Christin Stewart

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #8 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Power has been Stewart’s calling card ever since his high school days. His 69 homers over four years at Providence Christian Academy set a Georgia state record. From there, Stewart spent three more years mashing at Tennessee before the Tigers made him the second of their two first-rounders in 2015 and signed him for just shy of $1.8 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Stewart’s plus power remains his carrying tool. He hit 23 home runs at Triple-A Toledo in 2018 to tie for the International League lead. It marked his third straight season with at least 20 homers. The lefthanded-hitting Stewart’s home run power is geared strongly to his pull side. His hit tool is just fringe-average, and he has a swing geared to hit balls at the bottom of the zone. But he has the strike-zone awareness to lay off when pitchers work around him, so he posts solid on-base percentages. Stewart will have to continue to crush balls, because his defense in left field and throwing arm, though improved, are well below-average. He has below-average speed as well.
  
  The Future: Stewart will get at-bats in the big leagues as the Tigers rebuild. He is a hard worker who will look to make the most of his offensive prowess. He will try to prove he’s more than a DH.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #9 prospect in 2018
  Stewart ranked among the top 10 in NCAA Division I in home run rate during his junior year of college and he's shown similar power with a wood bat. He's easily led the organization in home runs in each of his two full seasons and ranks second in the minors with 58 home runs over the past two years. Like most power hitters in 2017, he strikes out, but not excessively. He is prone to chase out of the zone because he's looking to do damage whether early or late in counts. He does have some zone awareness and when he stays within himself, he can generate power from a relatively compact swing. Stewart is a little pull happy, but he has the ability to drive the ball out to all fields. Stewart is a below-average runner who is unlikely to be more than a below-average hitter, but with 25-30 home run power given regular at-bats. The concerns about Stewart revolve around when he's wearing an outfielder's glove. He has worked hard to improve his defense, and he has seen some improvement, but he's still well below-average. Most scouts say it's unrealistic to see him as anything better than a future 40 defensively on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. He's limited to left field by a well below-average arm. Stewart's best position is designated hitter, but few teams break in rookies at DH. To play left field regularly, he'll have to be a prodigious hitter to make up for his defensive limitations, which adds to his risk. Stewart either is an everyday regular or a minor leaguer, but his swing gives him a chance to be a productive power hitter.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #2 prospect in 2017
  Stewart is tied with Micah Owings for the Georgia high school home run record with 69 over his four years. He continued to show big-time power at Tennessee, swatting 23 in three years and 15 in his draft year. The Tigers gave signed him for $1,795,000 in 2015 as the No. 34 overall pick, which they acquired when Max Scherzer signed with the Nationals. His 30 homers in 2016 ranked fifth in the minor leagues. Stewart's calling card is still his above-average power, which plays to all fields in any ballpark. He has shortened his swing a bit as a pro, allowing him to backspin the ball more to his pull side, helping boost his home run power. He runs deep counts consistently, leading to strikeouts but also a system-best 86 walks, sixth-best in the minors. His defense, however, is a greater concern. He gets poor jumps and breaks on balls, his below-average arm limits him to left field and his below-average speed contributes to a lack of range. After a bid in this year's Futures Game and a turn in the Arizona Fall League to continue working on shortening his swing and improving his defense, Stewart likely will return to Double-A Erie to begin 2017.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #4 prospect in 2016
  As a high school junior, Stewart set a single-season state record in Georgia with 26 home runs, then tied Micah Owings for the career home record (69). He added to his power-hitting pedigree at Tennessee and signed with the Tigers in 2015 for $1,795,100 as the No. 34 overall pick, which the Tigers received as compensation for Max Scherzer leaving. He had a league-best 14 hits in the postseason to help lead low Class A West Michigan to the Midwest League title. Stewart has a strong, physical build with plus bat speed and good leverage in his swing, which produces plus raw power to all fields. Stewart does damage when he connects with the fastball, but he's an aggressive hitter whose swing gets long and is prone to swinging through breaking balls with a pull approach, which gave scouts concern about his strikeout rate as an amateur. In college, Stewart had a habit of getting topspin on balls to his pull side, but in pro ball he started to pull balls with backspin, showing big power without excessive swing-and-miss in a tough league for hitters. Stewart doesn't bring much to the table on defense, with below-average tools in his speed and arm strength, limited him to left field. If Stewart can make the adjustment to breaking balls and continue to improve his contact rate, he could be an everyday left fielder. Stewart is ready to be tested in the high Class A Florida State League.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #84 prospect in 2015 draft
  Stewart had a prolific career at Providence Christian Academy (Lawrenceville, Ga.), where he set the state's single-season home run record (26) as a junior and equaled the career home run record held by Micah Owings (69). Despite those feats, he went undrafted out of high school. He's built a strong track record at Tennessee and added to it last summer, when he was the top offensive performer for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. He hit .383/.474/.605 (leading the team in all three categories) with 12 doubles and two home runs in 25 games. Listed at 6-foot, 205 pounds, Stewart has a physical frame and produces above-average bat speed. That, combined with the natural leverage in his swing, translates into plus raw power. His swing gets long at times and he's an aggressive hitter, a combination that leads to few walks and some swing-and-miss. Some scouts aren't sure if Stewart has a true defensive home. He has below-average speed and arm strength, limiting him to left if he does stay in the outfield. No matter where he plays defensively, the main attraction will be his bat. He'll need to prove his power will continue play at the next level, but that's a familiar position for Stewart.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #17 prospect in 2018
  Stewart’s power has shined at every level and continued to in the IL. He led the league with 23 home runs, ranked third with 77 RBIs and was third with 67 walks. His walk rate was accompanied by a slight decline in strikeouts, marking an encouraging development. He earned his first big league callup in September. Stewart’s power is primarily to his pull side, but he’ll drive balls around the park, making him a threat regardless of where he’s pitched. His speed and defense remain below-average and aren’t going to get him to the next level, so some scouts don’t see a well-rounded player. Others say his bat is too much to ignore.
• 
  Ranked Eastern League #20 prospect in 2017
  Stewart earned renown as an amateur for his power, which has translated completely to pro ball. Last season he hit 30 home runs before following up with 28 this season to tie for 15th in the minors. He's made adjustments to keep his bat in the hitting zone longer and gets to his power consistently thanks in part to strong plate discipline, which also produces walks. Stewart hit just .227/.301/.396 with nine of his 28 homers on the road and away from a cozy home park in Erie. He will have to continue to hit because he has minimal defensive value. Opposing managers saw well below-average speed and range in left field, as well as tentative jumps and a below-average arm.
• 
  Ranked Florida State League #15 prospect in 2016
  Stewart threatened the national high school home run record as a prep in Georgia, then slugged 15 home runs as a Tennessee junior in 2015. He went straight to low Class A after signing, then finished his first full season with a month in Double-A. In between, he led the FSL in home runs (24), on-base percentage (.403) and slugging (.534), showing lefthanded power that played to all parts of the ballpark. Plus power, plate discipline and present strength are Stewart's best attributes, earning him one comparison from a scout to Ryan Howard. Even as Lakeland played in cozy Henley Field, the league's best home-run park, Stewart hit 12 homers both at home and on the road. Like Howard, Stewart's game comes with plenty of swing-and-miss, but opposing managers said he improved his pitch selection as the year went on. Stewart is just an average athlete who's very raw defensively in left field, earning 20-30 grades from scouts on the 20-80 scale. One scout who saw him as an amateur contended that Stewart has gotten worse since his days at Tennessee. Managers gave him credit for putting in pregame work to try to get better. His below-average arm limits him to left field.

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Stewart is going to have to hit, as he’s a well-below-average defender in left field (he has shown some improvement to get to that point). The good news for him is he has always hit. Stewart has a chance to be an average hitter with plus power and plenty of walks. His power has tailed off a little this year, but only modestly and unlike many power hitters he has a knack for hitting for power while striking out in less than 20 percent of his plate appearances.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Stewart ranked among the top 10 in Division I in home run rate during his junior year at Tennessee and he's shown similar power with a wood bat. He has easily led the Tigers organization in home runs in each of his two full seasons. Scouting Report: Like most power hitters in 2017, Stewart strikes out, but not excessively. He is prone to chase because he's looking to do damage whether early or late in counts. He has some zone awareness, and when he stays within himself he can generate power from a relatively compact swing. Stewart is a little pull-happy, but he has the ability to drive the ball out to all fields. He is a below-average runner who is unlikely to be more than a below-average hitter, but with 25-30 home run potential. The concerns about Stewart revolve around his defense. He has improved in left field, but he's still well below-average. Scouts say it's unrealistic to see him as better than a future 40 on the 20-80 scouting scale. His well below-average arm limits him to left field. The Future: To play left field regularly, Stewart will have to be a prodigious hitter. He either is an everyday regular or a minor leaguer, but his swing and selectivity give him a chance to be a prodigious power hitter.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Stewart is tied with Micah Owings for the Georgia high school home run record with 69 over his four years. He continued to show big-time power at Tennessee, swatting 23 in three years and 15 in his draft year. The Tigers gave signed him for $1,795,000 in 2015 as the No. 34 overall pick, which they acquired when Max Scherzer signed with the Nationals. His 30 homers in 2016 ranked fifth in the minor leagues. Scouting Report: Stewart's calling card is still his above-average power, which plays to all fields in any ballpark. He has shortened his swing a bit as a pro, allowing him to backspin the ball more to his pull side, helping boost his home run power. He runs deep counts consistently, leading to strikeouts but also a system-best 86 walks, sixth-best in the minors. His defense, however, is a greater concern. He gets poor jumps and breaks on balls, his below-average arm limits him to left field and his below-average speed contributes to a lack of range.
  
  The Future: After a bid in this year's Futures Game and a turn in the Arizona Fall League to continue working on shortening his swing and improving his defense, Stewart likely will return to Double-A Erie to begin 2017.