Pittsburgh Pirates: Other Top College Names in 2021 Draft

Jud Fabian, Outfielder, University of Florida

You may not find Jud Fabian in any top five lists just yet, but he could be a prospect that rises up draft boards.  Although he is considered to be a top 10 pick right now, one thing is for sure, he is definitely a prospect that Ben Cherington and Steve Sanders like to draft.

Like Leiter, Fabian is one of the youngest college players in the draft.  He is actually the youngest college player ranked inside FanGraphs’ Top 10 right now as he will not turn 21 until after the 2021 draft.  This is something that always interests teams, a young player means more time to develop.  In general, this Front Office’s past suggests that they value younger draft prospects.

The second thing the Front Office seems to value are players who perform well in the Cape Cod League.  This makes sense as it’s basically a college All-Star league, but also the league makes the player use wooden bats.  Generally speaking, if a team is looking for numbers that will translate the best, the Cape is a good source of reference.

Fabian tore up the Cape Cod league at a very young age.  Because it is a summer league he only received 40 at-bats but hit .325 with three doubles and a home run.  He came out this spring relatively hot, posting an OPS just north of 1.000 and he hit five home runs in just 17 games.  Last year he hit seven in 57 games, so the power is starting to develop.

This makes sense as Fabian stands at 6’2” and weighs around 190 pounds.  Fabian has put up strong numbers at a very young age at the NCAA level and in the Cape Cod League.  Put his track record along with his projectability and his youth, and Fabian is a very intriguing prospect.  If he gets off to a strong start next spring look for him to climb the top 10 very quickly.