Continuing our top 100 countdown we’ll pick up at 55 with Vanderbilt shortstop Connor Kaiser.
As a freshman for the Commodores in 2016 he played in 46 games and hit .261 in 119 at-bats with 23 runs scored and 19 RBI.
That following summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League he was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while hitting .218 with 16 runs scored, 2 home runs, 12 RBI, 19 walks and 27 strikeouts.
As the full-time shortstop for Vanderbilt in his sophomore season, Kaiser hit just .222 in 194 at-bats with 32 runs scored, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 18 RBI, 25 walks, 44 strikeouts and 4 stolen bases.
This past summer he really improved his stock in the Cape Cod League when he hit .279 in 111 at-bats with 18 runs scored, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 16 RBI, 19 walks, 31 strikeouts and 8 stolen bases.
At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds he has the prototypical size to be a major league shortstop. We all know he has the ability to play defense at the next level, we just need to see him take a step forward offensively.
There isn’t a ton of movement in his swing, so you would expect more contact but not a lot of power. You know he has good hand-eye coordination, I just think he has to find a way to create more solid contact with that swing.
This will be a huge year for Kaiser. If he can hit around .280 with 5 home runs, I think that does wonders for his draft stock. The tools are there for him to be a major league shortstop, we just need to see him become a more consistent hitter.
