C.J. Chatham Stats & Scouting Report

AB	1268
AVG	.29
OBP	.333
SLG	.392
HR	17

Full name Connor James Chatham
Born 12/22/1994 in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Florida Atlantic
Drafted in the 2nd round (51st overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2016 (signed for $1,100,000).

View Draft Report

A product of Fort Lauderdale's American Heritage High (alma mater of such major leaguers as Eric Hosmer and Deven Marrero), Chatham has been a three-year starter for Florida Atlantic, leading the Owls to the regular-season Conference USA title as a junior as he led the league with a 1.017 OPS. His swing can be long but there's leverage in his swing and solid-average power, if not a tick more. He's got a knack for making contact and some grit, having played through a bone chip in his right wrist this spring that caused him to get off to a slow start. Chatham's defense is the subject of debate, as he's tall and rangy for a shortstop at a listed 6-foot-4, 185 pounds. However, he has a true plus arm, solid instincts and feel for the middle infield. He may have to move off it eventually, bu his first-step quickness, game clock and aptitude may allow him to stick at short, at least in the near-term. He's likely to be drafted in the first three rounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: Chatham's career has been plagued with a long list of injuries, dating back to a hip fracture in high school and recurring right shoulder and left hamstring injuries as a pro. He has been relatively injury-free since joining Salem in mid-May 2018 and has performed well across two levels in back-to-back years. He competed for a batting title into the final days of the season in the high Class A Carolina League in 2018 and then won the Eastern League's batting title in 2019.

SCOUTING REPORT: While Chatham gets the bat to the ball, he does so by spraying the ball to all fields rather than slugging. His aggressive approach caps his on-base ability and limits his power, a notion reflected in his .105 isolated slugging percentage in 2019. His lack of strength and physicality also raises durability questions. Chatham does not wow with range and quickness but makes up for it with instincts, body control and solid hands. Consistent arm strength for the position has been an issue, tied to the nagging right shoulder injuries. Chatham moved around the dirt and saw time in left field during the AFL.

THE FUTURE: Chatham is likely at least a big league reserve. Some feel he could offer a credible everyday option, most likely at second base, if he adds offensive impact.
Track Record: After he missed almost all of his first full pro season in 2017 with a recurring hamstring injury, Chatham returned with a strong performance across two levels in 2018, competing for the Carolina League batting title until the final days of the season while showing solid defensive skills.

Scouting Report: Chatham showed a knack for getting the bat on the ball, sometimes demonstrating doubles power and sometimes by flipping singles to right field. His feel for hitting suggests a solid hit tool that should allow him--in concert with his defense--to reach the big leagues. Though Chatham hit for power in college, he hasn’t done so as a pro. Now that he has a healthy season to his name, he is spending his offseason in a strengthening program to try to tap into more power. Defensively, Chatham lacks explosive actions but has good footwork and body control. Though he lacks standout tools, he showed a solid all-around game to project as a potential everyday up-the-middle player with the floor of a utility player.

The Future: Chatham seems likely to open 2019 at Double-A Portland, and he may not be far from offering the Red Sox a righthanded infield depth option.
The Sox took Chatham out of Florida Atlantic as arguably the top college shortstop prospect in the 2016 draft and signed him to a slightly underslot bonus of $1.1 million. He's a player with the glove and arm for the position along with the power to elicit J.J. Hardy comps. Chatham showed that power in his junior season with FAU when he led Conference USA with a 1.017 OPS. But near the end of spring training in 2017, Chatham felt a pop in his hamstring that required six weeks of rehab. When he finally got to low Class A Greenville, he re-aggravated the hamstring injury in his first game, essentially wiping out his first full pro season. This comes after he played through a bone chip in his right wrist during his draft year. Because he's so tall and rangy, there were questions coming out of the draft about whether he'd be able to stick at shortstop in the long-term. Chatham's bat speed and defense suggest a player with the tools to profile as an everyday shortstop--particularly if the all-fields approach that he showed in spring training is sustainable--but it's hard to anticipate how he'll be impacted by the lost year of player development.
Many scouts viewed Chatham as a pitching prospect when he played high school ball in Plantation, Fla., but he believed he could play shortstop if he could find a willing college program. He found one in Florida Atlantic. Chatham flourished at FAU, particularly in a junior season in which he hit .357 with eight homers, while showing the glove to convince the Red Sox he could stick at the position. That made him one of the top college shortstop prospects in the 2016 draft, and Boston selected him at the head of that demographic, taking him in the second round, No. 51 overall, and signing him for $1.1 million. Chatham showed rust in his pro debut at short-season Lowell after he returned from a broken thumb he suffered at the end of the college season, but still he hit .259 with power and above-average contact ability. A merely average runner, he possesses the instincts and body length to show above-average to plus defensive potential at shortstop. While he didn't walk as much in his pro debut as he did in college, Chatham has everyday shortstop potential even with average to below-average hitting potential and fringe power because he plays strong defense at the position. He will likely make the jump to low Class A Greenville in 2017 for his first full season, with the potential to move quickly if there are no lasting effects from his thumb injury.

Draft Prospects

A product of Fort Lauderdale's American Heritage High (alma mater of such major leaguers as Eric Hosmer and Deven Marrero), Chatham has been a three-year starter for Florida Atlantic, leading the Owls to the regular-season Conference USA title as a junior as he led the league with a 1.017 OPS. His swing can be long but there's leverage in his swing and solid-average power, if not a tick more. He's got a knack for making contact and some grit, having played through a bone chip in his right wrist this spring that caused him to get off to a slow start. Chatham's defense is the subject of debate, as he's tall and rangy for a shortstop at a listed 6-foot-4, 185 pounds. However, he has a true plus arm, solid instincts and feel for the middle infield. He may have to move off it eventually, bu his first-step quickness, game clock and aptitude may allow him to stick at short, at least in the near-term. He's likely to be drafted in the first three rounds.

Minor League Top Prospects

Much like his teammate Darwinzon Hernandez, Chatham was a significantly better player at the end of the year than the start. Chatham’s actual offensive numbers weren’t tremendously different from the first half to the second, but multiple scouts noted he looked faster and had a quicker bat in the second half. Chatham fits the bill as a tall, rangy, average defender at shortstop. His plus arm is his biggest asset defensively, but he also shows reliable hands and a solid understanding of positioning and a good internal clock. Offensively he consistently got the bat to the ball and sprayed it all around the field, finishing second in the Carolina League with a .315 batting average. He showed well-below-average power and rarely hit the ball over an outfielder's head, but his contact ability, efficient basestealing (10-14 SB) and shortstop defense made for a promising foundation. Chatham’s low-energy demeanor turned off a number of evaluators and he isn’t particularly twitchy, raising concerns about his long-term athleticism. He’ll have to continue to hit and play good defense up the middle to keep rising, but he has the tools to do so.
College shortstops reigned supreme in the 2015 draft, led by Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman going with the top two picks. The class was thinner in 2016, with Chatham the first college shortstop taken. A three-year starter at Florida Atlantic, Chatham led the Owls in hitting this spring, batting .357/.422/.554 with eight home runs in 249 at-bats. Hampered by a hand injury, Chatham got off to a slow offensive start with Lowell, though he got into a better rhythm by the end of the summer. He has at least solid-average power, though his swing can get long at times. An aggressive hitter, he needs to learn to see more pitches and work the count. Some scouts have questioned whether Chatham too big to stick at shortstop. His actions are long, but he has a solid first step and instincts and a plus arm. He handled the position well for Lowell and should have every opportunity to play there as he moves up the system.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Boston Red Sox in 2019

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: Chatham’s career has been plagued with a long list of injuries, dating back to a hip fracture in high school and recurring right shoulder and left hamstring injuries as a pro. He has been relatively injury-free since joining Salem in mid-May 2018 and has performed well across two levels in back-to-back years. He competed for a batting title into the final days of the season in the high Class A Carolina League in 2018 and then won the Eastern League’s batting title in 2019.

SCOUTING REPORT: While Chatham gets the bat to the ball, he does so by spraying the ball to all fields rather than slugging. His aggressive approach caps his on-base ability and limits his power, a notion reflected in his .105 isolated slugging percentage in 2019. His lack of strength and physicality also raises durability questions. Chatham does not wow with range and quickness but makes up for it with instincts, body control and solid hands. Consistent arm strength for the position has been an issue, tied to the nagging right shoulder injuries. Chatham moved around the dirt and saw time in left field during the AFL.

THE FUTURE: Chatham is likely at least a big league reserve. Some feel he could offer a credible everyday option, most likely at second base, if he adds offensive impact.
TRACK RECORD: Chatham's career has been plagued with a long list of injuries, dating back to a hip fracture in high school and recurring right shoulder and left hamstring injuries as a pro. He has been relatively injury-free since joining Salem in mid-May 2018 and has performed well across two levels in back-to-back years. He competed for a batting title into the final days of the season in the high Class A Carolina League in 2018 and then won the Eastern League's batting title in 2019.

SCOUTING REPORT: While Chatham gets the bat to the ball, he does so by spraying the ball to all fields rather than slugging. His aggressive approach caps his on-base ability and limits his power, a notion reflected in his .105 isolated slugging percentage in 2019. His lack of strength and physicality also raises durability questions. Chatham does not wow with range and quickness but makes up for it with instincts, body control and solid hands. Consistent arm strength for the position has been an issue, tied to the nagging right shoulder injuries. Chatham moved around the dirt and saw time in left field during the AFL.

THE FUTURE: Chatham is likely at least a big league reserve. Some feel he could offer a credible everyday option, most likely at second base, if he adds offensive impact.