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The Atlanta Braves took Texas HS outfielder Tyler Collins in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft Monday. Collins is a 5’10, 175 pound outfielder out of McKinney, Texas. He was an Oklahoma State commit who hits left handed and throws right handed.
Rankings
Baseball America- 320
Perfect Game- 264
Pipeline- N/A
Fangraphs- N/A
ESPN- N/A
The Athletic/Keith Law- N/A
Scouting Report
Hit - 55
Collins is an above average hitter with the ability to make consistent contact and hit plenty of line drives. Using the whole field isn’t a concern for him.
Power - 40/45
Collins’ swing and approach just aren’t geared to power as he is a guy just looking to make solid contact and hit line drives. There could be a little more power as he adds some strength to his frame, which is where the 45 grade comes in.
Run - 70
The strength of Collins’ profile is the fact he is a plus plus runner, giving him a legitimate carrying tool and making him dangerous on both sides of the ball.
Field - 60
The plus fielding is a grade that takes a little projection for Collins. He has the speed and potential to be a plus defender, but he will need to refine his defense with pro coaching. That isn’t especially uncommon for a speedy prep player who can get by in center just based off his speed through his high school career.
Arm - 40/45
The arm is below average to fringy for Collins. It is more of a 40 grade at the moment, but he has the potential to get up to a playable grade as he adds a little more strength in the Braves system.
Future
Collins is an old school leadoff hitting, speed and defense center fielder who makes a lot of contact.
Thoughts
This is a very strong pick as Collins has a plus plus tool, a potentially plus tool, and a third tool that grades as potentially above average. His profile isn’t all that different from a Cristian Pache at the time Pache was his age, though Collins is further along with the hit tool and base running ability than Pache was at the same point with a little less power potential.