Rays Take Patrick Grady In 33rd Round Thanks To Gaudy Numbers

You can project players based on tools and scouting reports all you want, but eventually everything comes down to performances in games. Each year in the draft there can be some intriguing players who don’t have huge tools or projection, but that have put up solid numbers nonetheless. That Tampa Bay Rays drafted a player with big numbers in their 33rd round pick of the 2014 MLB Draft in RF Patrick Grady. They are hoping that he can translate these numbers to pro ball.

As a senior at DII Lander University, Grady’s numbers were outstanding. He would hit .386/.518/.614 in 236 at-bats while putting up a BB-K ratio of 48-36. Grady would also score 91 runs in just 61 games (ranking first in DII), and went a perfect 16-16 in stolen base attempts. As these numbers show, Grady has done a little bit of everything. He has hit for average, hit for power, and shown an advanced plate approach. At 6’0”, 215 pounds, those kind of power numbers aren’t likely to continue in pro ball. But, he does have the strength to be at least an average power hitter down the road. His biggest problem is that at 22-years old he is going to have to adjust quickly to the huge increase in competition from DII to pro ball if he wants to avoid getting lost in the fold. That being said, it is hard to ignore his numbers, and his sound plate approach will serve him well as a pro.

His tools may not jump out at you, but in the end it all boils down to how you play during games, and Patrick Grady certainly has performed well in the past. The Rays are just hoping that he can make the tough transition from DII to professional baseball.