Grae Kessinger Stats & Scouting Report College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Publish date: 2024-05-02
Hitting: 50. Power: 40. Running: 50. Fielding: 45. Arm: 50.

TRACK RECORD: Kessinger’s father Kevin played in the minors for the Cubs, and his uncle Keith played in the majors. His grandfather Don has the most accomplished baseball career in the family as a six-time all-star shortstop for the Cubs before becoming Mississippi’s coach. Grae signed with the Astros for $750,000 as a second-rounder in 2019. With the 2020 season canceled, Kessinger focused on his conditioning before heading to instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kessinger is a fundamentally sound player who gets the most out of tools that grade mostly as 40s and 50s. It starts with good bat control, pitch recognition and a disciplined offensive approach, enabling him to make frequent contact with all pitch types and draw walks. He has below-average raw power, but he hits the ball hard and his feel for the barrel could enable him to produce sneaky pop later, especially if he’s able to gets his hips and legs into his swing more. An average runner and thrower, Kessinger doesn’t have the typical first-step burst and range scouts prefer at shortstop. He reads the ball well off the bat and is a reliable defender on balls he gets to, so second or third base could work.

THE FUTURE: Some scouts see Kessinger as a future utilityman with risk he could hit a wall against upper-level pitchers.

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