Scout’s View: Nationals OF Andrew Stevenson

Andrew Stevenson (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
SEE ALSO: Scout’s View Archive

Former Phillies scout Therron Brockish reprises his role for BA with weekly scouting reports from the Arizona Fall League. Brockish has more than 20 years of experience as a college coach and as an amateur scout. He served as an assistant coach at Wayne State, Ball State and Arizona Christian and as head coach at Iowa Western CC, and he worked for six years as an area scout with the Philadelphia Phillies, signing big leaguers Jason Donald, Tuffy Gosewisch and Lou Marson during that time.

SCOUTING GRADES

Hitting 50

Power 40

Fielding 60

Speed 70

Arm 45

Based on 20-80 scouting scale—where 50 represents major league average—and future projection rather than present tools.

Andrew Stevenson was a second-round pick out of LSU in 2015 and has put up decent numbers in pro ball since then. He’s still a couple years away from potentially helping the Nationals at the big league level, but he has excelled in the AFL this season (.360, four doubles, two triples, two home runs, .949 OPS). Let’s break down each tool.

Hitting Ability: Future Grade: 50

I can see Stevenson hitting .275 or better at the big league level. He has a short, compact swing from the left side, and seems to be able to use the whole field. He handled good velocity as well as offspeed pitches. He will likely be a gap hitter with occasional power. His speed should get him several infield hits as well throughout the year. He needs to continue to work on cutting down on his strikeouts.

Power: Future Grade: 40

I don’t see power being a major part of his game. I do think that he has the bat speed and raw power to run into some balls and hit 10-15 home runs in a full season. His swing is more geared toward line drives and ground balls. This is the type of hitter he projects to be in the future.

Speed: Future Grade: 70

This is his best tool. He got down the line in 3.95 seconds from the left side. I also saw him use his speed on the bases and in the outfield. Consistent speed like his is an asset to any club, especially if it plays in more than one area of the game, which his definitely does.

Fielding: Future Grade: 60

He’s a plus defender in the outfield. Stevenson gets good reads and jumps on fly balls and has the ability to go get it with his speed. He compares to Jacoby Ellsbury, with a better arm.

Arm: Future Grade: 45

Stevenson’s arm is fringe-average. Some of his throws lacked carry but you could grade him as having an average arm without too many questioning it. If he continues to run and play defense like he is capable, he’s got enough arm to play center in the majors.

Overall

Stevenson has several tools to be an average outfielder at the big league level, and to hit in the .260-.280 range with gap power and be a stolen base threat. He’s a fast-twitch guy who will bring that to the park every day. The Nationals have a little bit of a backlog in the outfield, so more seasoning in the minor leagues would definitely benefit him. I can see him with the big club in 2018 or 2019.