Why Andrew Vaughn Is Such A Unique MLB Draft Prospect

Image credit: Andrew Vaughn (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

Trying to find comparable players to Andrew Vaughn is not easy.

As a righthanded hitting college first baseman, Vaughn is trying to become the first player in his demographic to be picked in the top 10 picks since Matt LaPorta in 2007 (LaPorta was announced by the Brewers as an outfielder even though he was a first baseman at Florida). David McCarthy is the only player of this demographic ever picked in the top five picks. While few players have been picked, the group does include Hall of Famer Frank Thomas as well as Mark McGwire and Tim Wallach (who moved from first base to third base as a pro).

Year	Pick	Player	College
2007	7	Matt LaPorta	Florida
1991	3	David McCarthy	Stanford
1991	7	Joe Vitiello	Alabama
1989	7	Frank Thomas	Auburn
1984	10	Mark McGwire	Southern California
1979	10	Tim Wallach	Cal State Fullerton
1972	6	Danny Thomas	Southern Illinois

But that’s not the only way Vaughn is very rare. He’s also 5-foot-11, which makes him very short for a righthanded-throwing first baseman. Looking at the integration era finds just four sub 6-foot righthanded-throwing first basemen who have played more than 20 games in the major leagues since the integration era began in 1947.