Greg Allen

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #8 prospect in 2018
  Allen got off to a strong start to the 2017 with Double-A Akron before breaking the hamate bone in his right hand. The injury sidelined him for two months, but he played well enough upon his return to get called up to Cleveland when rosters expanded in September to make his major league debut. He then made the playoff roster as a pinch runner/defensive replacement and appeared in two games. Allen's game is built around his plus speed. He has good on-base skills, is a disciplined hitter and has walked about as often as he has struck out in his career. His approach at the plate is geared toward making contact, limiting his power potential and some of his offensive impact. He is a good baserunner and is always a threat to steal when he gets on base. Allen's speed also plays well in the outfield, where he is a plus defender. He takes good routes, has an above-average arm and the speed to cover plenty of ground. Allen doesn't fit the typical corner outfield profile, but with Bradley Zimmer set to man center field in Cleveland, that may be where the Indians ask him to play. Allen will either open 2018 in the big leagues or with Triple-A Columbus, depending how the offseason plays out in Cleveland. His lack of power limits his everyday regular potential, but he does enough things well to have a lengthy big league career.
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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #10 prospect in 2017
  Allen excelled on the field and in the classroom at San Diego State and was named the school's male student-athlete of the year as a junior. Since the Indians drafted him in the sixth round that year, he has made a smooth transition to pro ball and steadily climbed through the minor leagues, reaching Double-A Akron and ending the year with an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. Allen's game is built around his plus speed. He has good on-base skills, having led the high Class A Carolina League in on-base percentage (.424), and his approach at the plate is geared toward making contact, limiting his power potential. He is a disciplined hitter and walks about as often as he strikes out. He is a good baserunner and has led the Indians system in stolen bases in each of the last two seasons. Allen's speed plays well in the outfield, where he is a plus defender. He takes good routes, has an above-average arm and the speed to cover plenty of ground. Allen came to the organization at the end of a stretch where it had selected a center fielder with its top draft pick for three straight years. While that has made for a crowded organizational depth chart, his defense is a separator. He'll likely begin 2017 back at Akron and could push his way to the big leagues with another strong season.
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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #28 prospect in 2016
  As a junior at San Diego State, Allen helped the Aztecs qualify for NCAA Division I regionals in 2014 and was named the school's male student-athlete of the year. He made a smooth transition to the pro ranks after Cleveland selected him in the sixth round that year, and he led all Indians minor leaguers with 46 stolen bases in 2015. Allen's game is built around his plus speed. He has a slashing approach at the plate that produces minimal power but enables him to get on base and use his speed. He does a good job of putting the bat on the ball, and he has walked about as much as he has struck out throughout his career. Allen also makes good use of his speed on defense. He has good instincts, allowing him to get good jumps and cover a lot of ground in center field. After reaching high Class A Lynchburg for the 2015 playoffs, he'll return to the Carolina League in 2016.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #162 prospect in 2014 draft
  Allen generates a wide range of opinion among Southern California area scouts, with some liking him in the top three or four rounds but others seeing him as a fifth- to 10th-round talent. He has posted three solid years for San Diego State but has never topped an .800 OPS, and some scouts question whether he'll hit enough to be an everyday player. Generously listed at 6 feet, 175 pounds, Allen has well below-average power but is capable of shooting balls into the gaps at times. A switch-hitter, he has a less complex swing and more patience from the left side. He has enough bat-to-ball instincts to give him a chance to be an average hitter if he can learn to chase fewer breaking balls. He has become more patient at the plate in the last two years, walking about as much as he strikes out. Allen is an aggressive baserunner with plus speed, helping him steal 50 bases over the last two years at San Diego State. His speed plays up in center field, where he has an extra gear when chasing down balls in the gaps, earning him above-average grades on his defense. He has an average arm.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #16 prospect in 2016
  Probably the biggest surprise of the fall season was the breakout performance of Allen, with the switch-hitting speedster batting .269/.380/.449 and playing very good outfield defense for the champion Solar Sox. Allen showed surprising pop, with his three home runs coming in a two-day span, and he tied for the league lead in stolen bases with 12. He's a plus runner and an overachiever who will play above his tools. Generally regarded as having a ceiling of an extra outfielder, there are scouts who believe Allen has a chance to be a starting center fielder in the big leagues.

• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Allen got off to a strong start in 2017 at Double-A Akron before breaking the hamate bone in his right hand. The injury sidelined him for two months, but he played well enough upon his return to get called up to Cleveland in September to make his major league debut. He made the playoff roster and appeared in two games. Scouting Report: Allen's game is built around his plus speed. He has good on-base skills, is a disciplined hitter and has walked about as often as he has struck out in his career. His approach at the plate is geared toward making contact, limiting his power potential and some of his offensive impact. He is a good baserunner and is always a threat to steal. Allen's speed also plays well in center field, where he is a plus defender. He takes good routes, has an above-average arm and has the speed to cover plenty of ground. The Future: Allen doesn't fit the typical corner outfield profile, but with Bradley Zimmer set to man center field in Cleveland, that may be where the Indians ask him to play. He will open 2018 either in Cleveland or at Triple-A Columbus.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Allen excelled on the field and in the classroom at San Diego State and was named the school's male student-athlete of the year as a junior. Since the Indians drafted him in the sixth round that year, he has made a smooth transition to pro ball and steadily climbed through the minor leagues, reaching Double-A Akron and ending the year with an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. Scouting Report: Allen's game is built around his plus speed. He has good on-base skills, having led the high Class A Carolina League in on-base percentage (.424), and his approach at the plate is geared toward making contact, limiting his power potential. He is a disciplined hitter and walks about as often as he strikes out. He is a good baserunner and has led the Indians system in stolen bases in each of the last two seasons. Allen's speed plays well in the outfield, where he is a plus defender. He takes good routes, has an above-average arm and the speed to cover plenty of ground.
  
  The Future: Allen came to the organization at the end of a stretch where it had selected a center fielder with its top draft pick for three straight years. While that has made for a crowded organizational depth chart, his defense is a separator. He'll likely begin 2017 back at Akron and could push his way to the big leagues with another strong season.
• August, 2016 Scouting Report
  Probably the biggest surprise of the fall season was the breakout performance of Allen, with the switch-hitting speedster batting .269/.380/.449 and playing very good outfield defense for the champion Solar Sox. Allen showed surprising pop, with his three home runs coming in a two-day span, and he tied for the league lead in stolen bases with 12. He's a plus runner and an overachiever who will play above his tools. Generally regarded as having a ceiling of an extra outfielder, there are scouts who believe Allen has a chance to be a starting center fielder in the big leagues.