Stefan Welch Scouting Report (2008)

Welch was signed as an international free agent out of Australia as an 18-year old in 2006. Now 20, he batted .279/.320/.449 for the season with most of those at bats coming in the short season Appalachian League. Welch will likely become a prospect Mets fans argue about as he is far from a prototypical third basemen, but talented just the same.

• Ultra-Lean 6'3", 175 lb. build; Will he be able to add size?
• Left-handed hitter; Right-handed swing; No visible trademark lefty uppercut;
• Line drive stroke; Level through the ball
• Plus bat speed; Kept hands inside the ball well; Short & quick through the zone
• Hands held very low in his stance
• During his load, he became taller causing his eyes to change plane; Could be the cause of his inconsistency
• Laced double to right field; Left before his home run
• Questionable range at 3B; Did not seem to move well laterally; What happens if he gains size?
• Arm seemed about average
• Hit 1st pitch check swing roller back to the mound with 1 out and the bases loaded
• Short, choppy steps when running the bases

Welch is a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde type of prospect. On the positive side, he has excellent height, bat speed, and hopefully room to add size and strength although his frame may limit exactly how much on the other hand, he's rail thin right now and has a line drive swing instead of a typical lefty uppercut. His arm strength is average, but his range may be a a little below. He had decent speed, but no length to his stride.

With all the positives and negatives in his game, I'm not sure where he fits in over the long haul. He has more of a middle infield offensive skill set, but will have to play a corner position. The question becomes can he advance in an atypical fashion similar to Daniel Murphy with added size and enough versatility to play more than one position? If successful, he has an opportunity to be useful player at higher levels and possibly a big league career.