Austin Charles Stats & Scouting Report College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Track Record: One of the top two-way players in the 2022 draft, Charles popped onto the radar with a promising showing during the 2021 WWBA World Championships. After expecting to be taken on Day 2 of the draft, Charles had to wait until the final round to hear his name called--with his commitment to UC Santa Barbara looking more likely. The Royals brought him in for a visit to their complex in Surprise, Ariz., just before the signing deadline, after which he agreed to a well above-slot bonus of $429,500.

Scouting Report: Charles will move slowly through the system to fully develop his impressive set of tools. Because of the long levers from his 6-foot-6 frame, Charles is susceptible to breaking balls away from the plate, but he has the strength to hit balls far when he connects. Right now, his best swings come in batting practice, but he's a hard worker and shows the ability to take instruction to turn that into in-game production. Charles will continually face questions whether he can stay at shortstop, but for now he has the athleticism, the feel, the instincts and the internal clock for the position. He gets good first step reads and creates good angles to the ball. Charles sports a plus arm and is an average runner.

The Future: With a return to rookie ball likely, there's a lot to dream on with this kind of size and athleticism, but it will take time to see just what kind of ballplayer Charles turns into.

Scouting Grades Hit: 45. Power: 60. Speed: 50. Fielding: 55. Arm: 60.

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