Cadyn Grenier
Age: 22
2018 Level: A
2018 Stats
Current/Future/Ceiling Grades: 35/45/50
What we know:
The Orioles made Grenier the 37th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He’s a polished shortstop who is likely to stick at the position. He doesn’t have the fast-twitch or the arm to be an elite defender, but he should end up with an above average glove there. He was given an aggressive assignment to Low A Delmarva where he hit just .216/.297/.333 with plenty of swing and miss. He was justifiably exhausted from a long college season that included a grueling run to a College World Series Championship with Oregon State. There are some questions at the plate even if you write off his lackluster debut (as I do). His swing isn’t geared for a wood bat and he’s never hit for any power with wood. He also has some length to the swing due to his hands drifting during the load portion of the swing. That slows his bat down and won’t cut it for a guy who isn’t a power hitter.
What we don’t know:
How will the bat develop? Currently he projects as a utility type, so he needs to improve contact quality and cut down on the swing and miss. He is patient at the plate, but struggles late in counts because of trouble with premium velocity (due to the length in the swing).
What we think:
Grenier offers a high floor as a legit MLB quality defender at SS. How much he hits will determine whether he reaches his upside as a regular or if he’s just a utility infielder. He has some strength and many liked his swing better out of high school, so it’s possible that he improves at the plate with pro instruction. In fact, he already made some tweaks going into instructs this fall, lowering the hands and getting the lower half involved a bit more.
By: Luke Siler
