HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

Texas A&M slugger Jace LaViolette is a first-round talent with a notable risk factor

- J.J. COOPER @JJCOOP36

Will Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette be a top 15 overall draft pick?

For teams choosing in the top half of the first round, LaViolette’s 2025 production could make that a tough call.

LaViolette’s season officially ended on May 26 when Texas A&M was left out of the NCAA Tournament field of 64. That finalized his season batting line at .258/.427/.576 with 18 home runs in 56 games.

That .258 batting average would rank among the lowest ever seen for a first-round pick.

To put that figure in context, Baseball America researched the batting average in the draft year for every Division I hitter selected in the first round since BA was founded in 1981.

Of 316 qualifying hitters, just 16 hit under .300 in their draft years. That includes two hitters from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season—Giants catcher Patrick Bailey and Twins first baseman Aaron Sabato—which means that just 14 hitters truly failed to hit .300 in a full college season.

Of the 14 who hit under .300 in a full season, just two—Ken Felder in 1992 and Bill Spiers in 1987—were drafted in the top 15 picks.

By comparison, over that same time frame there have been 17 first-round picks who hit .440 or higher in their draft season.