Name: Connor Wong
Selection: 3rd Round, Pick 100
School: University of Houston
Top 200 Ranking: 62nd
What he’s good at right now: Wong is an athletic backstop that has the defensive reputation to stick at the position, but has also shown some promising offensive potential. A productive collegiate base stealer with 38 steals in 46 attempts (82.6%) including 26 out of 30 (86.7%) last year, Wong has good speed for a backstop. Wong had double-digit home runs at Houston this Spring and his power should also be average.
What he can be good at in the future: A collegian without much projection in his 5’10 frame, Wong’s physical tools aren’t likely to develop much further. However, Wong could still polish his hit tool and control the zone a little better. A high school shortstop, the Dodgers could also try him at other positions around the diamond to increase his versatility.
What does he need to work on: Wong’s power is more pull/game power than raw power. His bat speed isn’t plus, so offensive consistency could be an issue without more barrel control in the zone.
Carry tool: Overall athleticism and versatility should give him a solid floor as a bench player.
Biggest weakness: His hit tool is fringe average with a future grade of average.
ETA: He’s fairly polished for a collegian and will probably follow a similar path as Will Smith, so two-three years seems reasonable.
Realistic best case scenario: Wong has the upside of a .275 hitter with 15 home runs and steals annually while providing solid defense and pitch framing.
Wrap: Wong was ranked 38 spots ahead of his eventual selection on my big board and is the third selection in three picks that represents significant value late in their respective round. I like the idea of grabbing athletic up the middle players that give you a high floor with their versatility and decent currency in future trade if need be. Wong isn’t quite the hitter that Will Smith was at Louisville but might offer more pop. The catching position was already an organizational strength and Wong makes it much stronger.
The Dodgers with their third-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft selected Houston catcher Connor Wong, with the No. 100 overall pick. He is the third college pick by the Dodgers in their first three selections.
Wong hit .287/.379/.494 with 12 home runs as a junior for Houston, and also during his time with the Cougars played at third base and in the outfield.
Wong was ranked No. 62 overall in our David Hood’s top 200 draft prospects, was ranked No. 77 in the Baseball America top 500, and was ranked 112th in the MLB Pipeline top 200.
Baseball America described Wong as someone with a “wide-ranging tool set makes him tough to profile, but makes for an intriguing, versatile package.”
“While he’s strong for his size — charitably listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds — he’s small for a catcher and there’s some concern about whether he’ll be able to handle the workload of a long pro season,” read his MLB.com scouting report. “If not, he fits the utility profile because he’s capable of playing almost anywhere on the diamond.”
