Patrick Kivlehan Stats & Scouting Report

AB	216
AVG	.208
OBP	.308
SLG	.398
HR	10

Full name Patrick Anthony Kivlehan
Born 12/22/1989 in West Nyack, NY
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Rutgers
Debut 08/20/2016
Drafted in the 4th round (131st overall) by the Seattle Mariners in 2012 (signed for $300,000).

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Kivlehan may be one of the better stories in the draft this year, as he hasn't played baseball since high school and came to the diamond this season after spending four years playing football for Rutgers. All he did in his first--and maybe only--college season was win the triple crown in the Big East's regular season by hitting .399/.484/.710 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs. He's a good athlete and runs well. He has average to above-average power to the pull side, but did make adjustments to offspeed pitches late in the season and went the other way. He plays third base for the Scarlet Knights, but will likely move to the outfield as a pro.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Kivlehan is old for a prospect, as he will be 26 in 2016, but his career got off to a late start. After four years of football at Rutgers as a backup safety and special teams player, Kivlehan returned to baseball, and in one college season he ranked sixth in NCAA Division I by slugging .693. Kivlehan performed well throughout his time with the Mariners' system, then in December joined the Rangers as the player to be named in the Nov. 16 trade that sent Leonys Martin and Anthony Bass to the Mariners and brought Tom Wilhelmsen and James Jones to Texas. Kivlehan's unorthodox hitting style has worked for him, though his numbers regressed in 2015 upon jumping to Triple-A, where advanced pitchers exploited his tendency to expand the strike zone and pull approach. He's strong and athletic, with average power and speed, though his lack of first-step quickness hampers him in the field. Kivlehan has played all over the field, including third base, but he mostly played left field and first base in 2015. Kivlehan is on the 40-man roster, so he could make his major league debut this year, though he doesn't project to be better than a reserve.
Coming out of high school, Kivlehan had offers to play college baseball, but he opted instead to play football at Rutgers. He was a backup safety and special teams player for four years. When his football career concluded, he decided to take another crack at baseball. In his lone year of baseball at Rutgers, he finished sixth in NCAA Division I with a .693 slugging percentage. No hitting coach would teach hitting the way Kivlehan sets up for a pitch. He looks almost nervous in the box, tapping his front foot up and down, waving his bat in a circle. But his energetic setup works for him. Kivlehan is a tough out because he's a bad-ball hitter who has shown he can make in-bat adjustments. He not only punishes mistakes with average power now that he's learned to pull the ball, but he also hits line drives on pitcher's pitches. Scouts who like Kivlehan see him as having a chance to be an above-average hitter with average power. After beginning his career at third base, he now profiles best at first base or left field. He has athleticism and average running speed but lacks first-step quickness or throwing accuracy. Kivlehan's bat should make him suited for a big league role, possibly as a versatile multi-position player. He's ready for Triple-A Tacoma.
Kivlehan did not play baseball at Rutgers until his senior year, stepping away from the sport for three years while concentrating on playing safety for the Scarlet Knights football team. He has certainly made up for lost time, winning Big East Conference player of the year honors in 2012, his lone college season on the diamond, and quickly working his way into prospect status as a pro. Kivlehan surprised scouts by hitting for more average than power in 2013, while making fairly consistent contact by using an all-fields approach. He hasn't learned to pull the ball for power yet, but most coaches consider that easier to teach, and he has as much power to the opposite field as the pull side. Kivlehan has had his struggles at third base because he lacks first-step quickness and his arm is erratic. However, the Mariners like his work ethic and want to give him every chance to succeed at the hot corner before moving him to first base. He's a fringy runner but will steal an occasional base. Kivlehan struggled in the Arizona Fall League, going 10-for-61 (.164), but likely will be ticketed for Double-A Jackson in 2014.
Kivlehan's success was one of the best stories in the 2012 draft. After playing defensive back on Rutgers' football team for four years, he got the itch to play baseball again last spring for the first time since high school. He became the first Scarlet Knight honored as Big East Conference player of the year since Todd Frazier in 2007, then signed with the Mariners for $300,000 as a fourth-round pick. The Mariners sent him to the Northwest League, an aggressive assignment considering his relative inexperience, and he responded by leading the circuit in homers (12) and slugging (.511) en route to winning MVP honors. While Kivlehan has plenty of strength and above-average raw power, he needs to improve his pitch recognition and adapt to how pitchers are attacking him. He topped the NWL with 93 strikeouts. Kivlehan has length and stiffness to his rotational, upper-half swing, but scouts believe he'll be able to make adjustments because of his athleticism. When he makes contact, he squares the ball up with authority. Seattle is working with him to drive breaking balls to the opposite field. A solid runner, Kivlehan is adequate defensively at third base. His arm is fringy for the position and he may wind up moving to left field. He plays hard and shows natural leadership on and off the field. Kivlehan will play his first full pro season at age 23, so the Mariners may push him to high Class A High Desert.

Draft Prospects

Kivlehan may be one of the better stories in the draft this year, as he hasn't played baseball since high school and came to the diamond this season after spending four years playing football for Rutgers. All he did in his first--and maybe only--college season was win the triple crown in the Big East's regular season by hitting .399/.484/.710 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs. He's a good athlete and runs well. He has average to above-average power to the pull side, but did make adjustments to offspeed pitches late in the season and went the other way. He plays third base for the Scarlet Knights, but will likely move to the outfield as a pro.

Minor League Top Prospects

It?s hard to imagine a player developing as much, as fast as Kivlehan, who spent four years playing college football at Rutgers before picking up a bat again in the spring of 2012. He made himself into a legitimate prospect, though, and he tore up the Cal League after arriving in June from low Class A. Kivlehan doesn?t have the most picturesque swing, but he hits balls hard consistently to all fields and against all different pitch types. He shows the ability to backspin balls, and most of his home runs were hit on a line. Strikeouts were an issue in his 2012 pro debut, but he cut them down from 29 percent of plate appearances last year to 19 percent across two levels this year. ?It?s not pretty, but for some reason that barrel finds that ball so consistently it?s scary,? Linares said. ?Playing against them, there were games when I didn?t know what we were going to do to get him out.? Kivlehan?s inexperience shows up on defense, where he needs a quicker first step and improved throwing accuracy. His arm strength is just good enough to stick at third base. He runs well, though he?s not a burner.
After playing defensive back on Rutgers' football team for four years, Kivlehan got the itch to play baseball again this spring for the first time since high school. He became the first Scarlet Knight honored as the Big East Conference player of the year since Todd Frazier in 2007, then encored by winning MVP honors in the NWL. He led the league in homers (12) and slugging (.511). Kivlehan's above-average raw power comes with a catch, as he topped the league with 93 strikeouts. He has some length and stiffness to his rotational, upper-half swing, but most scouts believe he'll be able to make adjustments because of his athleticism and relative inexperience. When he does make contact, he has a knack for centering the ball. A solid average runner, Kivlehan is just OK defensively at third base. His arm is fringy for the position and he may wind up moving to left field. He plays hard and shows natural leadership on and off the field.