Buck Coats Scouting Report

Versatility is the name of the game for Coats. It will be tough for him to get a roster spot on a deep Jays bench but his ability to play anywhere except behind the plate is his biggest asset.

With the Bat

Hitting .300 in the PCL isn’t anything to write home about, although its nothing to sneeze at either. His lack of plate dispcline along with his relativly low power output makes Coats a low ceiling player that, at most, projects as a super-sub. Some speed and gap power is present, yet even his low HR output is higher than it should be due to the dimensions of the PCL parks.  

With the Glove 

After trying to convert him to a SS the Cubs finally ditched the experiment in 2007 (114 errors in 303 games at short in milb career) and moved him to the outfield. He spent significant time in both center and right field.

Overall Assessment 

He’s the kind of guy that won’t replace anyone when they hit the DL but still stays up to get the occasional start or late inning defensive replacement duty with the occasional pinch running bout. These players aren’t sexy but are important none the less. If he doesn’t earn one of the last roster spots he’ll begin the season in AAA Syracuse. I’d expect to see him up with the big roster at some point this season.