Jake Skole
| AB | 2987 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .236 |
| OBP | .342 |
| SLG | .377 |
| HR | 81 |
- Full name Jacob Michael Skole
- Born 01/17/1992 in Woodstock, GA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School Blessed Trinity
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Drafted in the 1st round (15th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2010 (signed for $1,557,000).
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Skole, the younger brother of Georgia Tech sophomore third baseman Matt, has always been a premium talent, but his football commitment to Georgia Tech depressed his draft stock. Skole, 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, started the spring a bit slowly, due in part to an ankle injury, but the further he got from football, the looser he got and the better he played. Blessed with above-average athleticism, Skole has a good swing with strength, power and explosiveness. He made himself a likely top-two-rounds selection by making hard contact and getting two hits in a late May state playoff game against Kaleb Cowart, the state's top pitcher. He's far from a finished product on the diamond, which shows up most against breaking balls. He swung and missed several times against slow, offspeed stuff in the game following his matchup with Cowart. He's a fringe-average runner who profiles as a corner outfielder. His football scholarship also means teams can go over-slot to sign him and spread the bonus out over five years.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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The younger brother of 2011 Nationals fifth-round pick Matt Skole, a slugging third baseman out of Georgia Tech, Jake turned down a two-sport commitment to the Yellow Jackets to turn pro the year before. He signed for $1.56 million as the 15th overall pick in 2010. After focusing on football in high school, Skole started to better understand his swing in his first full pro season. He has shown more power than initially expected, and some scouts now think he could hit 20 or more homers on an annual basis in the big leagues. He projects as a solid hitter who can take the ball to all fields, but he works a lot of deep counts and will chase offspeed stuff, leading to 138 whiffs in 2011. An ankle injury he sustained playing football hurt his speed, which was once considered plus but hasn't fully come back. He's a smart and aggressive baserunner. Though Skole gets good jumps and takes fine routes in center field, his body has thickened and he likely won't have the closing speed to play up the middle in the future. A move to an outfield corner would put more pressure on his bat. His throwing ticked up a notch last year, from solid to above-average. He's ready for high Class A. -
The younger brother of Georgia Tech slugger Matt Skole, Jake committed to the Yellow Jackets to play football and baseball. His gridiron commitment and an ankle injury depressed his draft stock until he came on late last spring. Shortly after he got two hits off Angels first-rounder Kaleb Cowart in a Georgia high school playoff game, the Rangers drafted Skole 15th overall and signed him for $1.56 million. Physical and athletic, Skole has plenty of strength but needs to use his lower half better in his swing in order to drive the ball with more authority. He projects to have average to plus power, and he could be an average or slightly better hitter from the left side. As a multisport athlete, Skole has some rough edges to polish, but Texas was pleasantly surprised by his offensive approach and strike-zone discipline. His ankle continued to hamper him a bit during his pro debut, but he has slightly above-average speed when fully healthy. The Rangers believe he has a chance to play center field, though some scouts project him as a right fielder. He has a solidaverage arm. Skole will advance to low Class A to start 2011. With his football days in the rear-view mirror, he should begin to develop more quickly.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Considering Skole's physique, it's no surprise Georgia Tech recruited him to play both baseball and football. Muscular and athletic, his body stood out more than most of the college players he shared the field with. The 15th overall pick in June, Skole has above-average bat speed and held his own in the NWL's advanced environment, where many of the pitchers have college experience. Though he tracks the ball well, he tends to get out on his front foot too early and his hips drift. That causes his bat to drag through the hitting zone, sapping strength from his swing. Skole has plus speed when he's healthy, though a right ankle injury from the spring didn't fully heal during his pro debut. He played exclusively in center field this summer but profiles better as a right fielder with a solid-average arm. He needs to make better reads and do a better job of keeping his throws down. They sail sometimes because he has an over-the-top release.
