Draft Report: Josef Terry

The White Sox made it back-to-back middle infielders with the selection of Joe Terry in the 8th round of the 2010 draft. Terry is also the first junior college player selected by the Sox in the 2010 draft.

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Joe Terry wasn’t a highly thought of prospect coming out of Long Beach Polytechnic HS (CA), a school known for producing MLB players such as Tony Gwynn, Chase Utley and Milton Bradley. Terry didn’t attend high school with any of those players, but he was a teammate of now Philadelphia Eagles WR DeSean Jackson. Terry went undrafted out of high school in 2008.

With no pro offers or college scholarships, Joe Terry ended up attending Cerritos junior college (CA). He raised his draft stock substantially with a great freshman year hitting .426/.490/.746, which resulted in the Seattle Mariners drafting him in the 17th round last year. The Mariners thought they could get a deal done with Terry, but he ended up returning to Cerritos JC. He had a shoulder injury this year and didn’t return to action until mid-April. His performance was down and he only hit .357/.483/.586 in 70 AB, seeing his K% rise from 11.1% to 14.6%. This can likely be attributed to his injury though.

Scouts like Joe Terry and some see him as a future Major League second baseman. His main asset is his plus-plus bat speed, and he sprays the ball to all fields, which should allow him to hit for a high average. His raw power is seen as below average, though with his bat speed it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his power develop in time, that said he is undersized at 6’0″, 185lbs. He’s an above average runner and is aggressive on the base paths. Defensively he has good range at 2B, but he needs to refine his footwork. His arm is adequate for 2B. Terry does now have a commitment to Cal State Fullerton for 2011, but he is considered signable.

Joe Terry is a nice sleeper second base prospect. He has a sweet left handed swing, great bat speed and is a very tough out. He should make a career from putting the ball into play and hitting for a high average. He may only ever be average defensively, though with his speed and range he has the potential to be more than that, but good offensive second basemen are tough to find, and they’re even tougher to find in the 8th round of the draft.