ProfileHt.: 5'11" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School
Rancho Bernardo
Drafted in the C-1 round (33rd overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2005 (signed for $1,000,000).
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San Diego's Rancho Bernardo High has churned out more premium prospects over the last decade than any high school in the country, and Drennen is the latest phenom. Scouts say he has a striking resemblance to Danny Putnam, who wasn't drafted out of Rancho Bernardo after hitting 20 home runs as a senior but became a supplemental first-round pick of the Athletics last year out of Stanford. Both players have small, powerful builds (Drennen is listed at 6 feet, but scouts say is closer to 5-foot-10), both have explosive bats, both are limited to left field and both play the game with passion. With a .440 average and 15 home runs, Drennen has also had a big senior year. But unlike Putnam and more in keeping with RB alum Hank Blalock, he has a strong desire to get his professional career started. He should go late in the first round but could earlier if a team works out a below-market predraft deal. Though he is small, Drennen is extremely strong, and he can flat-out hit. He has excellent bat speed and the ball jumps off his bat. He leaves nothing in the tank. The rest of his tools are just ordinary. He runs OK and gets good jumps in the outfield, but his arm is short, limiting him to left field.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
Drennen was one of the most highly touted high school hitters in the 2005 draft, and he made national headlines during his first full pro season when he homered off a rehabbing Roger Clemens in 2006. Since then, however, Drennen stalled out in high Class A and hasn't been able to get untracked. He has good strength for an undersized hitter and produces above-average raw power. His other tools all grade out as average. Drennen fell in love with his power too much the past two seasons and stopped shortening his stroke to use the whole field to his advantage. He started pulling everything as a result, and his swing became too long. Drennen had no chance against lefthanders in 2007, hitting .153/.240/.241, and must improve in that area to become a big league regular. Managers in the Carolina League in 2007 also thought he'd lost some of his bat speed, though Tribe officials disagree with that assessment. They want Drennen to develop his power naturally, and he'll have another opportunity to do that when he starts 2008 in Kinston for a repeat performance.
One of the best pure hitters in the 2005 draft, Drennen batted just .238 in his pro debut but didn't disappoint in his first full season. He garnered national headlines after homering against Roger Clemens in the Rocket's first minor league tuneup start in June. After Drennen was promoted to high Class A, he found it hard to avoid the spotlight as the subject of an upcoming documentary on his rise through the minors. While undersized, Drennen uses his compact build to his advantage by getting good leverage in his fundamentally sound, repeatable swing. He has above-average power, and as he showed against Clemens, he can turn on good fastballs. His other tools all play about average, and once underway he runs a tick better than that. Drennen will have to get stronger, as he wore down during his first full season and started only once in the Carolina League playoffs. He can get pull-oriented, so Tribe officials sat him down before the season and pointed to Grady Sizemore's five homers in two years at Class A to remind Drennen to use the whole field now and let his power develop naturally. Though he has played mostly center field, his fringy range there means he'll probably wind up in left. He has a below-average arm. Drennen likely will return to high Class A for the first half of 2007.
Drennen was one of the most coveted high school hitters in the 2005 draft. He's a product of San Diego's Rancho Bernardo High, which has produced more premium prospects than any other prep program in the nation over the last decade. Scouts says Drennen resembles former Bronco Danny Putnam, who went to Stanford and was drafted 36th overall by Oakland in 2004. Both Drennen (who went 33rd overall last June and signed for $1 million) and Putnam have compact builds, powerful bats and gamer makeup. Though he isn't physically imposing, Drennen is strong and the ball jumps off his bat. He has plus bat speed with good extension through his swing. He's still pull-conscious against righthanders, though he will use the entire field against lefties. He's a slightly above-average runner and gets good jumps in the outfield, but his arm is well-below-average. The Indians will keep him primarily in center field until he plays himself out of the position, but he'll probably wind up in left field. He recovered from a slow start in his pro debut at Rookie-level Burlington to hit .306 with four homers in August. He'll spend his first full season at low Class A Lake County.
Minor League Top Prospects
Drennen achieved more fame than any SAL player in 2006 when he homered off Roger Clemens in a tuneup start. But he's more than just the answer to a trivia question. A supplemental first-round pick in 2005, Drennen showed an extremely polished approach for someone who played most of the season at age 19. His smooth line-drive stroke allows him to square balls up to all fields, and he makes excellent adjustments from at-bat to at-bat. "I liked him from the moment we saw him in the first game in April," Lexington manager Jack Lind said. "He stood out." Though he currently plays center field, Drennen doesn't have the range to stay there. Because his arm is just average, his future likely will be in left field. There are some questions as to whether he has enough power to profile there, but he should have at least average pop in time.
Several teams coveted Drennen in the supplemental round in June, and the Indians grabbed him with the No. 33 pick. His raw numbers in the Appy League didn't reflect his considerable promise at the plate. After struggling miserably his first two months, Drennen gained momentum and hit .306 with four homers in August. With his excellent bat speed, he should hit for average and power. He's an average runner with good defensive instincts and solid-average range, and the combination may be enough for him to stick in center field. His arm rates as average. "He's a toolsy guy," Smith said. "He made a couple good plays against us coming in on the ball. He got good reads off the bat, and I was impressed by his ability to separate bad at-bats from his defensive play."
Scouting Reports
One of the best pure hitters in the 2005 draft, Drennen batted just .238 in his pro debut but didn't disappoint in his first full season. He garnered national headlines after homering against Roger Clemens in the Rocket's first minor league tuneup start in June. After Drennen was promoted to high Class A, he found it hard to avoid the spotlight as the subject of an upcoming documentary on his rise through the minors. While undersized, Drennen uses his compact build to his advantage by getting good leverage in his fundamentally sound, repeatable swing. He has above-average power, and as he showed against Clemens, he can turn on good fastballs. His other tools all play about average, and once underway he runs a tick better than that. Drennen will have to get stronger, as he wore down during his first full season and started only once in the Carolina League playoffs. He can get pull-oriented, so Tribe officials sat him down before the season and pointed to Grady Sizemore's five homers in two years at Class A to remind Drennen to use the whole field now and let his power develop naturally. Though he has played mostly center field, his fringy range there means he'll probably wind up in left. He has a below-average arm. Drennen likely will return to high Class A for the first half of 2007.
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