John Drennen

John Drennen: Outfielder

Age: 20 Height: 6’0” Weight: 190 Bats: Left Throws: Left

Stats & Stuff: The Indians snatched Drennen up with their supplemental pick in the 1st round of the 2005 Draft out of Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego, which has produced a ton of elite high school prospects of late. Knowing Drennen had a scholarship in hand to attend and play at UCLA, the Indians quickly signed Drennen for $1 million. He also made national headlines last June when he hit a tape measure home run off Roger Clemens. In Drennen’s professional debut at Burlington in 2005 he hit .238/.325/.435 with 8 HRs, 29 RBIs and 6 stolen bases in 51 games. Last year, Drennen combined to hit .295/.384/.425 with 6 HRs, 38 RBIs and 8 stolen bases in 98 games as Lake County and Kinston. Drennen’s numbers dipped at Kinston as he was overmatched and wore down some, but earlier at Lake County he was very good as he hit .321/.409/.471 with 6 HRs and 30 RBIs.

The Good: The Indians selected Drennen because they loved his advanced bat and polished approach to hitting. Drennen has a compact build with good power, and also creates a nice smooth bat path with his swing. Although he is somewhat undersized, he packs a lot of punch in his swing and has good pop and a dynamite bat. Right now, he is more a gap hitter, but as he matures he is expected to develop more power. At the plate, he has a good inside out swing and he uses the entire field, especially against lefties. He is an extremely hard worker and is very aggressive at the plate, on the bases and in the field. He is also a smart hitter, and is an energy player with a motor that does not stop. His playing style, build and ability often has been compared to Jeremy Reed, and some have compared him to former Indian Brian Giles.

The Bad: While Drennen is an outstanding hitter, he leaves a lot to be desired as a defender and base-runner. He has good instincts as a runner, but only has slightly above average speed. His biggest weakness is his defense, as his arm is below average and his range in the outfield is limited, which will eventually play him out of center-field. He wore down the second half of last season, but that is to be expected with him being in a full-season league while only a year removed from high school. Drennen also had a minor injury setback early in the year when he dislocated the end joint to his thumb, and ended up missing several weeks of action.

The Outlook: The Indians are loaded in the organization with good outfield prospects. Due to his age and the players in front of him, Drennen is a few years away from making an impact at the major league level. He should start the 2007 season by repeating at Kinston, and likely will play there the entire year because he is roadblocked by so many outfielders above him at Akron and Buffalo.

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