2023 MLB Draft: Four Guys That Should Be Available at 13 for the Chicago Cubs

Tommy Troy SS Stanford

Athletic: #12

Fangraphs: #25

MLB.com: #19

Keith Law listed another college shortstop as an option for the Cubs at 13. A couple of weeks ago I said that “This is going to be one of those annoying options over the next couple of weeks as the lazy player comp is… Nico Hoerner, another Stanford middle infielder that matches the description that Fangraphs had for him in their scouting report”

"Troy is a twitchy little second baseman with a blend of power and contact that might make him an everyday player if his very aggressive approach doesn't get in the way."

Fangraphs

Troy broke out in a pretty big way this year. His slash line of .395/.477/.708 saw him increase his batting average by nearly 50 points, his OBP by nearly 100 points and his slugging percentage by over 100. He also hit as many homers this year as he hit in his first two seasons combined so the power numbers are there and he also was 17-20 in his steal attempts so there’s some speed there also.

Keith Law said in his scouting report something that is antithetical to what the fear is with Matt Shaw and that is that he can do some damage on fastballs, regardless of their location.

"He almost never misses a fastball, whiffing on only eight percent of them this spring (through the end of the regular season) even when he goes out of zone, and he clearly hunts those pitches, doing the vast majority of his damage there."

Keith Law

Finally MLB.com talked a little bit about his defensive profile and said that some teams can see him as a potential shortstop, but most see him as a solid second baseman with the athleticism to perhaps be able to be an asset in centerfield as well. 

Based on the numbers I don’t have a ton of problems with the approach, especially considering the improvements he’s made this season. He has fewer strikeouts than he’s ever had before and has walked nearly four times as often as he did last year. Approach matters, but guys like Javier Baez and Christopher Morel have done just fine in Cubbie Blue without much of an approach so I’m not too worried.