Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | BAL | OF | 5 | 50 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 45 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 40 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Mike Kinsela
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/R
Acquired: 2020 Draft - Round 1
RuleV: 2023
Physical Description: Appears as listed, lean and strong with broad shoulders and tapered build. Physicality speaks to strength, has done a good job through amateur career of continually developing strength while retaining athleticism and body type. Some, albeit minor, projection remains on the frame.
Hit: Kjerstad's swing starts with a notably large leg lift trigger, a move that is mostly difficult to repeat for hitters but Kjerstad has the balance, bat speed, and innate timing ability to make it work. He gets the front foot down on time and consistently generates leverage, hitting against a firm front side and showing the timing skills to get to both plus velocity as well as slower off-speed stuff by buying time with his hands. It's above-average bat speed with some stiffness to path, and he's susceptible to breakers beneath the strike zone. The approach is strong and Kjerstad will take his walks, but the overall hit tool projection just in terms of barrel consistency likely falls short of average long term. Grade: 45
Power: The raw power here is plus-plus and that left-handed power is the carrying tool to Kjerstad's profile. He's able to drive the ball out to all parts of the ballpark, working gaps with ease and able to 2-strike wrist-flick balls into gaps. The best power is pull-side, with tremendous lofted shots. Prior to COVID, Kjerstad's power frequency was coming on even more, albeit in a small sample size. The hit tool likely ends up limiting the power from playing as a 70 grade tool in-game, but the medium outcome here seems to be a 25-30 HR/year player, earning a plus game-power grade. Grade: 60
Field: Kjerstad is a solid-average athlete for his size but is defensively limited to an outfield corner or even 1st base down the line, where he played sparingly at Arkansas. He played some right field as a junior in a limited season, where his overall athleticism and arm strength seem to play well together, though most scouts view Kjerstad as a left field/first baseman long term, which does give him some versatility. Grade: 60
Arm: The raw arm strength grades out as above-average, with good arm speed and a clean, whippy stroke that produces good velocity out of the hand and the ability to keep throws on a line while carrying 3B or the plate from RF. There's some inconsistencies in terms of the release time and Kjerstad is still developing in terms of his overall consistency, but a solid-average arm long term likely exists. Grade: 50
Run: Kjerstad is a below-average runner down the line, consistently around 4.4 seconds from the left side of the plate, but he's definitely more of a long runner than a short area quickness guy. One his strides get going he can cover a solid amount of ground, and the overall speed shouldn't be a deficit to his team either in the outfield or on the bases, outside of the 90 feet between the plate and 1st base. Grade: 40
Overall: Kjerstad surprised a lot of the draft community by going 2nd overall to the Orioles, as they played the long game and spread their bonus pool around. The strength of his left-handed bat is the calling card, as Kjerstad should have enough of a hit tool for his prodigious power to play in an impactful way, and he looks the part of an everyday player at the big league level who should get on base and hit for power.
OFP: 50
Role: 50 - Average Everyday Regular
Risk: Moderate
