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Name: Jonathan Egan Age: 20 Height: 6'4" Weight: 206 B/T: Right/Right POS: Catcher Draft: 2nd round, '05 Projected '07 team: Greenville (A-) ETA: 2010 |
Jonathan Egan is one player that needs to be closely watched in the 2007. Not only does he have a lot of potential on the field, he also has a past that is riddled with bad news.
According to Diehard Magazine, Egan was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance and driving while entoxicated after the '05 season. Egan says he is passed that:
"I had some personal things to take care. I had to get some things squared away so I could play ball and put all that behind me, and all that stuff is behind me. I'm learning from my mistakes and just looking at it as something that happened in the past, something I can grow from every day."
Other than his off the field issues that are, hopefully, cleared up, Egan has a high cieling. His displayed great power in high school, belting 16 home runs his season season in just 68 at-bats. In his sophomore season he hit 12 home runs.
His defense isn't his best asset, for sure, but he's positive about it improving:
"The only thing I feel down on is my throwing. Last year, that was one of the best parts of my game. This year, it wasn't as good in the beginning, but toward the end of the season it was getting better. I think it was because I had more games under my belt. I didn't play for six or seven months. Being in a game-speed environment helped me a lot."
Egan's talent is there. There is no question about that. However, 2007 will speak volumes about him as a player. He performed very well in the GCL in '06 but, like most early draft picks, everyone does. Greenville will be a good challenge for him but he should be able to handle it and put up strong numbers: .300+ average, 10+ home runs (depending on his at-bats).