26. Todd Frazier – SS, Reds – 1A.04 (34th)
The pride of Rutgers baseball, Frazier is a baseball rat who gets better every year. His OPS climbed from 897 as a freshman to 1070 as a sophomore and finally 1259 (.377/.502/.757) as a junior. His plate discipline and defense also improved each season, and his 25 steals in 30 attempts in 2007 was also a personal best. It's the type of growth one likes to see in a college player, though Frazier is often left out of discussions when talking about the nation's top prospects.
At 6'3" and 215 pounds, Frazier has the strength to back up his 22 homers and 24 doubles from this past season. He's shown aptitude with wooden bats before and will work hard at continuing to improve, so there's plenty to like here. Though Frazier has some speed and is a smart baserunner, his range leaves a lot to be desired. A move to second base is possible since he's sure-handed, but third base or right field might be for the best.
Obviously staying in the middle infield would be best for Frazier, but his power potential is enough to still be a useful player at third or in the outfield. He should throw in 10 or 15 stolen bases early in his career as well, making him an even better fantasy option. That Frazier strikes out (51 in 247 at-bats this year) and loads his swing somewhat uniquely mean he probably won't hit for average in the majors, but he'll wait for his pitch and hammer it when he finds one to his liking. This ranking assumes he moves at third base, and he'd rank a few spots higher if he can stay at second.
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Originally Posted by icehole3
