NAME: Peyton Stovall
SCHOOL: Haughton High School, Louisiana
POSITION: 2B/SS
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’0″, 180 lbs
B/T: L/R
D.O.B.: February 14, 2003
PREVIOUSLY DRAFTED: No, committed to Arkansas
SCOUTING REPORT
Last year, the Boston Red Sox pulled a first-round name out of a hat that few people saw coming in Nick Yorke. This year, Louisiana-born infielder Peyton Stovall is well on his way to seizing some of the same helium Yorke had. Stovall did not draw a lot of attention in 2019, but he broke out in the summer showcase circuit of 2020. After a spectacular spring of 2021, the middle infielder is now firmly on everyone’s draft board for the late first, early second round.
Stovall’s biggest quality is by far his hit tool. With an exit velocity in the 90th percentile, barrel speed and impact momentum in the 79th percentile and maximum acceleration in the 85th percentile, it is easy to see why Stovall is currently projected to be drafted this high. His quick, left-handed stroke with a balanced, short timing mechanism allows him to spray the ball to all fields, while also being able to hit for power.
There is little to nothing ‘wrong’ with his swing. Stovall uses his hips to generate torque, his legs to create power and his arms and hands to power through the zone. He stays in sync and no part of the swing ‘trails’ other elements.
Defensively, there is some room for improvement. Though he is by no means slow, Stovall is not blazingly fast either. That goes for both his base running, as well as his reaction speed and general quickness on his feet. Occasionally, he has a tendency to reach grounders later than necessary, forcing him to make fast throws from unbalanced angles.
With a below average arm, there is little margin for error when it comes to his fielding. Stovall occasionally displays a herky jerky throwing motion, awkwardly using his lower half to gain throwing speed. He does possess soft hands and a quick glove, and he transfers the ball from his glove to his hand quickly as well. He needs all these traits to make up for the occasional slow approach to a ball and the lack of a strong arm.
SCOUTING GRADES
These scouting grades are from mlbpipeline.com. Stovall’s grades probably fluctuate across publications.
HIT: 60
RUN: 45
POWER: 50
ARM: 45
FIELD: 50
OVERALL: 50
PROSPECT OVERVIEW AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
Due to his defensive shortcomings, Stovall does not profile as a major league shortstop. His reaction speed may not be fast enough to make it at that position. Physically, he may lose some of the already limited quickness as his body fills out. Second base or left field seem to be more likely destinations, and his bat would certainly play above average at both positions.
It does not seem far fetched to think that Stovall could grow into a big league regular with above average offensive potential and average defensive abilities. He appears to fit a team with a long-term vision, as he will certainly require some polishing on the development side of things. In the end, though, the talent is evident. The rapid development burst he saw over the last 12 months is certainly something that could entice teams to pull the trigger sooner rather than later.
MOCK DRAFTS
Baseball America’s Mock Draft 4.0 (updated May 24th) does not project Peyton Stovall in the first round. They do mention him as a potential target of the White Sox at 22. MLB Pipeline (June 9) also lists the infielder as an option for Chicago, but eventually list him to go at 23 to the Cleveland Indians. CBS Sports guesses that Stovall falls to the end of the first round and slot him at 28, to the Tampa Bay Rays. Bleacher Report takes it one spot further and has the Los Angeles Dodgers taking him. Prospects Live slides him in at 21, which is where the Chicago Cubs pick. The publication also mentions several other teams from within the top 20 that have sent scouts to watch Stovall play.In the latest mock drafts from Keith Law at The Athletic, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline and the analysts at FanGraphs, Stovall isn’t projected in the first round. In the Mock Draft 3.0 here at FutureSox, James Fox sends the infielder to the Tampa Bay Rays at #28.
POTENTIAL FIT WITH WHITE SOX
The White Sox are not exactly an organization overflowing with middle infield talent, so Stovall definitely fills a need. With Nick Madrigal — once he returns from injury and barring any unforeseen issues — pretty firmly entrenched at second base and Tim Anderson probably going nowhere anytime soon either, there is no direct need for a quick rising middle infielder. However, a few years down the road, this would be different. Stovall is no Bobby Witt Jr. and the expectation is not necessarily that he would shoot up the minors as fast as Witt is doing. Given the time to develop, and with a bit of defensive practice, Peyton Stovall could be a fit.
Stovall was great this summer and displayed an aptitude to hit with wood bats. He’s drawn Todd Walker comparisons and he’s been linked to the White Sox in recent weeks by multiple publications. Pushing him to the second round with an over slot bonus would likely be a dream scenario for the organization but he ends up going before the club’s pick at #57 most likely.
Photo credit: video still
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