David Christensen Stats & Scouting Report

Full name David Christensen
Born 02/11/1988 in Margate, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Drafted in the 2nd round (46th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2006 (signed for $750,000).

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Christensen was a preseason third-team All-American and received plenty of exposure on one of South Florida's top prep teams. When scouts heard the family threw out a $1 million signing bonus target, however, some teams decided they were willing to let him head off to Miami. But the bonus target may have been overstated, and Christensen could be taken as high as the second round by the club that buys into his ability to hit. He doesn't make consistent contact, and needs to improve his pitch recognition. He generates good bat speed, and when he squares balls he can drive them out to all parts of the park. Christensen's arm strength is as impressive as his raw power, which helps him profile as an everyday right fielder. His waist is high and he's athletic, though some scouts worry about his ability to maintain his body as he matures. He's presently an average runner.

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Christensen had college options, committing to Miami and also receiving offers from Stanford and Georgia Tech. He still signed relatively quickly for $750,000, lower than his expected bonus demands of $1 million. Christensen is a toolsy player with potential to be a complete player but also showed his youth and inexperience with his struggles in pro ball. His Pioneer League-leading 93 strikeouts in 207 at-bats seems like a misprint, and he had streaks of 14 and 15 consecutive games with a strikeout. He has tremendous bat speed and power potential to all fields, but has to learn to make his swing more compact. Christensen can be overly aggressive, particularly having trouble with the breaking ball, and has to recognize pitches better. Christensen is a slightly above-average runner and should be an asset on the bases as he gains experience, though his aggressiveness got the best of him in this area as well. He shows potential to be a respectable outfielder with refinement of his routes and has an impressive throwing arm. Christensen's tools project him as an everyday right fielder, but that's a lot of projection. He needs to gain confidence and likely will begin this season in extended spring training.