With the 20th overall pick, the Blue Jays could select… Dillon Head?

Photo credit:Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

1 year ago

This is the last article which will focus on a prep player!

Today, we’re looking at outfielder Dillon Head. As always, let’s look at his bio, his tools, and his grades!

Dillon Head’s bio:

Dillon Head is a 6’0” left-handed batting outfielder who attends Homewood-Flossmoor High School in the Chicago suburb, Flossmoor. He has a commitment to the University of Clemson.

An interesting tidbit about Head is that he’s actually been linked to the Blue Jays. In ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s most recent mock draft, he has Head to the Jays, and noted that the 18-year-old has been linked to them for a while. In fact, it seems like the Jays will draft a high school bat with this year’s first, although it is not set in stone.

As for where he ranks, Head is MLB Pipeline’s 27th best draft prospect available, and Baseball America’s 34th best draft prospect available.

It’s been a hot minute since the organization drafted a prep player from Illinois. Back in 2014, they selected three players, Jake Latz, Mike Paierski, and Tanner Houck, all three of whom did not sign. The last time they signed any player from an Illinois high school was in 2012, when Ryan Borucki was selected in the 15th round and signed for a bonus of $426,000.

The last time they selected a high school position player out of an Illinois school who actually signed was all the way back in 1988, when they signed Drew Carlton, who had 490 plate appearances in the minors. Jesse Barfield is the most notable draftee from the state for the Jays, as they selected him in the ninth round in 1977.

Dillon Head’s tools:

Head is your prototypical centre fielder that can hit for average, doesn’t have a ton of power, and has plenty of speed.

With the bat, he has plenty of bat speed and an “all fields” approach. With that being said, he does have some power to the pull side that he can tap into on occasion, but mainly just hits singles and doubles. It’s worth noting that he has some length in his swing due to a wrap in his swing, basically loading his hands behind his head and being late on swings.

He has some of the best speed in the class, which helps him reach base on infield singles. Defensively, he uses his speed to cover plenty of range in centre field. That is paired with an above-average arm, meaning that he’ll likely stay in the middle.

Dillon Head’s grades:

Like always, we’ll look at his Baseball America and MLB Pipeline grades.

Tool	Baseball America grades:	MLB Pipeline grades:
Hit	55	55
Power	40	40
Run	70	80
Arm	55	55
Field	60	60
Overall	55	50

Will the Blue Jays draft Dillon Head?:

I’m not sure if I’d consider Head the best player available in the draft when the Blue Jays pick. However, whenever a player has been linked to a team, you know they are seriously considering it.

Look no further than when Tucker Toman was linked to the Jays last season. Even though he was set to be a late first rounder or early second rounder, the Jays were able to pick him at the end of the second round by over-slotting him.

Could they under-slot a player with the 20th overall pick, such as Mac Horvath, who’ve they’ve been linked to and is ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 82nd overall draft prospect, and then pick up Head with their 89th pick?

Who knows, but Head does have a bright future ahead of him, and seems like a fun player.