Kellen Kulbacki Stats & Scouting Report

AB	860
AVG	.273
OBP	.357
SLG	.448
HR	32

Full name Kellen Robert Kulbacki
Born 11/21/1985 in Harrisburg, PA
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School James Madison
Drafted in the C-A round (40th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2007 (signed for $765,000).

View Draft Report

At the outset of the season, scouts made sure to pay a visit to Harrisonburg, Va., to try to get a better read on Kulbacki. They were scratching their heads after he won the Colonial Athletic Association triple crown and led Division I in home runs and slugging percentage as a sophomore. The success didn't translate in the Cape Cod League last summer, though, making this spring key to his draft status. Because he's a well-below-average defender with average speed, all of his value lies in the bat, but most scouts seem confident that he will be an above-average major league hitter. His advanced approach and feel for hitting prompted one scout to say Kulbacki is an average major league hitter now. He can handle lefthanded pitching, which he proved by lining a double off the wall in a game against Maryland's Brett Cecil. Kulbacki's game is a similar to that of Nationals prospect Kory Casto, and how much power he develops will be vital to his ultimate value. Because he makes such consistent hard contact, he should hit for at least average power. He could be taken as high as the supplemental round.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Taken 40th overall in the 2007 draft, Kulbacki delivered on his potential in 2008 with a monster season in the California League, hitting for average and power and showing a discerning batting eye. In the playoffs that September, he tore the labrum in his right shoulder while crashing into the outfield wall, necessitating surgery. Kulbacki worked hard to rehab the injury, but with his lead hitting shoulder affected he appeared tentative to cut loose with his swing during spring training. He stayed behind in extended spring until May, but when he returned he got off to a slow start. In his first taste of Double-A, Kulbacki hit .201 and went homerless in 36 games before succumbing to an injury even more grisly than his performance. His hamstring detached from the bone, shutting him down for the remaining two months of the season. The injury precluded him from getting at-bats during the fall as well. With a sound shoulder and hitting base, Kulbacki employs a short, compact, low-maintenance swing that produces a solid average and average power production. While his bat speed is just average, his short arms ensure that he doesn't get tied up inside. He knows the strike zone and has a knack for making solid contact. A below-average runner, Kulbacki is a left fielder because his range and arm are fringy. Kulbacki will have to hit to make it to the big leagues, and he'll have to prove in his second shot at Double-A that 2009 was merely a lost year.
Kulbacki led NCAA Division I with 24 homers and a .943 slugging percentage as a James Madison sophomore in 2006. The Padres made him the 40th overall pick a year later and signed him for $765,000. He missed most of spring training last year with a pulled hamstring and consequently started slowly at low Class A Fort Wayne. Promoted to high Class A, he finished fifth in the California League with 20 homers in just 84 games. At his best, Kulbacki employs a short, compact, low-maintenance swing. He took to a mechanical adjustment that helped him keep his head level during his swing, which helped him overcome his struggles early in 2008. Though he possesses just average bat speed, his short arms ensure that he rarely gets tied up inside. With good plate coverage, pitch recognition and a knack for barreling the ball, he projects to hit for average as well as power. With fringy speed and a noncommittal approach to improving his outfield play, Kulbacki profiles best in left field. His arm is average at best. When he gets into ruts, it's usually because he extends his arms too far from his body and doesn't stay through the ball. Kulbacki tore the labrum in his right shoulder after crashing into an outfield wall during the Cal League playoffs, during which he hit two homers in three games. He had surgery and is expected to be ready for spring training, with an assignment to Double-A to follow.
Kulbacki hit .464 and led NCAA Division I with 24 homers and a .943 slugging percentage as a sophomore at James Madison in 2006, yet scouts still questioned his wood-bat power and his athleticism--questions that became louder after a mediocre showing in the Cape Cod League. He repeated as a first-team All-American in 2007, this time after finishing 14th in the nation with 19 homers and eighth with a .785 slugging percentage. The Padres took him with their second selection in the draft, 40th overall, and signed him for $765,000. After a 4-for-31 start at Eugene, Kulbacki hit as San Diego expected. He has good plate coverage and a knack for putting the barrel of the bat on the ball, two ingredients that could allow him to hit for above-average power in the future. Kulbacki has good hands but had trouble getting around on good fastballs in his debut because of average bat speed, and he tended to hit with more authority to the opposite field. All of his value lies in his bat, as he's a below-average defender and thrower on an outfield corner, and he has fringe-average speed. He'll move up to high Class A to start 2008, with a good chance to reach Double-A later in the year.

Minor League Top Prospects

Kulbacki made some adjustments to his swing in instructional league last fall and began this season on the disabled list with a sprained ankle, so a slow start was perhaps to be expected. He hit .164/.260/.295 in low Class A and didn't initially fare much better after a May promotion to Lake Elsinore, with his average bottoming out at .242 in mid-June. He was on fire afterward, however. His final .589 slugging percentage would have been best in the league had he qualified, and his .332 average and .428 on-base percentage each would have ranked second. At first glance, some saw Kulbacki as no more than an extra guy who feasted on mediocre stuff, but he won over skeptics as the season wore on. He has a knack for making good contact and hits the ball all over the yard. He showed power to all fields in the Cal League, though some still whether he has the bat speed to hit for enough power as he moves up. Kulbacki will need work on his outfield play as well, as all his defensive tools are fringe-average at best. With work he should be an adequate corner outfielder, and he played in right field for Lake Elsinore.
Scouts debated Kulbacki's value leading up to the 2007 draft. Though he led NCAA Division I with 24 homers and a .943 slugging percentage in 2006, there were questions about his wood-bat power and his athleticism. The Padres were sold and took him in the supplemental first round at 40th overall, making him the highest-drafted regular in the NWL. After a 4-for-31 start (.129) to his pro career, Kulbacki hit like San Diego expected. He has good plate coverage and a knack for putting the barrel of the bat on the ball, two ingredients that could allow him to hit for above-average power in the future. All of his value lies in his bat, as he's a below-average defender with fringe-average speed, though Riddoch was pleased with his improvement in right field during the season.