Alex Kielar | June 3rd, 2019
Braden Shewmake, SS (Texas A&M)
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 190 lbs
Age: 21
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
2017 Stats: .328/.374/.529, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 31 SO, 15 BB, 11 SB
2018 Stats: .327/.395/.453, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 22 SO, 21 BB, 12 SB
2019 Stats (as of June 1, 2019): .315/.373/.481, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 27 SO, 23 BB, 9 SB
Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 Power: 50 Run: 50 Arm: 55 Field: 50
Braden Shewmake was born November 17, 1997, in Wylie, Texas. Shewmake was a three-sport star at Wylie East High School, playing baseball, football, and basketball. He grabbed the attention of some MLB scouts his senior season, batting .295 with 28 RBI and a selection to the Texas 5A All-Star Baseball Team, but wound up going undrafted in the 2016 Draft. Shewmake enrolled at Texas A&M to play baseball for the Aggies and had a phenomenal freshman campaign. In his 2017 freshman season, Shewmake hit .328 with 11 home runs and 69 RBI in 64 starts, on his way to being named SEC Freshman of the Year and Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman of the Year, along with being named an All-American by multiple major media outlets including Baseball America. Shewmake spent that summer playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. He had just as impressive a season in his 2018 sophomore season batting .327 with five home runs, 45 RBI, and adding 12 stolen bases to his resume. Following these great numbers, he was named to the All-SEC first team for the second straight year and returned to the Collegiate National Team. Shewmake has had a great junior campaign this season, hitting .315 with 42 runs, 14 doubles, six home runs, 23 walks, 46 RBI, and seven stolen bases in the regular season, while going 4-for-9 in the SEC Tournament.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkdAMfuWxQM&w=560&h=315]
Strengths
Shewmake has phenomenal hand-eye coordination which allows him to easily put the bat to ball and put it in play. He has the ability to hit to all fields and has shown signs of average power in the future with solid bat speed, torque, and ability to turn on pitches. Shewmake has plus instincts that can be seen on the basepaths and in the field. He only has about average speed, but he still has a knack for stealing bases, using his great instincts, having 11 steals his freshman season, 12 his sophomore season, and seven this season. He doesn’t have too strong an arm, but he does have plus accuracy, making some scouts project him as more of a natural second baseman, but with the versatility to move anywhere in the infield. He can make most plays at shortstop and he is a team player, wanting to do anything that is needed of him to help the team succeed.
Weaknesses
Shewmake has great overall makeup, but something that is a bit of a concern for his game is the unorthodox swing that has him caught off on his front foot. This is a swing that he will need to make adjustments on if he wants to have success at the next level. If he can work on it and improve it, he will be even more a threat at the dish. He is already one of the best pure hitters in the draft class, and some adjustments to his swing could help him rise in the minors quickly.
Overview
Shewmake is overall one of the top pure hitters in this year’s draft class, and another shortstop/infielder in the stacked infield group for the projected first round. The only real big concern is his unorthodox left-handed swing that causes him to get up off his front foot, which could be worked with and improved. He has a solid defensive ability for any infield position and smart base running and a high baseball IQ. Shewmake could potentially be a Top 20 pick, but will most likely fall farther down, but will be a solid infield depth pick for any team, especially with his versatile ability. He has a very accurate arm and plus hand-eye coordination, helping him to make contact and hit to all fields with ease.
Draft Projection: Round 1 Pick 26 Arizona Diamondbacks
With the D-Backs having two first-round picks (No. 16 and No. 26) they can go several different routes. I think they go with a safe pick at 26 and go with a guy who is a pure hitter and can work to get on base. I think they will go with an arm such as Zack Thompson, George Kirby, or Quinn Priester with Pick 16 and go for a bat at 26, with a versatile Shewmake a solid pick for them.
Check out our other draft profiles: Andrew Vaughn | Will Wilson | Jackson Rutledge | Hunter Bishop | JJ Bleday | Kameron Misner | Logan Davidson| Seth Johnson | Bobby Witt Jr. | Josh Jung|Adley Rutschman |Daniel Espino|Nick Lodolo|Kody Hoese| Matthew Allan|C.J. Abrams| Riley Greene|Corbin Carroll|Bryson Stott| Shea Langeliers|Brett Baty| Alek Manoah
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Main Image Credit: https://12thman.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6892
