Austin Overn 2024

[luismatos4prez]

I can hear Ben McDonald saying "Turn and Burn Overn" already.

.333/.440/.538 in 11 G is a nice start for 3rd rd draft pick Austin Overn, a pure CF who played WR for USC before committing to baseball. He's one I've got my eye on. 

 

[Tony-OH]

Overn has had a nice start to his career. I got my eyes on him last night when he hit his first professional homerun, a pull job down the right field line on an 0-1 middle slider from a righty.

He also made a decent accurate throw to home from left field but there was a bit of an arc to the throw that would make me think it was more of an average arm  then anything plus.

Speed wise he's not a burner, but seems quick. Colin woody has basically given all of his players green lights to be aggressive stealing bases but he's just 10 for 16 so far.

I'm a little surprised BA would have him ranked 85th overall, but I haven't had a good enough look to say whether that's too aggressive or not right yet.

[Frobby]

11 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Overn has had a nice start to his career. I got my eyes on him last night when he hit his first professional homerun, a pull job down the right field line on an 0-1 middle slider from a righty.

He also made a decent accurate throw to home from left field but there was a bit of an arc to the throw that would make me think it was more of an average arm  then anything plus.

Speed wise he's not a burner, but seems quick. Colin woody has basically given all of his players green lights to be aggressive stealing bases but he's just 10 for 16 so far.

I'm a little surprised BA would have him ranked 85th overall, but I haven't had a good enough look to say whether that's too aggressive or not right yet.

Not a burner?  He ran a 10.49 hundred meter dash as a high schooler.   Here’s a fun article describing some of his athletic feats as a prep athlete.

I think if he doesn’t strike out a lot, he may be a steal. 

[Tony-OH]

Just now, Frobby said:

Not a burner?  He ran a 10.49 hundred meter dash as a high schooler.   Here’s a fun article describing some of his athletic feats as a prep athlete.

I think if he doesn’t strike out a lot, he may be a steal. 

I can only tell you what I see on the field. When I see him run, I don't see EBJ, who is most definitely a burner. Like I said, he's quick, and I do see him having baseball speed, just not 80 level speed. He's probably a 65 for me.

[Frobby]

6 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

I can only tell you what I see on the field. When I see him run, I don't see EBJ, who is most definitely a burner. Like I said, he's quick, and I do see him having baseball speed, just not 80 level speed. He's probably a 65 for me.

Fair enough.  I probably took your “not a burner” remark a little differently than you meant it.  65 is still quite fast.  When I think of “not a burner” I think of Austin Hays when he was a young player.   He was fast enough to play a decent CF, but nobody was going to confuse his speed with Mullins’.   Sounds like Overn is at least a tick or two faster than the young version of Hays.  

[Tony-OH]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Fair enough.  I probably took your “not a burner” remark a little differently than you meant it.  65 is still quite fast.  When I think of “not a burner” I think of Austin Hays when he was a young player.   He was fast enough to play a decent CF, but nobody was going to confuse his speed with Mullins’.   Sounds like Overn is at least a tick or two faster than the young version of Hays.  

Yeah, I'd say Overn strikes me as someone a bit faster than Hays. Overn can definitely play CF. Then again, Fabian can play CF too, but he's not a burner either. 

[Fiver6565]

46 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Overn has had a nice start to his career. I got my eyes on him last night when he hit his first professional homerun, a pull job down the right field line on an 0-1 middle slider from a righty.

He also made a decent accurate throw to home from left field but there was a bit of an arc to the throw that would make me think it was more of an average arm  then anything plus.

Speed wise he's not a burner, but seems quick. Colin woody has basically given all of his players green lights to be aggressive stealing bases but he's just 10 for 16 so far.

I'm a little surprised BA would have him ranked 85th overall, but I haven't had a good enough look to say whether that's too aggressive or not right yet.

I think the 85 in that tweet was a draft ranking, not a prospect ranking.  I don't see why 85 in the draft would be too aggressive, though I have no idea as I don't follow that sort of thing at all.  I'm guessing you read that as a prospect ranking, which I wish it was that!

[Frobby]

12 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Yeah, I'd say Overn strikes me as someone a bit faster than Hays. Overn can definitely play CF. Then again, Fabian can play CF too, but he's not a burner either. 

I looked up a few of your OF speed grades from last offeseson for context.   Fabian 60/60, Beavers 60/55, Cowser 55/55.   If that’s the scale, then Overn at 65 is pretty good.  

I also have to say, Cowser is one of these guys who doesn’t look as fast as he actually is.  77th percentile sprint speed is pretty good.  
 

[Hazmat]

58 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Not a burner?  He ran a 10.49 hundred meter dash as a high schooler.   Here’s a fun article describing some of his athletic feats as a prep athlete.

I think if he doesn’t strike out a lot, he may be a steal. 

Overn and Carter Baumler should have a dunk contest.

[sportsfan8703]

1 hour ago, luismatos4prez said:

I can hear Ben McDonald saying "Turn and Burn Overn" already.

.333/.440/.538 in 11 G is a nice start for 3rd rd draft pick Austin Overn, a pure CF who played WR for USC before committing to baseball. He's one I've got my eye on. 

 

Well we certainly have drafted a type recently.  Have a pending FA CF in Mullins, well just draft the three best NCAA CF from 2023.  

[Tony-OH]

36 minutes ago, Fiver6565 said:

I think the 85 in that tweet was a draft ranking, not a prospect ranking.  I don't see why 85 in the draft would be too aggressive, though I have no idea as I don't follow that sort of thing at all.  I'm guessing you read that as a prospect ranking, which I wish it was that!

Ah, thanks. Thought that was since he was drafted. Didn't realize that was old informaiton.

[Tony-OH]

28 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I looked up a few of your OF speed grades from last offeseson for context.   Fabian 60/60, Beavers 60/55, Cowser 55/55.   If that’s the scale, then Overn at 65 is pretty good.  

I also have to say, Cowser is one of these guys who doesn’t look as fast as he actually is.  77th percentile sprint speed is pretty good.  
 

I was surprised at how fast Cowser and Westburg were. Actually Kjerstad was faster too. 

[Frobby]

I copied this from Overn’s draft thread.  It was quoted without a link so I don’t know the source:

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 75 | Arm: 50 | Field: 70 | Overall: 45

Overn was known as one of the best athletes in Southern California during his high school days, when he played four sports. He went just up the road to play both football and baseball at USC. He gave up football to focus on baseball in 2023 and jumped into the Trojans’ starting lineup, showing off that athleticism on both sides of the ball and finishing with a .932 OPS before trying out for Team USA and playing in the Cape Cod League. 

Overn is one of the fastest players in the Draft class, with some scouts hanging an 80 on his speed. He’s a legitimate basestealer and that speed plays in center field, where he combines his wheels with good reads and routes to be a premium defender with an average arm. He’s not just athletic; Overn has outstanding body awareness and control.

——

So, I’m not saying that 65 is an undergrade based on what you’ve seen, I’m just saying keep an eye on it.

[Tony-OH]

22 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I copied this from Overn’s draft thread.  It was quoted without a link so I don’t know the source:

 

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 75 | Arm: 50 | Field: 70 | Overall: 45

Overn was known as one of the best athletes in Southern California during his high school days, when he played four sports. He went just up the road to play both football and baseball at USC. He gave up football to focus on baseball in 2023 and jumped into the Trojans’ starting lineup, showing off that athleticism on both sides of the ball and finishing with a .932 OPS before trying out for Team USA and playing in the Cape Cod League. 

Overn is one of the fastest players in the Draft class, with some scouts hanging an 80 on his speed. He’s a legitimate basestealer and that speed plays in center field, where he combines his wheels with good reads and routes to be a premium defender with an average arm. He’s not just athletic; Overn has outstanding body awareness and control.

——

So, I’m not saying that 65 is an undergrade based on what you’ve seen, I’m just saying keep an eye on it.

Even if he is a "75" runner vs a "65" runner, it really doesn't change the equation very much. I've always said speed rankings are pretty subjective even if you use the old school, time them home to first measure.

Some guys run faster in the outfield while following baseball than others. That's how guys like Fabian, without elite speed, can be plus defensive center fielders.

 

[CaptainRedbeard]

The recent Eno Sarris article about the Orioles’ hitting development approach was the first time I saw description of “vertical bat angle” (or VBA) - suggesting that the Orioles draft/coach hitters with steep VBA because it results in more power (but perhaps also more holes in the swing). 

On the clip of this homer, sure seems like Overn has that steep VBA. Maybe just based on the down and in location of this particular pitch, but his statistical profile in college was not power heavy. Perhaps the Orioles see more upside here. A player with this defensive profile has a huge ceiling if Overn can unlock more offensively.