Tyler Frank Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Tyler Joseph Frank
Born 01/15/1997 in Tamarac, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Florida Atlantic
Drafted in the 2nd round (56th overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 (signed for $997,500).

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Frank was prep teammates with Jonathan India and Lucius Fox, forming one of the best high school infields ever. Frank has gone on to find success at Florida Atlantic, where he has been an indispensable player since arriving on campus. He moved behind the plate as a freshman to fill a hole when FAU's starting catcher was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and as a sophomore moved back to his natural shortstop. After a strong season, he became the first Owl since 2005 to be invited to USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and became a regular for the team, playing third base and left field. Frank is a steady hitter with a mature approach at the plate. He makes consistent contact and has solid raw power that presently plays as doubles pop and should turn into more homers in time. He is a fringy runner. Frank's versatility helps his profile and he can play nearly anywhere on the diamond. He fits best as an offensive second baseman, but could also end up as a super-utility player.

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Track Record: When the Owls needed a fill-in catcher in 2016, Frank volunteered even though he hadn't played the position since he was a little kid. He also handled a move to third base and left field with USA Baseball's College National Team with no issues. But his main position has been shortstop.

Scouting Report: Frank gets the most out of a well-rounded set of average tools. At the plate, Frank doesn't try to do too much, as his patience and strike zone awareness pay off in a contact-oriented approach. He led the New York-Penn League in on-base percentage in his debut. His knack for putting barrel on ball earns future above-average hit grades from scouts. Frank has fringe-average power potential. Defensively, he's reliable but a little limited at shortstop by his average range and average arm. He profiles better at second or third. He's a fringe-average runner.

The Future: Frank fits the team's profile of drafting productive college middle infielders who can hit. The Rays have already worked on having him play everywhere around the infield, which will become more important in 2019 as he jumps to full season ball. He'll have to compete for time at shortstop with either Taylor Walls or Wander Franco.

Frank was prep teammates with Jonathan India and Lucius Fox, forming one of the best high school infields ever. Frank has gone on to find success at Florida Atlantic, where he has been an indispensable player since arriving on campus. He moved behind the plate as a freshman to fill a hole when FAU's starting catcher was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and as a sophomore moved back to his natural shortstop. After a strong season, he became the first Owl since 2005 to be invited to USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and became a regular for the team, playing third base and left field. Frank is a steady hitter with a mature approach at the plate. He makes consistent contact and has solid raw power that presently plays as doubles pop and should turn into more homers in time. He is a fringy runner. Frank's versatility helps his profile and he can play nearly anywhere on the diamond. He fits best as an offensive second baseman, but could also end up as a super-utility player.