UConn Huskies third baseman Mike Olt has been busy over the past few days. Over the weekend, he was busy playing in the first round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament in Norwich, CT. His Huskies team ended up going 1-2 and being eliminated by the Oregon Ducks, who gave UConn both of their losses.
And on Monday night, the Branford, CT native got to hear his name called during the Supplemental Round of the 2010 MLB Draft as the Texas Rangers selected him 49th overall.
In 64 games for the Huskies in 2010, Olt hit .318 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and had seven stolen bases. Olt also had 24 multiple hit games and 19 multiple RBI games. He won the Home Run Derby Contest during the Big East Tournament held in Clearwater, FL and was named to the All-Big East Third Team.
A look at what MLB.com had to say about Olt coming up after the jump.
Here’s what MLB.com had to say about Olt:
Hitting ability: Olt has good bat speed and strength. He has a good idea at the plate, with good rhythm and approach.
Power: He has above-average raw power and plenty of game power. He was a little rusty this weekend, but got on track as it went on. Most of his power is to the pull side.
Running speed: He has below-average speed.
Base running: Despite not having great speed, he knows what he’s doing on the basepaths and has a good success rate stealing bases.
Arm strength: A converted shortstop, he has more than enough arm from third.
Fielding: He’s worked hard on his defense at third and should be fine to stay there. His footwork is fine, as are his hands.
Range: He moves well at third, with enough range to stay there.
Physical Description: Olt has a solid, strong frame, with broad shoulders. He looks the part of a big league hitter and third baseman
Medical Update: His sophomore season was broken up by an ankle injury early and a wrist injury later, but he appears healthy now.
Strengths: Size, strength, bat speed. Above-average power and the ability to stay at third base defensively. Good makeup and leadership skills.
Weaknesses: There’s been a question as to how much he’ll hit, but there’s nothing mechanically that says he won’t.
Summary: In a relatively thin year for college hitters, Olt stands out as one of the better options … especially if a team is looking for power potential. Olt has plenty of pop, largely from the pull side. There’s been some question about his abilities as an overall hitter, but he’s got a solid approach and good bat speed. A converted shortstop, he’s worked hard with his move to third and should be able to stay there. With injuries that shortened his sophomore season behind him, Olt profiles as a solid power-hitting third baseman at the big league level and everyone knows how hard they are to find.
