KCB
Jud Fabian, OF
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Scouting report
It's been somewhat trendy for a top prospect or two to skip the draft as a high school senior and early-enroll at their college to reach college eligibility a year sooner, and that's what Fabian did in 2018. He had a good freshman season for a rookie in the SEC then went to the Cape and raked, which continued during his COVID-shortened sophomore year. Fabian has a rare, unfavorable "backwards" profile -- he hits right and throws left, limiting him to 1B/OF -- but looks like he'll hit enough for that not to matter. While his lower half has gotten a little heavier and softer since high school, Fabian still has a fairly athletic swing, and his hitting hands work in an explosive loop that give him low-ball power. His hands load deep and high, and Fabian's bat path doesn't always look like it's going to work, but he still covers the zone from (nearly) top to bottom and can pull his hands in to get the barrel on inside pitches, and I think barrel accuracy is tougher to teach than augmenting someone's path. Fabian is a power/speed center field fit if the swing gets dialed in, similar to Travis Swaggerty a few years ago albeit with larger-conference performance.