Givanni Damico | May 28th, 2019
Josh Jung, 3B (Texas Tech)
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 215 LBs
Age: 21
Bats: R
Throws: R
2018 Stats: .392/.491/.639, 12 HR, 80 RBI, 17 Doubles, 32 SO, 39 BB
2019 Stats (as of May 27th): .332/.471/.609, 11 HR, 53 RBI, 21 Doubles, 37 SO, 49 BB
MLB Pipeline Grades – Hit: 55 Power: 55 Run: 40 Arm: 60 Field: 50 Overall: 55
Josh Jung was born on February 12, 1998, in San Antonio, Texas to Mary and Jeff Jung. As a junior at MacArthur high school, Jung hit .563 with four home runs, 27 RBIs, and 10 doubles. He was very decorated, being a four-time All-District honoree, three-time All-Region winner, and three-time All-State selection. In 2015, he was first-team All-State. He took home the Gold Glove at third base in 2016 and was also a Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American. In his freshman year of college, Jung was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year as well as taking home All-Big 12 Second Team honors. He won four different freshman All-American awards from Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America. Perfect Game, and D1 Baseball. Jung started all 62 games and slashed .306/.453/.395 with six home runs, 43 RBIs, and 14 doubles. He led Texas Tech with 24 multi-hit games. 2018 was a different animal as Jung brought his average up to .392 and doubled his home run total from his freshman season. He started all 65 games and brought the Red Raiders to the College World Series. He earned five All-American Second Team awards as a Sophomore from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA, Baseball America, D1 Baseball, and Perfect Game. He was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes award. He was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 honoree. 2019 hasn’t been quite as great for Jung, but he’s still hitting the ball very well.
Strengths:
Jung has very good plate discipline, walking more than he struck out in 2018 and 2019. He has proven how good his vision is as well. The discipline and vision that Jung has allowed him to hit the ball hard because of how he’s working the count. He has primarily been a contact hitter at Texas Tech, accruing 29 home runs over three seasons. He has great instincts and a near-elite arm at the hot corner. Despite playing shortstop at Texas Tech this season, he is still considered a third base prospect by most people.
Weaknesses:
Jung isn’t a very fast guy which is the biggest knock to him. His lack of speed hurts his athletic ability and his range in the infield. Despite only having seven stolen bases in three years at Texas Tech, his position doesn’t require him to be a speed demon. His lack of power has been somewhat concerning for someone who is a corner infielder, but this is mainly because Jung likes to use the whole field when he hits. If he starts pulling the ball more often, he will see higher home run totals. He has a ton of raw power that hasn’t been tapped into yet.
Overview:
Josh Jung is a great hitter who knows the strike zone very well. Rarely will you see him swing at a 57-footer or look bad in any way at the plate. He uses the whole field with his tremendous swing. He has been mainly a contact hitter with loads of untapped power. His fielding ability is solid and his arm is very strong. Overall, the only tool that Jung seems to be missing is the speed, which won’t be necessary at the next level if he stays at third base. Some believe that he will have to move to first base because of this lack of speed, but this just simply isn’t true.
Draft Prediction: Round 1, Pick 15 to the Los Angeles Angels
Would I love to see Jung stay in his home state and get picked by the Texas Rangers at pick eight? Absolutely. I just don’t think he’s worth a top-10 pick with the talent in this draft. Don’t get me wrong, he’s definitely borderline top-10, but with all of the other needs that Texas has, Jung wouldn’t be a great value. The Angels have David Fletcher at third base right now, but he is more of a second baseman. They don’t seem to have a third baseman of the future, and Jung could be just that. They have a shortstop in Luis Rengifo who is up already playing second base, and a second baseman, Jahmai Jones, who isn’t producing at all in the minor leagues. Andrelton Simmons could become expendable at some point, depending on the development of these young guys. Jung would need about two years in the minors before getting the call-up, so he would be up at the perfect time when the Angels need him.
Check out our other Draft Previews:
Andrew Vaughn | Will Wilson | Jackson Rutledge | Hunter Bishop | JJ Bleday | Kameron Misner | Logan Davidson| Seth Johnson | Bobby Witt Jr.
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