Eric

Booth Jr.

Booth receives nearly full-slot deal at $7.32 million to forego a commitment to Vanderbilt after being selected seventh overall. The 18-year-old prep outfielder is a well above-average runner, which gives him a clear path to fantasy relevance down the road. He’s a few hyperspace jumps from the majors at this early stage of his development, but he’s one of the more intriguing long-term projects to watch in his draft class.

Booth is the son of Eric Booth, who was one of the better kick returners in the country at Southern Mississippi. The younger Booth inherited his speed from his pops, and could be an 80-grade runner at the highest level. That speed helps him go get it in the outfield, but also should help him beat out some weaker contact. That’s not to say that Booth makes a ton of it; he has the bat speed and path to hit for a high average, and he is starting to tap into power that could be above-average with some mechanical adjustments as he gets stronger. Booth isn’t likely to be a fast-track player, but considering he just turned 18, he doesn’t need to be. He could be a five-category contributor when he’s ready to roll in the latter part of the decade.