Tanner Allen

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #166 prospect in 2021 draft
  Allen has been drafted twice before in his career—in the 36th round by the Cubs in 2017 and the 34th round by the Rockies in 2019—and should make it a third time this spring after an impressive season with Mississippi State. Through 57 games, Allen posted a .395/.467/.614 slash line, which was good for the highest batting average of any SEC hitter and among the best for all Division I hitters. That performance alone could get him drafted among the top-five rounds by an analytically-inclined team in a down year for college bats, but Allen has a solid-average toolset behind that performance as well. He’s a bit of a tweener outfield profile who improved his speed and arm strength this season and might warrant a try in center field as an above-average runner, but more than likely fits best in a corner. Coaches have praised his work ethic and the progress he’s made as a defender, and he should have enough arm strength for right field—where he’s logged most of his time with Mississippi State this spring. Allen has a solid approach at the plate with an ability to hit to all fields, and he’s performed well against high-end velocity and offspeed offerings. With a 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame, there’s not a ton of physical projection left for Allen and he’s probably more of a hit-over-power bat who will need to rely more on gap power and a high batting average to profile in a corner instead of big-time over-the-fence juice. Allen just turned 23, but his offensive performance in the SEC should be rewarded on draft day.
• Ranked #244 prospect in 2020 draft
  A 36th-round pick of the Cubs in 2017 out of high school and a 34th-round pick of the Rockies last year as a draft-eligible sophomore, Allen has a near picture-perfect lefty swing, with good hand-eye coordination and a selective batting eye. Allen didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do this spring, as he was sidelined in early March with a broken bone in his hand and didn’t get to return before the season was cancelled. Allen was hitting .240/.387/.400 at the time of his injury. But scouts have seen what Allen can do at the plate before 2020. He hit .349/.426/.516 as a sophomore and hit .308/.357/.359 last summer with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. What Allen doesn’t have is a clear profile. He played first, third and left field as a freshman, first base as a sophomore and right field in 2020. He’s a fringy defender in either corner-outfield spot because of his average speed. He has a shot to be an above-average hitter, but his power is mostly fringe-average.