A Closer Look at David Dahl

The Colorado Rockies selected David Dahl with the 10th pick in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Monday. The 18-year-old outfielder from Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham, Ala., batted .412 with 11 doubles, three triples, three homers, 17 RBIs and 18 stolen bases his senior season.

For anyone who was following prospect rankings and mock drafts leading up to the start of the draft on Monday, the selection of Dahl came at no surprise.  Baseball America’s last mock draft before the draft had Dahl being taken by the Mets with the No. 12 pick and also had Dahl ranked as the third best outfield prospect.

Dahl was part of Team USA’s Gold Medal-winning squad in the Pan American Games last summer, where he drove in 11 runs in 15 games. But where Dahl really began to make a name for himself was during the National Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla. Dahl hit .714 over five days of the USA Baseball Tournament of the Stars. Impressive right? What’s even more impressive, Dahl accomplished this while battling through the early stages of mononucleosis.

The scouting report on Dahl is promising. at 6-2, 190, Dahl has room to add more strength without getting to bulky. It does seem Dahl has good patience at the plate, where he tracks pitches very well and shows advanced pitch recognition. One of the things I like about Dahl is his speed. With the size of the outfield at Coors Field, a speedy outfielder who can cover a spacious field is always a plus in Colorado. Defense is a concern for Dahl, but at 18, he has the time to develop.

There is some concern that the Rockies passed up on California prep pitcher Lucas Gioloto. But as badly as the Rockies have missed on pitchers in the draft, maybe they are trying a different approach. Gioloto’s stock dropped because of an elbow injury, but the Washington Nationals, a team that’s bulding their franchise with great pitching, didn’t seemed concerned taking him at 16.