Austin Allen Stats & Scouting Report

AB	11
AVG	.182
OBP	.357
SLG	.182
HR	0

Full name Austin Michael Allen
Born 01/16/1994 in St. Louis, MO
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 219 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Florida Tech
Debut 05/11/2019
Drafted in the 4th round (117th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2015 (signed for $484,000).

View Draft Report

Allen has emerged this spring as the top position-playing prospect in Division II. He has made significant strides since arriving at Florida Tech from the St. Louis area. Allen has plus raw power and has done a good job of getting to it in games this season. In 49 games this spring, he hit 11 home runs and slugged .728. He generates good bat speed and has plenty of strength in his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. While scouts have some questions about how he'd fare against better pitching, his defense presents a larger concern. Allen has an average arm and is an adequate receiver. But he's already larger than most big league catchers and will need to improve his footwork and ability to block balls to stay at the position. If he does have to move, he will be limited to first base by his bottom-of-the-scale speed. Despite concerns about his ultimate position, a team will likely take a chance on Allen in the first five rounds. That would make him the highest drafted player in Florida Tech history, eclipsing Jon Baksh, a seventh-round pick in 2006.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: The A's acquired Allen from the Padres after the 2019 season for Jurickson Profar and installed him as their backup catcher. Allen hit at least .280 with 20 homers every year from 2017-19 in the minors, but he struck out 14 times in 32 plate appearances with Oakland and was optioned to the alternate training site in August.

SCOUTING REPORT: A powerful slugging type dating back to his days at Division II Florida Tech, almost all of Allen's value is tied to his bat. He regularly gets to his lefthanded power, mostly to the pull side, and has solid timing and feel to hit. He's long been dogged by concerns over his defense--namely his mobility and game-calling --and projects as a below-average defender at best. His slow transfer and below-average arm lead opponents to run on him at will.

THE FUTURE: The addition of the 26th roster spot helps Allen, who can play first base in a pinch and provides lefthanded thump off the bench. He will again compete for a backup role behind Sean Murphy in 2021.
TRACK RECORD: The Padres made Allen the first Division II player drafted in 2015 when they selected him in the fourth round out of Florida Tech. He hit at least .280 with 20 home runs every season from 2017-19 and received his first major league callup last May. The A's acquired him in December for Jurickson Profar.

SCOUTING REPORT: Allen is a big-bodied catcher defined by his bat. He generates plus raw power with his supreme strength and leverage, frequently sending balls 400-plus feet to right-center. His bat speed isn't special, but he is consistently on time and has shown himself to be at least an average hitter with above-average power. Allen's catching has been a work-in-progress and still needs improvement. His hands are fine in the strike zone, but his thick body limits his mobility and ability to get out of the crouch. Opponents run freely on him and have stolen 436 bases in his 398 career games behind the plate. He also needs to improve his game-calling.

THE FUTURE: Allen's move to the American League opens up potential at-bats for him as a DH.
Track Record: Allen's bat made him the top Division II player drafted in 2015. He hit better than .280 with 22 home runs for the second straight season in 2018, this time at offense-stifling Double-A San Antonio, and had the most home runs of any catcher in the minor leagues. As important, Allen got leaner and lighter--to a career-low 220 pounds-- which allowed him to get out of the crouch quicker and increase his caught-stealing rate from 21 percent to 36 percent.

Scouting Report: Allen is country strong and gets to his plus lefthanded power regularly. He frequently sends balls 400-plus feet out to right field, and can power out the occasional opposite-field homer as well. While he's always been a good fastball hitter, Allen fine-tuned his eye and started to recognize offspeed pitches better in 2018, proving he can hit upper-level pitching and showing himself to be an above-average hitter. Allen's weight loss made him a bit more mobile defensively behind the plate, but he's still not especially athletic or flexible and is serviceable at best at catcher. He started 19 games at first base at San Antonio, his first extended exposure to the position.

The Future: The Padres envision Allen providing impact power as a platoon catcher/first baseman. He was placed on the 40-man roster and may make his ML debut in 2019.
The Padres made Allen the top Division II position player drafted in 2015 when they picked him in the fourth round and signed him for $484,000. The country-strong 6-foot-4, 225-pound lefthanded hitter showed off his plus power in 2017, finishing third in the California League in slugging (.497) and fourth in home runs (22) at high Class A Lake Elsinore. Allen is an offensive catcher through-and-through. He uses his strength and leverage to launch balls deep to right-center, frequently clearing 400 feet. He pounds that gap for a large volume of doubles as well. His bat speed isn't ideal, but he makes up for it with good timing and a solid feel to hit for average. The same size and strength that helps Allen offensively hampers him defensively. He is a slow mover with limited range and flexibility, making him a liability in blocking. His hands in the strike zone are fine but he's an overall tick-below-average receiver. Allen has average arm strength but is sluggish out of the crouch and on his exchange, which led to 100 stolen bases in 126 attempts against him in 2017. Allen's bat is enough to play everyday only if he can catch. He'll try to make needed defensive strides at Double-A in 2018.
Allen was arguably the top Division II hitter available in the 2015 draft, and the Padres took him in the fourth round, making him the highest player ever drafted from Florida Tech. He signed for $484,000. Allen lived up to that offensive profile in 2016 by using his above-average bat speed and natural strength to hit .320/.364/.425 at low Class A Fort Wayne to rank sixth in the Midwest League batting race. Behind the plate is where Allen needs the most work. Evaluators consider him a well below-average defender, and his average arm strength is nullified by a hitch that costs him valuable time throwing to bases. Opponents successfully stole 119 bases in 150 attempts against him in 2016. Allen has made strides to improve his blocking, receiving and framing, and optimistic reports indicate he has fringe-average potential overall. Allen has a chance to be an offensively-driven, lefthanded-hitting platoon catcher. He will begin 2017 at high Class A Lake Elsinore.

Draft Prospects

Allen has emerged this spring as the top position-playing prospect in Division II. He has made significant strides since arriving at Florida Tech from the St. Louis area. Allen has plus raw power and has done a good job of getting to it in games this season. In 49 games this spring, he hit 11 home runs and slugged .728. He generates good bat speed and has plenty of strength in his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. While scouts have some questions about how he'd fare against better pitching, his defense presents a larger concern. Allen has an average arm and is an adequate receiver. But he's already larger than most big league catchers and will need to improve his footwork and ability to block balls to stay at the position. If he does have to move, he will be limited to first base by his bottom-of-the-scale speed. Despite concerns about his ultimate position, a team will likely take a chance on Allen in the first five rounds. That would make him the highest drafted player in Florida Tech history, eclipsing Jon Baksh, a seventh-round pick in 2006.

Minor League Top Prospects

Voted by league evaluators as the best power prospect in the Texas League, Allen hit 22 home runs and ranked second in slugging percentage (.506) among qualified hitters, trailing only Fernando Tatis Jr. (.507). Although his glove work behind the plate has improved. He’s still a fringy receiver/blocker but he has shown a desire to work and improve. He could end up as a fringe-average defender with a borderline above-average arm, but that may be enough to earn a big league role because of his bat and power potential that carries him to the majors. The lefthanded hitter still needs to improve against same-side pitching, as he hit .252/.285/.431 against lefthanders this year, but he continues to mash against righthanders, hitting .305/.375/.534 with 17 home runs in more than 350 plate appearances.

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: The A's acquired Allen from the Padres after the 2019 season for Jurickson Profar and installed him as their backup catcher. Allen hit at least .280 with 20 homers every year from 2017-19 in the minors, but he struck out 14 times in 32 plate appearances with Oakland and was optioned to the alternate training site in August.

SCOUTING REPORT: A powerful slugging type dating back to his days at Division II Florida Tech, almost all of Allen's value is tied to his bat. He regularly gets to his lefthanded power, mostly to the pull side, and has solid timing and feel to hit. He's long been dogged by concerns over his defense--namely his mobility and game-calling --and projects as a below-average defender at best. His slow transfer and below-average arm lead opponents to run on him at will.

THE FUTURE: The addition of the 26th roster spot helps Allen, who can play first base in a pinch and provides lefthanded thump off the bench. He will again compete for a backup role behind Sean Murphy in 2021.
TRACK RECORD: The A's acquired Allen from the Padres after the 2019 season for Jurickson Profar and installed him as their backup catcher. Allen hit at least .280 with 20 homers every year from 2017-19 in the minors, but he struck out 14 times in 32 plate appearances with Oakland and was optioned to the alternate training site in August.

SCOUTING REPORT: A powerful slugging type dating back to his days at Division II Florida Tech, almost all of Allen's value is tied to his bat. He regularly gets to his lefthanded power, mostly to the pull side, and has solid timing and feel to hit. He's long been dogged by concerns over his defense--namely his mobility and game-calling --and projects as a below-average defender at best. His slow transfer and below-average arm lead opponents to run on him at will.

THE FUTURE: The addition of the 26th roster spot helps Allen, who can play first base in a pinch and provides lefthanded thump off the bench. He will again compete for a backup role behind Sean Murphy in 2021.
TRACK RECORD: The Padres made Allen the first Division II player drafted in 2015 when they selected him in the fourth round out of Florida Tech. He hit at least .280 with 20 home runs every season from 2017-19 and received his first major league callup last May. The A’s acquired him in December for Jurickson Profar.

SCOUTING REPORT: Allen is a big-bodied catcher defined by his bat. He generates plus raw power with his supreme strength and leverage, frequently sending balls 400-plus feet to right-center. His bat speed isn’t special, but he is consistently on time and has shown himself to be at least an average hitter with above-average power. Allen’s catching has been a work-in-progress and still needs improvement. His hands are fine in the strike zone, but his thick body limits his mobility and ability to get out of the crouch. Opponents run freely on him and have stolen 436 bases in his 398 career games behind the plate. He also needs to improve his game-calling.

THE FUTURE: Allen’s move to the American League opens up potential at-bats for him as a DH.
TRACK RECORD: The Padres made Allen the first Division II player drafted in 2015 when they selected him in the fourth round out of Florida Tech. He hit at least .280 with 20 home runs every season from 2017-19 and received his first major league callup last May. The A's acquired him in December for Jurickson Profar.

SCOUTING REPORT: Allen is a big-bodied catcher defined by his bat. He generates plus raw power with his supreme strength and leverage, frequently sending balls 400-plus feet to right-center. His bat speed isn't special, but he is consistently on time and has shown himself to be at least an average hitter with above-average power. Allen's catching has been a work-in-progress and still needs improvement. His hands are fine in the strike zone, but his thick body limits his mobility and ability to get out of the crouch. Opponents run freely on him and have stolen 436 bases in his 398 career games behind the plate. He also needs to improve his game-calling.

THE FUTURE: Allen's move to the American League opens up potential at-bats for him as a DH.