Prospect: Jared Foster - Rank: 26
2015/16: 26 Position(s): Outfield
Level: Advanced A Age: Entering Age 26 season in 2017.
Height: 5'10” Weight: 190 lb.
Present - Future
Hitting Ability: 40 - 45
Power: 50 - 55
Base Running: 50 - 50
Patience: 40 - 50
Fielding: 55 - 60
Range: 55 - 55
Arm: 55 - 55
Overall: 45 - 50
Floor: AAA Depth. Ceiling: Borderline starting outfielder.
Likely Outcome: 4th/5th outfielder.
Summary: Jared Foster is a completely different prospect depending on who you ask. When the Angels drafted him, they were excited to get a player of Foster’s raw talent. There’s power, speed and athleticism to work with (all pointing back to his days as QB at LSU), but not much in the way of refinement. Foster was basically a lottery ticket. He’d played baseball sparingly the two years before being drafted, but the Angels felt that if he focused all of his talents on one sport, that he could take off. In his first full season, we’ve seen that the Angels weren’t totally wrong in this line of thought. Foster really did improve by leaps and bounds throughout the season. He didn’t necessarily because a superstar talent, but he did show glimpses of being a quality major leaguer on his way to a combined .276/.317 line, which included 27 doubles, 9 homeruns and 9 SB. Not overly impressive numbers, but enough to show that Foster could hold his own. But now that he’s had a full year and a half under his belt of focusing solely on professional ball, it’s time to see if Foster really has the breakout potential envisioned.
As far as Foster in a specific scouting sense, there is some to be liked. His batting stance is open and when he gets a pitch to hit and stays within himself, he produces as easy flowing yet beautiful swing, capable of line drives and putting back spin on the ball (homeruns). His hands begin high, then move back, which offers plenty of extra whip in his swing, but also makes him highly susceptible to anything up. His timing is choppy, and he tends to foul off a lot of pitches he should be driving, but this is something that can be corrected with further instruction and development. Defensive, Foster has a very good glove, covers his fair share of ground and can competently play any of the three outfield spots.
What to expect next season: Foster had a pretty successful campaign overall. His numbers were skewed from playing in Burlington, but at the same time, his numbers were inflated by the Cal League (.247 BA at home in the only pitching friendly park, .342 elsewhere). I’d expect Foster to spend a few months at Inland Empire just getting his feet wet before moving onto AA Mobile. I’ll be particularly interested in seeing if his power further develops, or if Foster can picks his spots better when running. He also needs to reach base at a better clip. All of this will be taken into account for a promotion, because moving up to AA is the real test for prospects.
Estimated Time of Arrival: Late 2019, Foster’s age 26 season
Grade as a prospect: C: Projects to be a reserve outfielder.
Grades are given from the 20-80 scouting scale. 20-being non-existent ability, 80-being the best I’ve ever seen. MLB average is 50.