Richie Shaffer, 3B, Clemson
Shaffer is 6'3", 205 LBS and currently playing 3B for the Clemson Tigers. He looks like a power hitter at the plate. The arm plays well at the hot corner but his reactions there are a little slow. He makes the plays that he gets to but he will not be anything better than average unless he puts in a ton of work. He isn't bad and he's light enough feet that it is possible. I believe he is the kind of guy who will do the work. I'm not saying he will be relegated to 1B but it could happen but he would be given a shot in RF would happen before that.
At the plate, the bat speed is obvious. He has major league bat speed, takes good AB's and works counts. He hits the ball the other way and ropes line drives and could turn into a middle of the order bat, potentially. It's more likely that he ends up as a .270 guy with 18-20 HR's with a good share of doubles.
I expect Shaffer to go earlier than many have thought due to the lack of college bats available. A solid average 3B is a very good player. I wouldn't be stunned to see him going in the 8-15 range but I think 12-20 is more likely.
Clemson 3B Richie Shaffer (via BaseballAmericaVideo)
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