Jake Skole is a high-ceiling outfielder from Blessed Trinity High School in Woodstock, Georgia, a far northern suburb of Atlanta. Skole is the brother of Georgia Tech sophomore third baseman Matt Skole, who is projected to be an early round pick next year in the draft. Jake Skole is a late-riser this spring, though, and he’s likely to be in the pro game before his brother, that despite a two-sport commitment to play football and baseball at the high college level. He’s a very athletic player who missed a good chunk of the spring season due to a high ankle injury, but he came back very strong late in the spring for the playoffs, the last round of which he faced off against Draft Notebook prospect Kaleb Cowart, going 2-3 with a hard-hit double. Scouts see him as a potential starting right fielder at the Major League level one day, and there’s enough helium in his game that he’s expected to be able to bypass college and head straight for the pro game. At the plate, he’s an above-average hitter with a little rawness in his approach, and he struggles to recognize pitches if they’re even moderately hidden. He does have above-average to plus raw power, though, and he could be a top-notch player with some time. He’s an above-average straight-line runner with average game speed, and he should fit well in right field, where he could be an above-average defender with a plus arm. He’s jumped up high enough on draft boards that he may go off in the second round, but he fits better in the third to fifth round range, where he should get an over slot bonus spread over five years as a two sport athlete.
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