Toronto Blue Jays Top-30 Prospects #22: Carl Wise

By Keegan Matheson | Jan 15, 2016

Blue Jays third base prospect Carl Wise enters the list at number 22, but his power tool and positional path will determine the height of his ceiling.

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Power-hitting third baseman Carl Wise joined the Blue Jays this past summer in the fourth round of the MLB Amateur Draft. A 21-year-old out of the College of Charlston, he joins several other members of that 2015 class who have immediately landed on this list following the rush of trade deadline activity. For Wise, it’s all about finding a permanent position and maximizing his power tool.

Name: Carl Wise
Position: 3B Age: 21
Height: 6’1” Age: 215 lbs.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Acquired: Round 4, 2015 MLB Draft

Wise put up some solid numbers in the Cape Cod League heading into his draft year, and while few (if any) scouting services has him as a top-100 prospect in the 2015 class, nearly all had him ranked in their top-200. His calling card will be that power bat, and his prospect profile from MLB.com at the time of his drafting lines up with most other reports I’ve read in being modestly impressed with his general plate approach.

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“Wise has good strength and excels at generating backspin on his drives from the right side of the plate. He can get pull-conscious at times but generally stays under control at the plate and manages the strike zone reasonably well, so he should hit for a decent average.”

Avoiding the grip-and-rip designation will be key, of course, but Wise’s first taste of professional ball didn’t exactly go as planned. That seems to be a theme for some of Toronto’s college picks this season, which truthfully, isn’t much cause for worry.

In 54 games split between Bluefield and Vancouver (47G), Wise slashed .235 / .273 / .310 with just one home run, 11 doubles and a lone triple. His K:BB was also troubling with 49 strikeouts to just 10 walks, but again, we’ll get a far better sense of this in 2016.

The question of position with Wise is especially interesting. “Wise has enough arm strength for third base but almost certainly will move to a different position in pro ball. His throws lack accuracy at times and his hands and quickness are subpar for the hot corner. First base is his likely destination,” MLB.com wrote at the time.

That would be a dent in his prospect ceiling, but many scouts have also suggested a move to behind the plate. The arm accuracy would clearly need work, but if that transition could occur successfully, it would improve his ranking based on position value alone. Especially to the Blue Jays, whose top catching prospect Max Pentecost may need to make a change of his own soon due to recurring injuries. Away from the position.

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Wise’s plate approach will need to transition over into the pro game along with his power bat, but with a strong start to the 2016 season, his 2015 campaign should be quickly disregarded as a stumble out of the starting blocks.

He may lack top-10 prospect ‘boom’ potential until his supporting tools develop further, which becomes less likely with a college pick, but Wise is a perfectly capable young hitter that should produce very well offensively as he grows through the Blue Jays ranks.

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