Cito Culver is a young two-way prospect from Rochester, New York. Culver generates draft interest at three different positions, making him one of the more intriguing draft prospects in the 2010 prep class. At the plate, he’s a switch-hitter with solid strength, and he projects to be an above-average hitter for average in the future, probably sitting somewhere in the .275-.285 range if things work out well. He needs to work on his balance at the plate, but as a cold-weather hitter, he’s less refined than a lot of prospects, but he also has more room to improve than others, too. I don’t project him for anything more than below-average power, possibly reaching 10 home runs in his peak. On defense, there’s a split over whether he’ll be an outfielder or a shortstop. However, he might have to move off shortstop or center field, as he’s already a fringe-average runner. He has a solid-average arm for shortstop, and an above-average arm for center field, so it all comes down to the range factor. I’d probably keep him at shortstop until he outgrows it. Culver also has even more mound potential, though he’s probably a reliever on that side of things. He throws an 87-91 mph fastball from a true three-quarters arm slot that gets good arm-side run, and he’s gained a couple of ticks on it this spring. His changeup is his best offspeed pitch, though it projects as solid-average at best, and his curveball rates as a future average pitch. He has a higher ceiling as a hitter, though some might disagree with that assertion. Culver fits best in the fourth to sixth round range, and he was only a late signee with Maryland, making him an attractive signable prep bat or arm.
Loading comments...