Milwaukee Brewers 3B Dallas Carroll Scouting Report, March 2018

Slightly open stance to start; smaller leg kick for load with conventional weight transfer; strides and lands in line to the pitcher. Quick, compact stroke through the zone with generally good coverage across the plate. Line drive swing that produces a good amount of hard barrel contact; enough bat speed to turn on hard stuff on the inner half, but can get beat hard up and in at times. Advanced approach at the plate; mature with good strike zone feel. Understands situational hitting and can actually execute on it already. Relatively polished hitter with good contact skills and decent track record of amateur and pro production at the plate.

Above average raw power in batting practice; strong hands and wrists help power profile along with some feel for barrel manipulation. Good plate coverage with some power to all fields, but definitely a pull guy, particularly for over-the-fence pop. Hasn’t really gone off yet in my (brief!) looks in either 2017 or 2018, but physicality is there. Strong, physical build with feel for the barrel and good bat control will consistently get him in position to produce a good amount of doubles pop and his fair share of home runs with development.

Surprisingly good athlete on defense; runs in on balls very well; moves quickly to bunts and choppers, fields well through them, and consistent in executing off-balance throws. Good glove work running in and particularly to his forehand side at third base. Some improvements necessary here to speed up lateral quickness to backhand and generally move a bit lighter on his feet, but solid, soft hands with consistency already in fielding the position; solid now, shot to maybe be a fringe-plus defender.

Plenty of arm strength for third base; should remain on the left side well into his career with strong and accurate arm. Plenty behind his throws with good carry straight through to target; no noticeable run or tail back to arm-side; finishes throws well with good velocity. Good arm for throwing on the run and from bent over/off balance positions; still accurate to target even when off balance.

Timed 4.41 up the line out of the RHH box at spring training this week; flat-footed runner, lacks athleticism on the bases. Not a great first step out of the box, and takes a while to get to top speed up the line. Lateral quickness/footwork manifests itself a bit better in the field, but certainly not an average or better speed/footwork guy there, either. Room to improve overall athleticism and speed work in the next couple years, but won’t project out to be a speed guy.

Listed at 6’0″, 205 lbs., and looks in person to be pretty true to that; thick build, particularly through lower half, with good overall strength and strong core/trunk down through legs. Not much, if any, physical projection left through his frame; will have to work later in career to keep weight off. For now, solid-thick build with good physical strength that will benefit his offensive approach and maintain durability. Dallas Carroll was drafted in the ninth round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of Utah; twin brother Dalton Carroll played one year (2016) in rookie ball with the Atlanta Braves.

Physical, durable build combined with generally advanced approach and promising defensive skills make him an everyday third baseman at ceiling, but he’s going to have to hit to really reach that ceiling; consistent production at the plate will matter here. Far more likely to fall into a platoon/up-and-down role of some sort, perhaps as a corner utility infielder/outfielder with some first base and left/right field added in time. Not a prospect and lacks physical projection/upside, but generally mature and advanced competitor with shot to become a big league contributor to some degree. Dallas Carroll will turn 24 in May, though, and he must have High-A success (or better) by the end of the year to really stay on target. MLB ETA: 2020.