Jay Allen

The Reds selected Allen, a three-sport prep athlete from Florida, with the 30th-overall pick in last year's draft. Everyone knew he had impressive raw tools and athleticism, but the early returns suggest he is much more advanced than anticipated. Allen slashed .328/.440/.557 with three home runs, 14 steals on 15 attempts, a 10.7 BB% and a 16.0 K% in 75 plate appearances in the Arizona Complex League. He was 59 percent better than the average hitter in that league and was an appropriate age (18) for the level. If we were to nitpick, Allen pulled the ball too much (54.0 Pull%) and hit groundballs too often (58.3 GB%). Even so, his plate skills are ahead of schedule, and those stabilize more quickly than a hitter's batted-ball profile. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Allen figures to keep growing into power, which should be a plus tool for him in time. His speed is trickier to forecast, as there are average grades in the public sphere, but attempting 15 steals in his first 19 games is a good indicator. It seems safe to project some strong combination of power and speed, so as long as he continues to make contact at a solid clip, Allen's fantasy potential will be alluring.