Cory Vaughn Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2737
AVG	.248
OBP	.347
SLG	.428
HR	104

Full name Cory Thomas Vaughn
Born 05/01/1989 in Green Bay, WI
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School San Diego State
Drafted in the 4th round (122nd overall) by the New York Mets in 2010 (signed for $240,300).

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Vaughn is the son of Greg Vaughn, the former major league slugger who hit 355 career home runs. The younger Vaughn first caught the attention of scouts at the 2006 Area Code Games, where he flashed a powerful arm and plus speed, in the 6.7-second range. Blessed with an Adonis body at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Corey got off to a blazing start in his freshman year at San Diego State, but since has been something of an underachiever. He often struggles with breaking pitches and stuff down and away, though he looked better late this spring and ran his numbers to .378/.454/.606 with nine homers. Vaughn shows hints of his terrific tools, with 15 steals in 16 tries, but his swing-and-miss tendencies hinder his raw power. He had 55 strikeouts in 188 at-bats this season and 180 in 592 at-bats for his career. Still, Vaughn does have an athletic big league frame, and his arm, speed and power, combined with his major league lineage, will no doubt prompt a team to take a chance.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The son of four-time all-star slugger Greg Vaughn, Cory has exhibited obvious potential since he was a teenager, and he has made steady if slow progress as a pro. He smacked a career-high 23 homers for St. Lucie in 2012, a total that ranked second in the Florida State League. He also ranked third in the FSL with 51 extra-base hits and fourth with 65 walks, and few question whether he has the raw power and bat speed to profile as a corner regular. Concern stems from how playable Vaughn's power will be if he doesn't tone down his pull-happy approach and begin incorporating his lower half in his swing. Observers reported a more straightaway hitting approach in the second half of the season, when he hit .265/.373/.496. He probably always will strike out liberally against righthanders with good breaking balls, diminishing his chance to hit for a high average. Vaughn plays an efficient right field and can handle center in a pinch despite fringy speed. He has a strong, accurate arm. Scouts love his athletic build and high energy, and his diabetes hasn't slowed him in the least. Vaughn will try to clear the Double-A hurdle in 2013.
Vaughn's father Greg made four all-star teams and hit 355 home runs during a 15-year major league career. A taint of promise unfulfilled followed Cory through his days at San Diego State, not dispelling until he turned pro and led the New York-Penn League with a .557 slugging percentage in 2010. His first full pro season didn't resonate as loudly. Vaughn went deep just four times in a half-season with Savannah while playing in a home park that features fewer home runs than any other South Atlantic League yard--though he did go deep off Hickory's Roman Mendez at the league's all-star game. Vaughn hit a more representative nine homers in 210 at-bats after a promotion to St. Lucie. Scouts think he has enough natural loft and strength to hit for solid power down the road, though he doesn't incorporate his lower half much in his swing, leaving his arms to do all the work. His hitting set-up features a bat waggle reminiscent of Gary Sheffield, if not as exaggerated, Vaughn's two-strike approach has improved drastically in pro ball to the point where his strikeout rate is manageable so long as his power develops. He swings through enough pitches, however, to limit his hitting potential. Vaughn exhibits strong outfield fundamentals, if only average range, and could handle either left or right field with his average arm. A Type 1 diabetic, he wears an insulin pump while playing to regulate his body's sugar levels. He ought to finish 2012 in Double-A, even if it takes him half a season to get there.
Vaughn served as batboy for the Devil Rays while his father Greg wound down his 15-year career in Tampa Bay in the early 2000s. Cory has big shoes to fill--Greg made four all-star teams, hit 30 or more homers in four seasons and finished with 355 round-trippers. Cory first met Tony Gwynn, his future coach at San Diego State, when his father played for the Padres from 1996-98. Though Vaughn's tools have been obvious since he was a teenager, he couldn't shake the feeling of promise unfulfilled in college. He had his best college season a junior last spring--.378/.454/.606 with nine homers--but still racked up strikeouts as he struggled with pitch recognition. However, scouts both inside and outside the Mets organization said that Vaughn cut down on his swing upon turning pro for $240,300 as a fourth-round pick. The results were tangible: He saw breaking balls better, used the opposite field, struck out less frequently and led the short-season New York-Penn League in slugging (.557) and OPS (.953) while ranking second with 14 homers and 56 RBIs. A physical specimen, Vaughn has prototype right-field tools. He sports above-average power and has a chance to be an average hitter, assuming his new approach holds. He's also an average runner with average range and arm strength in right field. Vaughn has Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, which he monitors and controls with an insulin pump he wears while playing. Much like 2008 third-rounder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Vaughn may be able to handle an assignment to high Class A for his full-season debut.

Minor League Top Prospects

The son of former all-star Greg Vaughn, Cory announced his presence on the prospect landscape in the summer of 2008, when he ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Northwoods League following an inconsistent freshman year at San Diego State. He showed an impressive blend of power and speed in college but also struck out 180 times in 592 at-bats. Vaughn demonstrated a more mature approach as a junior, learning to hit the ball the other way with authority instead of trying to pull everything. Those improvements carried over to this summer, when he wore out the right-center gap while leading the NY-P in slugging (.557) and OPS (.953) while ranking second in homers (14) and RBIs (56). After struggling against breaking stuff for much of his college career, he showed the ability to recognize and hit breaking balls. Physical and athletic, Vaughn has prototypical right-field tools. He has above-average power and a chance to be an average hitter. He also has an average arm, average speed and good defensive skills.