Perspective of Tyler Colvin from a Clemson BB fan who has

[ClemsonBaseball]

has seen Tyler Colvin play at least 50 times in the over the last three seasons. Most of those times were during his freshman and sophomore seasons, because I got transferred to the North side Chicago in March. :D

 

The first thing that comes to my mind when thinking of TC is his “sweet swing,” which is the best looking swing that I have seen since I have been following Clemson Baseball. His swing is even better than player like Khalil Greene, Jeff Baker, Michael Johnson, Brad McCann and Kris Harvey.

 

Also Tyler has a late maturing body and is very slender prior to his junior season was 6’3” and around 180 pounds during the last off-season, TC added around 10 pounds of muscle. During Tyco’s junior season he was playing at a still slender 190 pounds. This added muscle really helped turn outs into double and HRs. Tyler can still add an additional 10-20 pounds of muscle without hindering his speed or quickness. I think this fact really speaks volumes to his project ability on the next level.

 

Tyler has also improved drastically over the last three years. As a freshmen, Tyco hit in the neighborhood of 1-15 or 20 against LHP, now he kills them. His main weakness is strike zone awareness and taking a aggressive approach at the plate. However, it is not a feast or famine approach, he tends to get a little careless and chases pitches. His eye is improving as is BB total is twice what it was last season and the strikeouts have remained the same. His power is more to the RF gap, but he has quick hands and uses the entire field, but I wouldn’t expect many opposite field shots. I think he is a hitter that projects as an “average” guy, but at the same time could give you 20-25 HR a season. On the base paths, he has above average speed, but is not extremely fast, he base running skills; however, are on a major league type level already. Defensively both his arm and glove are solid.

 

Long-term, I think that Colvin is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. He has always had such a natural swing, but struggled a bit due to lack of size and the adjustment from HS pitching to college level pitching. His tools have always been solid. I believe projection wise TC brings move value as a CF if he can handle the transition. I think he projects as well as any hitter that I have seen at Clemson. He certainly can play the corners, but LF/RF are easier to find and usually are more power type hitters.

 

I agree with most Cubs fans in that drafting Colvin at #13 overall was a bit of a stretch. Even Tyler would tell you he was shock to get drafted at #13. Coming into the draft I thought he was a going to be steal in the 2nd or 3rd Round and also take into account that the BA Top 200 that listed Colvin at number #147 was before he was named MVP of the ACC Tournament and then followed it up by being name All-Region last weekend.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to give a perspective of Tyco from somebody that has seen him play on numerous occasions. I think some are selling his potential a little short, the kid can play and has improved ever season. I am looking forward to seeing how he handles the transition to wood. Don’t knock him just yet, go see him play and I think you will be impressed and actually see the long-term potential that Tim Wilkin does. Any questions, feel free to ask.

 

Also to set the record strait from an earlier post that mentioned the TC started the season in a horrible slump. In fact, Tyco carried the team early will his teammates bats were slumping going 9-20 with 6 RBI and 4 HR. He has finished the season strong as well as he is currently in the middle of around a 26 game hit streak.

 

Take care

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Welcome, and thanks for the info!

[goonys evil twin]

Thanks for the info. I'm not as excited about this pick as I had expected, but I look forward to following his career.

[E.J.]

If anything, it will be fun to call him Tyco if he makes it to Wrigley. :D

[Mark Priors Calves]

he has a lot of nicknames already.

[ClemsonBaseball]

Thanks for the info. I'm not as excited about this pick as I had expected, but I look forward to following his career.

 

I understand the lack of excitment surronding this selection when I was followng the draft and saw Tyler's name come up I was shocked.

 

I also saw a lot of talk of talk on the boards about wanting the Cubs to take a polished college bat with the 1st pick, but to me Colvin is a tweener, the pick is similar to drafting a HS player in you are drafting potential and they ability to grow into your frame, but Colvin has also proven he can best pitching division one has to offer.

 

Khalil Greene was the most polished college bat, I have ever seen by a long shot. Greene basically was playing on a AAA level in college and was a sure thing to make it to MLB within a year or two tops.

 

Colvin is playing on a low-A level, but I think he has at least as high if not a higher ceiling than Khalil Greene does, but he is also not a sure thing like Greene was to make it to MLB. I also wouldn't compare his ceiling to the likes of Jeff Francour or Jeremy Hermida two HS bats that signed with Clemson out of college, but were chosen in the 1st Round.

[craig]

Clemson, thanks for your input.

 

I think you make a good point that Colvin seems a tweener. Greene turned 23 four months after the draft. Colvin will still be 20 till this August. He's the age where many draftees are coming out of junior college, and where many college prospects are sophomores rather than juniors and seniors. Physically your comments ring with Wilken's, that Colvin still has perhaps significant physical projection ahead, which we routinely assume for HS drafts but not for college drafts. And obviously it's not only his physique that hs room for maturing, clearly his game is nowhere close to optimized yet and has lots of room for projecting maturation and improvement.

 

When you draft a college hitter, I sometimes figure that what you see is what you get. But Colvin would seem a tweener where Wilken is still projecting a lot more than what's been seen thus far. As with all projection picks, we'll see whether much of that projected improvement ever occurs or not. And how much, and how fast.

[goonys evil twin]

When you draft a college hitter, I sometimes figure that what you see is what you get. .

 

I've always wondered why so many baseball people seem to think this. A college grad is at most 23, most college draftees have to be about 21 or 22. That's still well shy of the 26 year old peak year. And they've had zero professional instruction to that point. College coaches are more about winning now than developing guys. Take a 22 year old and put him in a solid pro system for a couple years and you could have a much more developed hitter. Or is this completely illogical? I just assumed the anti-college thing was based more on the idea that the best of the best are spotted early and drafted out of HS anyway.

[VicCub]

Thanks, good to know Tyco is only 20.

[ClemsonBaseball]

I think this is slighlty below slot money.

 

I know Khalil Greene signed for 1.5 MM in 2002 as a Senior at #13.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Last year's 13th pick overall, Brandon Snyder, got a $1.6 million bonus. Bill Bray, the 13th pick overall in 2004 got $1.75 million.

 

This year, Kasey Kiker got $1.6 million (12th pick) and Travis Snyder (14th pick) got approximately $1.7 million.

 

It definitely appears as though Colvin got less than slot money.