3B Gage Workman, Arizona State
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DoB: 10/24/1999. B/T: S/R
2020 Stats: 3 HR, .250/.316/.471, 3 SB, 21/5 K/BB in 17 games
Few teams are probably as disappointed about the cancelled season as Arizona State, who could have three day one draft picks from just their infield in first baseman Spencer Torkelson, shortstop Alika Williams, and third baseman Gage Workman. While Torkelson has hit his way to a possible (likely?) first overall selection, Workman joined Williams in stumbling out of the gate. After hitting a robust .330/.413/.528 with eight home runs as a sophomore in 2019, Workman garnered just two hits in his first five games (.111/.150/.167) before picking up just slightly from there. Still, it took two home runs in his final game of the season against Fresno State to give his line a last-minute jolt to a fairly ordinary .250/.316/.471, and an ugly 21/5 strikeout to walk ratio leaves him as a fairly divisive prospect.
Workman, a 6'4" switch hitter, shows an impressive array of tools at a young age, with his raw power probably being the best right now. That power plays better from the left side, where he has a quick but loose swing that can make the ball jump off his bat. From the right side, the swing is still quick, but it can get rigid and he swings and misses more often. He's shown some ability to tap his raw power, hitting eight home runs as a sophomore in what was an especially strong year for Pac 12 competition, but he should have more in the tank. In terms of pure hitting ability, he's shown the ability to catch up to high-end pitching in the Pac 12 and in the elite Cape Cod League, he has an aggressive approach at the plate that has led to an 89/35 strikeout to walk ratio in 74 games since the start of the 2019 season.
In addition to his power upside, two things buy his bat additional time. Because he enrolled early at Arizona State in 2018, Workman is very young for the class and won't turn 21 until October, making him the age of a typical college sophomore. That buys slack for his approach at the plate, as many college hitters learn the nuances of the strike zone and plate discipline as they get older. The other is his defense, as he's a well above-average third baseman who might even be able to handle shortstop if a team wants to give him a shot. With shifts becoming extremely prevalent at the major league level, having a guy like Workman with shortstop-like range is extremely beneficial, especially when he brings a third baseman's offensive profile.
Workman entered the 2020 season right on the fringes of the first round conversation, but that was more based on what he could do, not what he had done to that point. With the up and down start to the season, he's seen somewhat of a market correction to his stock, now fitting somewhere in the second to third round range. He has a bit wider of a variation due to his streakiness as a hitter, in addition to outlier factors like his age and the status of his two year Mormon mission. While there is no indication as of now that he'll be taking it any time soon, the A's didn't think Kyler Murray would end up in the NFL and it's just something to keep in mind. Workman's ceiling is that of a 25-30 home run hitter with decent on-base percentages and good defense at third base or playable defense at shortstop.
2020 batting and fielding practice
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