Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | BAL | OF | 36 | 35 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 30 | 45 | 30 | 55 | 50 | 60 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: James Chipman
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 170 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 Draft - Round 5
RuleV: 2021
Physical Description: Tall athletic body; lean and strong. High waist; long limbs; square shoulders that slope; thick strong lower half. Impressive instincts and quick twitch athleticism. Moderate projection remaining, room to fill out in chest, shoulders and overall strength. Missed entire '18 season with labrum tear in his throwing shoulder.
Hit: Square stance; hands high at the ear; noisy setup; busy active hand load; crouched from a super wide base. Modest toe-tap trigger. Slightly above-average bat speed. Quick from the trigger to the contact point; not much drive or torque; swing is more hands than bottom half. Shows discipline; appears more passive than patient; handles velocity; ok at reading spin; will get caught looking at the above-average or better secondary offerings. Currently a well below-average hitter, Sparks has the ingredients of a potential fringe-average hitter. Grade: 45
Power: Fringe-average raw in BP, with potential for more pop if his body fills out. Line-drive oriented stroke; doesn't lift the ball much; line drives have lots of top spin and don't carry; power can play from gap-to-gap as doubles variety. Hit tool deficiencies and current lack of strength and swing plane significantly limit over-the-fence power. Speed and instincts on the bases should pad extra base totals. Grade: 30
Field: Above-average defender. Enough speed and defensive prowess to man CF. Gets good jumps and takes solid efficient routes; speed mitigates mistakes. Grade: 55
Arm: An impact plus tool on draft day, an unfortunate labrum tear has sapped the overall arm strength to solid average at present. Long and loose arm action; fluid release; sets feet when throwing to get momentum behind the ball; throws on a line with optimal carry. No longer a weapon but solid average. Grade: 50
Run: Impact tool. Borderline double-plus straight line speed. Quick out of the box; reaches near top speed swiftly and accelerates on the turn at first; kicks it into another gear on the bases. Wheels will turn singles into some doubles. Aggressive base stealer; immaturity can run into outs at times. Grade: 60
Overall: Drafted as a tooled up prep developmental piece back in 2017, Sparks has logged just 78 pro games thanks largely in part to a torn labrum that cost him the entire '18 season. The cancellation of the '20 season did Sparks no favors either as he's Rule V eligible after next season and has yet to escape complex league rookie ball. The defensive profile and speed are solid enough to keep him in the conversation, Sparks literally just needs to stay healthy, fill out and refine his swing. An intriguing lotto ticket with pop-up potential, Sparks is worth keeping an eye on next season.
OFP: 35
Role: 30 - Up/Down Emergency Depth
Risk: High
