Blake Sabol Stats & Scouting Report

AB	32
AVG	.313
OBP	.421
SLG	.375
HR	0

Full name Blake Joseph Sabol
Born 01/07/1998 in Aliso Viejo, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Southern California
Debut 03/30/2023
Drafted in the 7th round (214th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 (signed for $247,500).

View Draft Report

Sabol was taken in the 33rd round by the Indians in 2016, but he elected to enroll at Southern California instead. At the time, he ranked No. 226 on the BA 500 with impressive speed and athleticism, but he still showed some rawness at the plate. Three years later, scouts are intrigued by Sabol’s plus raw power but still see the same rawness at the plate. Sabol knows how to manage the strike zone but shows an over-aggressive approach at times, swinging early and often. Sabol also has a tendency to get into a slap-oriented approach without fully incorporating his lower half. If he can get into his lower half more in the future and take advantage of his raw power, Sabol could profile nicely in a corner outfield spot. Left field is more likely than right field because of his fringe-average arm, but he also has experience in center field and even played catcher in high school. Now listed at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Sabol runs well with long strides, but his speed plays better underway than out of the batter’s box and he’ll need to refine his route-running in the outfield. There’s upside here thanks to Sabol’s power, but he’ll need plenty of refinement—both mechanically and mentally with his approach—at the next level.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Sabol was a prominent high school player at Aliso Niguel (Calif.) High and turned down Cleveland as a 33rd-round pick to attend Southern California, where he showed good athleticism but struggled to produce over three seasons. The Pirates drafted him in the seventh round in 2019 and progressively improved as a hitter leading up to a breakout 2022. Sabol set career highs in nearly every offensive category as he rose to Triple-A and helped lead Surprise to the Arizona Fall League championship after the season. The Reds selected him in the Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Giants for a player to be named later.

Scouting Report: Sabol is a long, lanky athlete and has always had a solid feel for the barrel from the left side. He tapped into his above-average power more consistently after spending time with Pirates minor league coaches to more aggressively hunt pitches he can damage on in front of the plate. Sabol has all-fields power and solid bat speed, but his swing can get long and be susceptible to velocity up in the zone. Questions about whether Sabol can stick at catcher have trailed him since high school. He's a good framer and pitchers enjoy working with him, but he's still a fringy defender with a fringe-average arm. He plays mostly left field when he's not behind the plate, where his marginal foot and arm are best suited.

The Future: Sabol has hit his way into a chance for big league at-bats in 2023. He'll aim to make his debut during the season.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 55. Speed: 45. Fielding: 45. Arm: 45.

Draft Prospects

Sabol was taken in the 33rd round by the Indians in 2016, but he elected to enroll at Southern California instead. At the time, he ranked No. 226 on the BA 500 with impressive speed and athleticism, but he still showed some rawness at the plate. Three years later, scouts are intrigued by Sabol's plus raw power but still see the same rawness at the plate. Sabol knows how to manage the strike zone but shows an over-aggressive approach at times, swinging early and often. Sabol also has a tendency to get into a slap-oriented approach without fully incorporating his lower half. If he can get into his lower half more in the future and take advantage of his raw power, Sabol could profile nicely in a corner outfield spot. Left field is more likely than right field because of his fringe-average arm, but he also has experience in center field and even played catcher in high school. Now listed at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Sabol runs well with long strides, but his speed plays better underway than out of the batter's box and he'll need to refine his route-running in the outfield. There's upside here thanks to Sabol's power, but he'll need plenty of refinement--both mechanically and mentally with his approach--at the next level.
Sabol's older brother Steve has reached Double-A with the Mets since being a 17th-round pick; both are cousins of former Steelers all-pro Troy Polamalu. The younger Sabol is the taller brother at 6-foot-4, but like his brother has played some catcher as an amateur. He ran the best time of any SoCal prep in the Major League Scouting Bureau's event in February, with a 6.5-second 60-yard dash. His best attributes are his speed and athleticism, and combined with his rawness behind the plate, he's likely to move from catcher to the outfield as a pro. Scouts have questions about Sabol's bat and where he'll play, likely meaning he'll head to Southern California.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Sabol was a prominent high school player at Aliso Niguel (Calif.) High and turned down Cleveland as a 33rd-round pick to attend Southern California, where he showed good athleticism but struggled to produce over three seasons. The Pirates drafted him in the seventh round in 2019 and progressively improved as a hitter leading up to a breakout 2022. Sabol set career highs in nearly every offensive category as he rose to Triple-A and helped lead Surprise to the Arizona Fall League championship after the season. The Reds selected him in the Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Giants for a player to be named later.

Scouting Report: Sabol is a long, lanky athlete and has always had a solid feel for the barrel from the left side. He tapped into his above-average power more consistently after spending time with Pirates minor league coaches to more aggressively hunt pitches he can damage on in front of the plate. Sabol has all-fields power and solid bat speed, but his swing can get long and be susceptible to velocity up in the zone. Questions about whether Sabol can stick at catcher have trailed him since high school. He's a good framer and pitchers enjoy working with him, but he's still a fringy defender with a fringe-average arm. He plays mostly left field when he's not behind the plate, where his marginal foot and arm are best suited.

The Future: Sabol has hit his way into a chance for big league at-bats in 2023. He'll aim to make his debut during the season.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 55. Speed: 45. Fielding: 45. Arm: 45.
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Sabol was a prominent high school player at Aliso Niguel (Calif.) High and turned down Cleveland as a 33rd-round pick to attend Southern California, where he showed good athleticism but struggled to produce over three seasons. The Pirates drafted him in the seventh round in 2019 and progressively improved as a hitter leading up to a breakout 2022. Sabol set career highs in nearly every offensive category as he rose to Triple-A and helped lead Surprise to the Arizona Fall League championship after the season. The Reds selected him in the Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Giants for a player to be named later.

Scouting Report: Sabol is a long, lanky athlete and has always had a solid feel for the barrel from the left side. He tapped into his above-average power more consistently after spending time with Pirates minor league coaches to more aggressively hunt pitches he can damage on in front of the plate. Sabol has all-fields power and solid bat speed, but his swing can get long and be susceptible to velocity up in the zone. Questions about whether Sabol can stick at catcher have trailed him since high school. He's a good framer and pitchers enjoy working with him, but he's still a fringy defender with a fringe-average arm. He plays mostly left field when he's not behind the plate, where his marginal foot and arm are best suited.

The Future: Sabol has hit his way into a chance for big league at-bats in 2023. He'll aim to make his debut during the season.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 55. Speed: 45. Fielding: 45. Arm: 45.
Sabol was taken in the 33rd round by the Indians in 2016, but he elected to enroll at Southern California instead. At the time, he ranked No. 226 on the BA 500 with impressive speed and athleticism, but he still showed some rawness at the plate. Three years later, scouts are intrigued by Sabol's plus raw power but still see the same rawness at the plate. Sabol knows how to manage the strike zone but shows an over-aggressive approach at times, swinging early and often. Sabol also has a tendency to get into a slap-oriented approach without fully incorporating his lower half. If he can get into his lower half more in the future and take advantage of his raw power, Sabol could profile nicely in a corner outfield spot. Left field is more likely than right field because of his fringe-average arm, but he also has experience in center field and even played catcher in high school. Now listed at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Sabol runs well with long strides, but his speed plays better underway than out of the batter's box and he'll need to refine his route-running in the outfield. There's upside here thanks to Sabol's power, but he'll need plenty of refinement--both mechanically and mentally with his approach--at the next level.