Mariners Draft Profile: James Madison OF Chase DeLauter
Chase DeLauter, a draft-eligible outfielder out of James Madison, is built like a superhero. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 230 pounds, DeLauter is as physical as they come and is built similarly to Mariners All-Star Julio Rodríguez, who is officially listed at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds.
Despite his size, DeLauter moves really well; his 6.4-second 60-yard dash time suggests that he is a great runner. He also has elite arm strength, although many scouts seem to think he will be a corner outfielder despite serving as James Madison's everyday centerfielder. If the Mariners don't view him as a true corner outfielder long-term, it wouldn't come as a surprise if they took him due to their affinity for up-the-middle players.
However, while DeLauter has all the tools to play a strong center field, he does not have the defensive instincts or quality reps to suggest he can actually perform there consistently. He's not a liability, but there will be better defensive centerfielders than him within nearly every organization.
Before DeLauter broke his foot in April, he was performing well enough to be a top-10 pick, slashing .437/.576/.828 through 24 games as a sophomore. The summer prior, he won the Cape Cod MVP award while leading the league in home runs.
While some may choose to discount DeLauter's performance in the mid-major Colonial Athletic Conference at James Madison, there is no discrediting his performance in the Cape. He slashed .298/.397/.589 with nine home runs, seven doubles and one triple while swinging wooden bats.
He has also has walked more than he's struck out in every season since his freshman year, including a 21:18 walk-to-strikeout ratio in the Cape and 28:21 in his injury-shortened season at JMU.
The elite contact skills are there, and so is the plate discipline. DeLauter also stole 10 out of 11 bases this past season despite missing nearly two months of games. The double-plus raw power paired with all of these other tools makes him a very intriguing prospect.
Turning 21 in October, DeLauter is young for a draft-eligible college bat and he should move quickly through the system if he produces at the plate like scouts project.
Some scouts do have questions about DeLauter's swing; while some analysts have declared it to be a great swing, others have their concerns about how unconventional it is and how well it will translate against better competition. That being said, there is no arguing with the results DeLauter got out of his swing in the Cape.
If he really is a corner outfielder, then there will be a lot of pressure on his bat to perform. It's not a good thing for a corner outfielder to have potential question marks about his hit tool, especially when they're supposed to be a polished college bat. These concerns could—and might have already—pushed DeLauter down the boards of Seattle and several other teams.
There is a chance DeLauter's injury impacts his draft stock, but some outlets are projecting him to go ahead of Seattle's pick at No. 21. Others, like Prospects Live, are projecting him to go outside of the first round.
As draft rumors heat up, it is becoming increasingly likely for DeLauter to be available at pick No. 21 for the Mariners. With increasing speculation within the industry that Jerry Dipoto, Scott Hunter and crew might be targeting college bats, DeLauter could be a preferred target that might potentially be signed for under slot value.
