Seattle Mariners Draft

From the Crow's Nest: Tennessee 3B Nick Senzel

The sweet-swinging Volunteer should be one of the first hitters taken in the draft

By Ethan Novak May 29, 2016, 8:00am PDT

Things will be a little different this week on From the Crow's Nest in that we're looking at a player who, in all likelihood, will not fall to the Mariners. For the most part, I've tried to look at guys with realistic shots at being around when the M's are on the clock, but at some point one must expand their parameters.

There are still a couple guys left to cover that have a serious chance to end up in Seattle, but I've been wanting to talk about Nick Senzel's swing for awhile now so this week we're going to talk about Nick Senzel, start third baseman for the Tennessee Volunteers.

At A Glance

Name	Nicholas Senzel
Position	3B
Bats/Throws	R/R
School	Tennessee
Ht ; Wt	6’1 ; 205 lbs
Born	6/29/1995
MLB.com prospect rank	9th
BA prospect rank	5th

The Rundown

At the core of it all, Senzel is one of the best pure hitters in the country. He has lightning-quick bat speed and is a fine blend of contact and power hitter. He has an advanced approach for a college hitter with a good idea of the strike zone and the ability/willingness to use the whole field at the plate.

Even more exciting, there could be plenty of more potential that Senzel hasn't tapped into yet. His swing, while great, doesn't generate as much pop as it probably, partially due to a very subtle and quiet load. Some adjustments could turn him into a legitimate power hitter, should the team that drafts him decide to go that route.

Senzel has decent speed for a corner infielder and is adept at stealing bases, swiping 46 so far in his career with Tennessee. He'll need to prove that he can stick at third base longterm, but there's nothing about his game that's overly concerning. He just may be better suited for another position moving forward.

From a sheer numbers standpoint, there aren't many weaknesses to his game. In 210 at-bats in his junior campaign, Senzel has slashed .352/.456/.595 with a .243 ISO and a 0.53 K/BB ratio. His ISO and OPS have steadily risen since his arrival at Tennessee.

Ultimately, Senzel is a well-balanced hitter who has the potential to reach the majors fairly quickly. While the glove is a bit of a question mark, he will go as quickly as his bat will take him. Once again, his chances of falling to the Mariners are slim, but crazier and dumber and greater things have happened.