2.55 Cleveland Indians - LeVon Washington, OF, Chipola JC

The Indians spent the 55th overall pick on LeVon Washington.

Follow the jump for his pre-draft report.

LeVon Washington   Position: OF   School: Chipola JC   State: FL   Year: Fr.   Height: 5’11’’   Weight: 170

Bats: L   Throws: R   Birth Date: 7/26/91   Seiler Rating: 1B1   Last Drafted: 2009 (TB-1)

LeVon Washington is an inconsistent toolsy outfielder from Chipola Junior College in Florida. Washington originally attended Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida. An elite-level player as a prep, he joined fellow 2009 first round pick Matt Purke in not signing a pro contract last August as first round picks. While Purke looks to be improving on his draft position for the upcoming 2011 draft in which he’ll be eligible as a sophomore, Washington has gone backwards since arriving at Chipola after failing to qualify academically for the University of Florida, where he was committed out of high school. He still has the tools to become an all star center fielder, however, so if a team takes a chance on him, they might reap a big reward. At the plate, he’s an above-average hitter when he’s on thanks to plus contact skills and freakish hand-eye coordination. He has average raw power when he’s not facing live pitching, but it’s generally limited when he’s in react mode at the plate. Once thought of as a rare talent for speed, he’s now simply a plus runner, not plus-plus. That brings down his value, and even though his arm has improved from off the charts bad thanks to a major shoulder injury in high school to just plain bad this spring, his defense is raw in center field, as he’s not the most experienced fielder there. He could be a solid-average defender in center with time, but his arm still needs to work its way back. He could be a second or third round pick, but with major signability issues brought on by his status as a junior college freshman and his representation by Scott Boras, he might fall far in the draft.