Blake Sabol Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects
Track Record: Sabol was a prominent high school player at Aliso Niguel (Calif.) High and turned down Cleveland as a 33rd-round pick to attend Southern California, where he showed good athleticism but struggled to produce over three seasons. The Pirates drafted him in the seventh round in 2019 and progressively improved as a hitter leading up to a breakout 2022. Sabol set career highs in nearly every offensive category as he rose to Triple-A and helped lead Surprise to the Arizona Fall League championship after the season. The Reds selected him in the Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Giants for a player to be named later.
Scouting Report: Sabol is a long, lanky athlete and has always had a solid feel for the barrel from the left side. He tapped into his above-average power more consistently after spending time with Pirates minor league coaches to more aggressively hunt pitches he can damage on in front of the plate. Sabol has all-fields power and solid bat speed, but his swing can get long and be susceptible to velocity up in the zone. Questions about whether Sabol can stick at catcher have trailed him since high school. He's a good framer and pitchers enjoy working with him, but he's still a fringy defender with a fringe-average arm. He plays mostly left field when he's not behind the plate, where his marginal foot and arm are best suited.
The Future: Sabol has hit his way into a chance for big league at-bats in 2023. He'll aim to make his debut during the season.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 55. Speed: 45. Fielding: 45. Arm: 45.
