Bradley Suttle Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Bradley Kent Suttle
Born 01/24/1986 in Boerne, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: S / Throws: R
School Texas
Drafted in the 4th round (154th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2007 (signed for $1,300,000).

View Draft Report

There's a debate among scouts about who's better, Suttle or his Longhorns teammate, Kyle Russell. Suttle doesn't have Russell's power ceiling, but he's a better bet to hit in the major leagues. He's a pure hitter and switch-hitter to boot, with scouts preferring his stroke from the left side. He has a strong 6-foot-2, 213-pound frame, though his inside-out swing doesn't have much lift and somewhat limits his power. He drives more balls into the gaps than over the fence. The biggest knocks on Suttle are his heavy legs and lack of speed. That limits his range at third base, though he has a strong arm (clocked up to 92 mph when he was a high school pitcher) and soft hands. Some teams may be wary of him because he's a Type 1 diabetic, but he hasn't let if affect his career. The Hendricks brothers, his advisers, have put a $1 million price tag on Suttle, and he does have extra leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore. But clubs expect he'll sign if he's taken in the upper half of the sandwich round.

Top Rankings

One of the better pure hitters in the 2007 draft, Suttle batted .359/.450/.603 as a draft-eligible sophomore at Texas. After the Yankees signed him for $1.3 million, he looked lost in Hawaii Winter Baseball that fall, striking out 30 times in 85 at-bats. Undaunted, he made several adjustments at the plate in 2008 and had a successful pro debut despite two stints on the disabled list with hip problems. Suttle has a feel for hitting from both sides of the plate and confidence that leads to excellent strike-zone awareness. He has the strength and enough bat speed to maximize his discipline. After showing an inability to make consistent contact in Hawaii, he was shorter to the ball in 2008. He also improved significantly on defense, showing better range to both sides and coming in on slow rollers. He has good arm strength. Suttle's power may not fit the third-base profile, as his swing from both sides is geared more toward line drives. The Yankees would like him to be more aggressive to exploit pitches he can drive. He's fairly slow and has modest athleticism. Reversing a poor start has Suttle back on track, but with Alex Rodriguez signed through 2017, he's in no rush. He'll start next season in high Class A and could push Rodriguez to a different position in 2011.