Elijah Cabell

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #386 prospect in 2021 draft
  Cabell has draft pedigree dating back to his high school days when he was one of the toolsier prep players in the 2018 class out of TNXL Academy in Altamonte Springs, Fla. At the time, he showed plus power, plus running ability and plus arm strength, but scouts were concerned about his natural feel for hitting. That proved to be a prescient assessment, as Cabell is a career .245/.415/.511 hitter after three seasons at Florida State, with 29 home runs at the cost of a 40% career strikeout rate. While Cabell has some of the loudest raw power in the country (which was also the case a year ago), he’s proven to be a three true outcomes hitter in college. Over his career, 62% of Cabell’s plate appearances have resulted in either a strikeout, a walk or a home run. Cabell whiffs at a high rate against most pitch types, but particularly struggles against spin and seems to do best when he gets pitches on the outer half of the plate, where he can extend his hands and let his natural power take over. There’s a real hole on the inner half, but when he makes contact he has the sort of raw power to leave any ballpark from foul pole to foul pole. He’s no longer a plus runner, but he’s a solid athlete with enough arm strength to play either corner—though most of his time has been spent in left field at FSU.
• Ranked #172 prospect in 2020 draft
  Cabell was one of the toolsier prep players in the 2018 draft out of high school, with exciting power, speed and arm strength. He also struggled to make contact at times, leaving scouts to wonder how much impact he’d ever get to at higher levels. Since joining Florida State, he’s largely been the player teams expected, though he has started to fill out his frame and get more physical, adding even more power than he showed out of TNXL Academy in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Now listed at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Cabell shows massive raw power, with the ability to backspin a ball out of any part of the stadium. After hitting seven home runs as a freshman, with a .220/.404/.415 line in 58 games, Cabell started making a jump forward in his sophomore-eligible 2020 season. He hit as many home runs in just 17 games and was looking at a .263/.488/.649 line. While the power output is impressive, the strikeouts are concerning. After whiffing at a 40 percent rate as a freshman, Cabell’s strikeout rate during the abbreviated 2020 season was still sitting at 39 percent. He seems to have issues recognizing and laying off of spin, both in the zone and outside of it, and that will be a significant question mark for teams when considering his hit tool questions going back to his prep days. As a defender, Cabell has the arm strength and power to profile nicely in either corner outfield spot. He’s not the most fluid defender and he has shown lapses with his glove work at times, but moves well for his size and has plus arm strength that could be a weapon. Out of high school he had one of the strongest and most accurate arms in the class, and his throws still have considerable carry and power today.
• Ranked #70 prospect in 2018 draft
  A Louisiana State commit playing for TNXL Academy in Altamonte Springs, Fla., Cabell is one of the many high-upside prep outfielders in the 2018 class, with some loud tools but also questions about his plate discipline and feel to hit. With plus raw power, plus speed and a plus arm, Cabell has three tools that garner immediate attention. But depending on when evaluators saw him over the summer and in the spring, they could walk away with vastly different opinions on what sort of player he will wind up being. Cabell's batting practices are always solid, and he has impressive bat speed, loose wrists and strength that allows him to hit with authority to all fields, but he'll swing and miss regularly in games. Some evaluators question not only his pitch selection but also his vision, which is a big concern. In the outfield, Cabell has the tools that might allow him to stick in center, but he will likely move to a corner as he continues to physically develop, where his arm--one of the strongest and most accurate in the high school class--should allow him to thrive. Where Cabell is drafted will ultimately depend on the quality of looks a specific team has with him, as he barreled high-end prep pitchers this spring and over the summer, but also looked overwhelmed at times against pitchers who scouts would label as non-prospects. During the Tournament of Stars in Cary, N.C., Cabell had the second-highest average exit velocity of the event at 98.2 mph. He cuts himself off at times in his swing and gets uphill and steep, so if he's able to get more direct to the ball in the future, his hit tool concerns might begin to subside and allow him to take advantage of his power more frequently.