Jackson Willeford

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #162 prospect in 2012 draft
  An Arizona recruit, Willeford is an undersized baseball rat with strength and feel for hitting, reminding Southern California scouts a bit of Tony Wolters, who signed with the Indians for $1.35 million in 2010. He has good strength in his 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame, and the lefthanded hitter excels at driving the ball into the left-center-field gap. He can also turn on balls with authority--he was hitting .419/.532/.849 with 10 homers through 111 at-bats this spring. Scouts who believe in his his power potential see Willeford as a lefthanded Marcus Giles type, but others see below-average power (think Aaron Miles, without the switch-hitting ability). He is an aggressive hitter with good pitch recognition and a chance to be a solid-average hitter down the line. Willeford has some thickness in his lower half, and he'll have to move from shortstop to second base in pro ball. His average arm will play there, and his hands and actions are adequate. He's an average runner, and his quality instincts help his tools play up a bit.