Calhoun is not a big guy at 5’9″, 177 and you can probably guess based on the stereotype that he’s a grinder, a player who hustles out every play and does everything in his power to help the team. What the stereotype doesn’t tell you is that his team mentality is only an added bonus for an extremely talented player, especially in the batter’s box. Calhoun shows lightning-quick bat speed from the left side and uses it well, drilling line drives to all fields. He does an excellent job making contact but knows the strike zone well and does a good job of laying off of pitches he can’t drive. Like many high school players, his pitch recognition will need some work, but with more experience, he should be fine. And despite his size, Calhoun flashes impressive power to right and right-center. Always showing an ability to lace balls to the gaps, Calhoun has begun making the adjustment to add some lift to his swing and show more home run power, giving him a chance to be a 20-home run threat. One issue right now, though, is that Calhoun gets in trouble when he sells out for power, hitting too much weak contact in the air. He’ll have to learn to do a better job incorporating his budding power into his regular approach as a hitter. Calhoun certainly isn’t perfect, but at the end of the day you have an impressive pure hitter with solid power potential and their aren’t too many players like that around in the draft.

Most telling about Calhoun’s personality may be the development of his defensive abilities. Not particularly quick or agile, playing defensively at second and third base was a struggle for Calhoun despite a strong arm. How did he react? He spent countless hours improving his actions to the point where he can make up for below-average range and looks to be average at second base and possibly solid at third as well, although he probably won’t hit for enough power to profile there. Calhoun has his flaws, but he’s determined to do everything possible to minimize them and make himself into the best player he can be. He’s a vocal leader who not only is greater than the sum of his parts but makes the entire team better.

The only big issue with Calhoun and the reason the Rays were able to select him way down in the 17th round is that he has a strong commitment to the University of Arizona. The perception was that he had his heart set on attending Arizona, developing a strong relationship with coach Andy Lopez, and that it was going to be exceedingly difficult to convince him otherwise. The Rays will hope to defy the odds with a few outstanding conversations and as much money as they can possibly spare from their bonus pool. It was certainly a gamble on the Rays’ part drafting Calhoun, but the risk is not signing just a 17th round pick and the potential reward is a prospect with exponentially more potential than you could possibly expect from a player this late in the draft.

At 6’2″, 185, Fischer has exactly the right body type to impress as both a centerfielder and pitcher–but his draft slot could have been much higher and his development could have been expedited had he chosen one over the other. In any event, Fischer worked in relief for CFCC and showed a fastball in the 88-92 MPH range. His curveball features sharp 1-to-7 action just as it reaches the batter and he finishes off his arsenal with an Alex Cobb-esque split-change that drops off the map as it approaches the hitter when Fischer is at his best. Everything, though, is going to need plenty of work.

Fischer doesn’t get a very good downward plane on his pitches and has been prone to leaving them up in the zone. His fastball is straight and often very hittable. His curveball shows sharp break but not much depth, giving Fischer little margin for error when he misses his spots. And Fischer’s split-change either looks nothing like a strike or doesn’t have the movement he’s hoping for far too often. Despite the fact that he’ll be 21 years old in August, Fischer’s polish is almost negligible and he is going to have a rough time ahead of him making up for the lost time. But with the risk so small down in the 16th round and Fischer’s upside quite considerable if he can put it all together, the Rays selected him and are ready to get to work crafting him into a pitcher who could one day make an impact in the major leagues. The distraction of hitting is gone for Fischer. Now let’s see how good he can be when he’s entirely committed to being a pitcher.

The Rays have a couple of wide receivers in Desmond Jennings and last year’s 11th round pick, Clayton Henning. Then this year in the 3rd round, they selected running back Thomas Milone. But who is going to get all of these playmakers the ball? Well, now the Rays have their answer. In the 15th round, the Rays selected former Jacksonville State quarterback Coty Blanchard, and like the other three, it may not be long before his prowess on the baseball diamond overshadows his history in football.

Blanchard is an athletic 6’1″, 185 with athleticism to spare and baseball abilities that he is starting to hone. Blanchard stands out the most for above-average speed and arm strength, certainly not surprising for a dual-threat quarterback, and those give him a chance to be a very good defender someday. Blanchard was enigmatic as a shortstop for JSU, but the Rays drafted him as a second baseman, believing that the effect of his sub-par actions would be mitigated and his arm strength could make up for much of the struggles he would have. At the plate, meanwhile, Blanchard has a lot of work to do but he could be a very interesting player someday.

In college, Blanchard’s goal was to do whatever he could to get on base and take advantage of his speed. He showed good patience, although his pitch recognition needs to improve, and he just tried to put the ball in play and beat out some hits. He hit some line drives and flashed some power, especially to the gaps, but not on a consistent basis, and pounding the ball into the ground did not work out so well for him as he’s not quite fast enough to succeed as a tap hitter. But the Rays may attempt to start over with him at the plate believing that he could very well have additional bat speed that he hasn’t tapped into. Blanchard’s approach at the plate was pretty raw and his swing was so compact that there’s a chance that Blanchard could be a completely different offensive player with the right adjustments. It will take time, but the Rays’ patience could net them an impressive all-around player in a few years.

The Rays know that they can’t teach athleticism. They love drafting players who may need refinement but have the raw abilities to be stars someday, and Coty Blanchard is next. He may be a player coming out of college but is right up there among the Rays’ upside plays in this year’s draft. And adding in Blanchard’s mental toughness from football only makes his odds look better. Blanchard understands what it’s like to be backed against the wall as the opposition runs towards him and to find a way to escape. Professional baseball will be a fresh start from him but he will know exactly what to do when obstacles obscure his path. Football will not wind up being Coty Blanchard’s career path. However, all the lessons his time in football taught him will give an edge as his baseball career begins.