getting on base. He entered NCAA super-regional play with a 28-game hitting streak and a 73-game on-base streak, and he set a Northwoods League record last summer by reaching base in 52 straight contests. He's an athletic 6-foot, 195-pound center fielder, yet Dirks never has been drafted. He'll make a nice senior sign this June. He has a short swing, patient approach and gap power, and the plus speed to steal bases. His hard-nosed attitude also endears him to scouts.

Top Rankings

After Blake Tekotte and Jason Kipnis went off the board in the third and fourth round to the Padres in the 2008 draft, Tigers scouting director David Chadd had Dirks as a gut-feel sleeper he liked nearly as much. He flew under the radar as a senior at Wichita State that spring, even after hitting .388/.498/.632. Dirks has a contact-oriented approach and sprays the ball to all fields with a balanced, compact swing. Though he hit 15 homers last season, he profiles more as a gap-power guy who might hit 8-12 longballs per year. Scouts say he drifts to his front side too much in his swing and has to cheat to hit good fastballs. This causes him to commit his hands early, so he's often out in front against good breaking balls. He put up impressive numbers en route to being named Detroit's 2010 minor league player of the year, though he batted just .248/.290/.303 against lefthanders. Dirks is a solid-average runner who gets good enough jumps in the outfield to get the job done in center, though his fringy arm plays better in left. He doesn't have standout tools, but he grows on managers because he plays the game the right way and always gives 100 percent. If it all works out, he could be a David Dellucci-type regular, and he should at least have value as a fourth outfielder. Dirks figures to open 2011 in Triple-A, where he hit well last August.