Chris Lubanski Stats & Scouting Report

AB	3243
AVG	.276
OBP	.342
SLG	.469
HR	112

Full name Christopher Sebastian Lubanski
Born 03/24/1985 in Lansdale, PA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic
Drafted in the 1st round (5th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2003 (signed for $2,100,000).

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Lubanski has had a remarkable high school career. He's raised his average from .405 as a freshman, to .467 as a junior, to .592 as a junior to more than .600 as a senior. He's been a mainstay on Team USA's youth and junior squads, and played with and against the best players in the country for years. As a regular on the showcase circuit, he's also been visible to scouts and recruiters in all parts of the country. He has four tools that grade out average or better, and even his arm, his weakest tool, may become average. His hitting ability is obvious, but his best tool is his speed. He's been timed in less than 6.5 seconds in the 60-yard dash. He has long strides and glides to balls in center; it's a sight to behold watching him leg out triples, a frequent occurrence. His power will evolve as he fills out his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame. He's a tireless worker and takes a lot of pride in his performance. Lubanski is a top student with a commitment to Florida State, but he's a major draft prospect and could go as high as seventh overall to the Orioles.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

After getting off to slow starts before making second-half surges in each of his first three full seasons, Lubanski came out swinging last season in his return to the Texas League. A midseason leap to Triple-A was not so smooth, and he once again struggled in unfamiliar surroundings. He didn't fare much better in the Arizona Fall League, hitting just .200/.266/.412, and was left off the 40-man roster. Lubanski has long boasted one of the smoothest swings in the Royals system and has continued to add power as he filled out, though at the cost of speed. He showed an improved ability to drive the ball to all fields last season and better plate discipline. Lubanski now bears little resemblance to the speedy center fielder the Royals selected fifth overall in 2003. His bulk has pushed him to left field, where he's an average defender at best, and he's no longer a threat on the basepaths. Always trying to improve with a tireless work ethic, he also tends to doubt himself when things go wrong and guesses at the plate rather than trusting his swing. He should improve upon last year's performance while repeating Triple-A and make his major league debut.
Always among the youngest players in his league, Lubanski has shown the ability to make adjustments as the season progresses as evidenced by a career-long trend of second-half surges. The fifth overall pick in the 2003 draft had a .704 on-base plus slugging percentage before the 2006 all-star break, compared to a .978 OPS afterward. Though he has filled out since being drafted, Lubanski is still very athletic. He has plus speed and a smooth stroke with leverage that bodes well for power. His plate discipline and pitch recognition continue to improve, and he led the Texas League in walks in 2006. He has good range in the outfield. Though he runs well, Lubanski isn't the speedster he was billed as coming out of high school. He's not adept at stealing bases and is tentative in the outfield. His routes, jumps and arm are all fringy, making him a left fielder rather than a center fielder. He sometimes misses hittable pitches when he gets them. He hit just .225 against lefthanders in 2006 because he lunges too often and needs to trust his hands more. Lubanski looked like a possible first-round bust by mid-2005, but he has turned his career around, and the Royals see him as their long-term answer in left field. He'll probably spend most of 2007 in Triple-A.
Lubanski was pegged as a mid-first-rounder in 2003, but the Royals took him fifth overall and signed him for $2.1 million--$400,000 below MLB's slot recommendation. He has proven a second-half player in his brief career, especially in 2005, when he hit .354-18-85 in the last three months to finish second in the minors with 116 RBIs and fourth with 294 total bases and 72 extra-base hits. Yes, the Royals know High Desert is a hitter's haven and that Lubanski hit .359-19-71 at home and .245-9- 45 on the road. But he started making better contact and his natural loft power started to shine in the second half, which he capped by going 13-for-15 in the high Class A California League playoffs. He's an aggressive hitter but began to take more pitches and showed a freer, looser swing. A plus runner, he was caught stealing just once in 15 tries. Lubanski covered so much ground as a high school center fielder that his timidity and poor routes as a pro puzzle observers. His arm rates just below-average and he needs to use his legs more when he throws. If he doesn't improve, he'll have to move to left field. Some club officials wanted Lubanski to cede High Desert's center-field job to Mitch Maier, but Maier's promotion ended that possibility. They'll start 2006 together again in Double-A, with Lubanski likely remaining in center. He could develop into a No. 5 hitter with basestealing speed.
Lubanski was pegged as a mid-first rounder before settling for a slightly below-market $2.1 million bonus as the fifth overall pick in 2003. In his first full season, he hit just .224 through June before moving from first to third in Burlington's order and batting .315 with improved power the rest of the way. The Royals like the adjustments Lubanski made and believe he can be an above-average hitter with at least average power. He has slowed some since being drafted, but is still a plus runner. His work ethic and makeup are also positives. Lubanski needs to improve in all aspects of the game. He struggles against lefthanders, can be fooled by breaking pitches and needs more plate discipline. He got nailed 11 times in 27 steal attempts. As a center fielder, he needs to improve his reads and first-step quickness. He has a below-average arm and several scouts project him as a left fielder. Initially compared to Johnny Damon, Lubanski now seems more likely to make his mark with his strength rather than his speed. The Royals think he's on the verge of a breakout, possibly in 2005 at their new high Class A High Desert affiliate.
Lubanski enjoyed a standout amateur career, hitting for the cycle twice in a doubleheader as a senior and playing on Team USA's youth and junior squads. He projected to go no higher than the seventh pick in the draft, but the Royals liked him enough to draft him at No. 5 on merit. After signing for $2.1 million, he ranked as the top prospect in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Lubanski's speed rates the best of his four above-average tools. He's a 70 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale. He has an athletic body with broad shoulders, and is capable of developing 25-homer power while also producing a strong average. He shows good pop now, especially when he centers the ball. He has great makeup and took a leadership role on his college-heavy AZL squad. Lubanski improved his throwing, but it will never rate much better than average. He's still learning what to do with certain pitches and gets anxious and a little out of control at the plate, on the bases and in the field. Lubanski draws comparisons to a young Kirk Gibson, and he also reminds Royals officials of Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran. He's ticketed for low Class A Burlington, but a strong spring could lead Kansas City to challenge him with a jump to high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Wichita had three first-round picks in its outfield this season in Butler (2004), Lubanski and Mitch Maier (both 2003). While Butler is one of the best hitting prospects in the minors, Lubanski and Maier both showed they shouldn't be written off. Lubanski won't ever play up to his draft status, but it's not his fault the Royals wanted to save money with the fifth overall pick in '03. He still should develop into a useful outfielder for the Royals, though his best role would probably be a fourth outfielder and lefthanded bat off the bench on a contender. He has a smooth swing but chases too many pitches for the amount of power he delivers. He also has solid speed but never translated that to make himself a potent basestealing threat, and his aggressiveness hurts him as a possible leadoff hitter. Lubanski played mostly in left field for the Wranglers, though he can also play center field in a pinch. His biggest weakness on defense is his arm, which is below-average.
The minor league RBI leader, Lubanski hit just .207-10-31 in the first two months and .354-18-85 in 78 games afterward. How much of that was true improvement and how much was statistical illusion remains to be seen. No batter took advantage of the wind tunnel that is Mavericks Stadium more than Lubanski, who hit .359-19-71 at home and .245-9-45 on the road. Lubanski's game has changed dramatically since he went fifth overall in the 2003 draft. He's no longer the burner he was in high school, yet he's still a plus runner and his power has grown. He's still overaggressive at the plate and needs to improve on working counts and closing the holes in his swing. His work ethic was universally praised. While his offense took a major step forward, Lubanski's play in center field has declined. A below-average arm, bad routes and his drop in speed has most projecting an eventual move to left, where some wonder if his bat will be enough to carry him.
The fifth player selected in this year's draft, Lubanski was part of one of the best high school outfield crops to come along in years. In addition to the fleet Pennsylvania product, Delmon Young (Devil Rays, No. 1), Ryan Harvey (Cubs, No. 6) and Lastings Milledge (Mets, No. 12) were among the first dozen picks. Lubanski's tools are at three different stages of development. His best and most advanced tool is speed, which ranks as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. It's most apparent going from home to first, where he was timed from the left side in less than 3.8 seconds on a bunt and 4.0 seconds on a full swing. He's still learning how to steal bases, however, as he was caught 10 times in 19 attempts. His speed also was evident chasing down fly balls in center field, but he needs to turn and go on balls hit directly over his head and learn angles better. His bat is a solid-average tool. He hits a lot of line drives, especially to the gaps, but must recognize pitches better and use the whole field. Lubanski also must to draw more walks and make more contact. "With his speed, he needs to learn to hit the ball the other way," Giants manager Bert Hunter said. "He tries to pull everything now." Lubanski's arm and power are both below-average, but he should add pop as he fills out his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame and lofts balls more consistently.