Zach Cone
| AB | 1620 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .241 |
| OBP | .31 |
| SLG | .417 |
| HR | 56 |
- Full name Zach John Cone
- Born 12/14/1989 in Stone Mountain, GA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 212 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Georgia
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Drafted in the C-A round (37th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2011 (signed for $873,000).
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Cone looks like a big leaguer but hasn't played like one this season. After hitting .363 as a sophomore, he was batting .283/.343/.382 as a junior, and scouts were saying more than just the new bats were at play. He appears to lack trust in his hitting ability, swinging early in counts and getting out on his front foot too often. Scouts question his pitch recognition, and he has drawn just 33 walks in three seasons. Cone's other tools range from good to outstanding. He's a plus runner with above-average range in center field. He has understandably played with less abandon after an early-season collision in the outfield that left teammate Jonathan Taylor in the hospital and partially paralyzed with a neck injury. He gets good enough jumps and reads in center field to profile as an above-average defender there. His arm has gone backward, playing fringe-average this spring after it was plus in the fall. Cone has solid raw power and strength, and ranks as one of the college ranks' best athletes, with physical ability comparable to fellow college outfielders such as Mikie Mahtook and George Springer. Even area scouts who see all his flaws expect Cone, who was a third-round pick out of high school in 2008, to improve on that by a round or so in 2011.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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One of the top high school athletes available in the 2008 draft, Cone couldn't agree to terms with the Angels as a supplemental third-round pick. He hit .363 as a sophomore at Georgia but regressed badly as a junior in 2011--the year the NCAA instituted less-potent bats--but the Rangers still loved his athleticism, work ethic and physicality, and they signed him for $873,000 as a sandwich pick in 2011. While questions remain as to whether Cone will hit for average, his other tools are stout. He has above-average power, speed and range. He led a loaded Hickory squad with 17 homers and a .461 slugging percentage last season. Texas thinks Cone developed too many bad habits as an amateur. He's so strong that he relied on upper-body strength and neglected his lower half. The Rangers have worked to get Cone to stop overstriding to his front side, and to keep his head centered and his hands back and in position to hit offspeed pitches. He's a solid defender at any outfield position thanks to his range and average arm strength. -
An Angels third-round pick out of high school in 2008, Cone looked like a big leaguer early in his college career at Georgia but didn't play like one in the Cape Cod League in 2010 or as a junior last spring. Rangers scouting director Kip Fagg had a long history with Cone, having scouted him in the prep ranks, and took a chance on his premium body, athleticism and makeup in the supplemental first round. Texas signed him for $873,000 as the 37th overall pick last June. Cone is raw for a college selection but shows five-tool ability, and the Rangers took a flier on him becoming more consistent at the plate and learning how to hit. He never employed a load in his swing, so Texas added one during instructional league to help him stay off his front foot and behind the ball. He has nice hip rotation, fast hands and a good swing plane, but he doesn't recognize pitches well enough to make adjustments. He has above-average raw power, especially to his pull side. Cone has the defensive ability to stick in center field, with plus speed and range and arm strength that graded as above average before backing up last year. He played the outfield with abandon before an early-season collision that left Bulldogs teammate Jonathan Taylor partially paralyzed with a neck injury. (As a tribute to Taylor, the Rangers drafted him in the 33rd round.) After struggling in his pro debut--which included a 2-for-55 slump--last summer, Cone will spend 2012 at low Class A Hickory.
