Rays 2016 Top 50 Prospects: Number 48, Jake Cronenworth

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#48: Jacob John Cronenworth, 2B, 21 years old

Bats: Left Ht/Wt: 6’0″ 170 lbs
Drafted: in the 7th rd of the 2015 MLB draft
Signed: for $198,900
2015 Affiliate: Hudson Valley, SS
Anticipated MLB Arrival: 2018+

Cronenworth’s Stats

Cronenworth’s Fielding

Cronenworth’s 2015 Splits

Player Facts

Follow him on Twitter: @JCronenworth10
One of only 2 players ever selected out of St. Clair HS
Also played for UofMichigan, which produced recent MLB players Zach Putnam, Clayton Richard, and Chris Getz
Was also a great pitcher with UofM, “second on U-M’s career saves list with 27“
Was named BIG Ten tournament MVP after earning 4 saves (including one in the championship winning game) and hitting .389 with a double and 3 RBI
“Was named the sixth-best prospect in the Big Ten for the 2015 draft by Perfect Game“
Hit .338/.419/.494 with 27 XBH in 269 AB in 2015 before being drafted by the Rays
During his College Career, he managed 97 BB and only struck out 83 times
Had a low .107 ISO rating in 2015, but worked with a whopping .407 BAbip
The great .382 wOBA and 6.6 Spd rating allowed him to manage a 140 wRC+
Managed multiple hits in 18 of his 51 games, including 3 of his last 5 games

Was pretty excited about signing with the Rays:

But was shocked to be taken as a 2B:

“I was definitely shocked,” “Everything I had been hearing was pitcher from mostly all the teams. I really hadn’t talked to the Rays leading up to the draft, but a lot of the guys in their organization like me as a position player.”

Best quote describing what he offers the Rays from Michigan coach Erik Bakich:

“One of the best two-way talents and athletes in the draft,” “He’s relentless and a tireless worker, just extremely deserving.”

Best Tools & Abilities

Versatility and Athleticism
Defensive ability to play anywhere
Speed and on-base ability
One of the best Splitters in the entire 2015 draft class

Video (hitting and pitching)

Interview

Our Thoughts

That we were forced to rank Cronenworth this far back is not an indication of his full potential. He concentrated on both pitching and hitting throughout his youth in order to give himself as much of a shot as possible to be drafted. With his athleticism and overall abilities, we completely believe he can rise to the challenges placed in front of him and become a prominent utility prospect before too long. It’s just going to take his concentrating on hitting to get himself into the top 20-30 talk.

More from Rays Colored Glasses

What Cronenworth already provides is a great looking swing that shows promise, above-average speed, and a great approach at the plate. He’s proven again-and-again that he can rise to the occasion when the pressure is on, and the big ten championship was a culmination of years of hard work.

Some things that he’s shown us while in Hudson Valley includes an aptitude to handle 2B, SS, and LF. While 2B will likely remain his focus going forward, maintaining flexibility on the field is what will enable Cronenworth to get the playing time he needs to continue improving at the plate.

While his power is not likely to ever grade as above-average, his swing is good enough to anticipate some power from him. He’s more likely to become a great doubles and SB source as he develops than a HR hitter. As a 2B with versatility to fill in other spots as required, that should be good enough to allow for good progress through the minors.

Expectations

There’s no rush in moving Cronenworth through the ranks, but with the way he handled Hudson Valley after the draft, there’s a good chance he’ll get a look in Bowling Green and a full season in 2016. Getting him as many AB as possible will likely be the focus of the season, while also seeing whether he can continue to handle SS and possibly 3B while maintaining his prime position of 2B.

Should the bat ever show signs of cracking and that he won’t handle MLB pitching as well as the franchise would like – unlikely but always possible – there’s a good chance he could be converted to a reliever. His splitter will remain strong enough to allow him to be a threat in the pen and it’s a great fall back for him moving forward, even if we don’t believe he’ll require to make the change.

Conclusion

We expect that by the end of the season, Cronenworth will have made a significant move up these rankings on the back of a strong full season. He’ll be competing with the likes of Riley Unroe and Kean Wong for playing time at 2B when he climbs the ranks, an indication of the depth the Rays have at 2B.

Next: Rays 2016 Top 50 Prospects: Number 47, Ian Gibaut

While we can’t discount a possible future move to the pen altogether, we can see why the Rays chose to initially investigate the 2B option. Cronenworth has a very advanced approach at the plate and can get on base with the best of them. Mix in the speed and versatility, and you’ve got an intriguing prospect to follow in 2016. We wish him all of the best and a giant leap in our rankings.

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