Alright, let’s talk about something I was looking into recently. The MLB draft is always a time when you hear a bunch of names flying around, some familiar, some new. One name that popped onto my screen a few times was Josh Kuroda-Grauer.
So, naturally, I got curious. Who is this guy? First thing I did was just a basic search, you know, “josh kuroda-grauer baseball”, “josh kuroda-grauer mlb draft”. Wanted to get the basic picture.
Digging In
Saw he played for Rutgers. Okay, Big Ten school. That caught my eye because you usually get some solid players out of that conference. Then I started seeing the stats from his recent season. Wow. The guy apparently hit for a really high average, saw numbers well over .350, maybe even flirting with .400 at times. Read somewhere he won Big Ten Player of the Year, which is a pretty big deal.
So, my next step was trying to figure out his game beyond the batting average. What kind of player is he?
- Hitting: Seems like the main calling card is his bat-to-ball skills. Reports mentioned he makes a lot of contact, doesn’t strike out much. That’s usually a good sign, shows good plate discipline and hand-eye coordination.
- Power: Didn’t get the sense he’s a massive home run guy, more of a gap-to-gap hitter, lots of doubles maybe? But hitting for average is valuable too.
- Defense: Looks like he spent most of his time in the middle infield, shortstop mostly I think. Read some mentions of him being a solid defender, maybe versatile enough to move around if needed. Always good to have options.
- Speed: Saw some notes about decent speed, capable of stealing some bases. Not a burner, maybe, but not slow either.
Putting it Together
Okay, so I’ve got this picture now: a college middle infielder, really strong hit tool, good contact skills, maybe average power, solid defense, okay speed. A real “baseball player” type.
Where does that fit in the draft? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? The draft is such a crapshoot sometimes. You see guys with amazing college numbers fizzle out, and others come out of nowhere.
My thinking process went like this: High average, low strikeout guys who play up the middle defensively usually get drafted. The question is how high. Is the power potential enough for teams to dream on him being a star? Or is he seen more as a high-floor, safe pick who can definitely contribute?
Didn’t see his name consistently in the super-early mock drafts, the first round stuff. Seemed more like a guy teams would target on Day 2, maybe rounds 3-6? But hey, I’m just speculating based on what I could piece together. A team might fall in love with the bat and grab him earlier.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, that was my little dive into Josh Kuroda-Grauer. Started with just seeing the name, did some digging, looked at the stats, tried to get a feel for the player profile. He seems like a really solid college player who put up great numbers. Definitely made a note to keep an eye out for where he actually lands when the draft rolls around. It’s always interesting to follow these guys’ journeys.
