Nick Allen Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects
Emma Powell TRACK RECORD: Allen earned a reputation as a defensive wizard as an amateur and signed with the Athletics for $2 million as a third-round pick in 2017, nearly triple the slot amount. He began to progress offensively at high Class A Stockton in 2019 before a high ankle sprain wiped out the second half of his season. Allen returned healthy in 2020 and spent the summer at the alternate training site in San Jose before finishing at instructional league.
SCOUTING REPORT: One of the top defensive shortstops in the minors, Allen is a Gold Glove-type caliber defender who was nicknamed “Magic Man” by his coaches in Stockton. He is a twitchy, instinctive defender who glides to the ball, has superb hands, covers a wide range with his plus speed and has a plus, accurate arm to convert every play. The 5-foot-8 infielder fights a glove-only perception and led the Cal League in doubles before his season-ending injury in 2019. Allen has good hand-eye coordination, and the A’s have worked with him to avoid chasing power—and fastballs up in the zone—and instead focus on a gap-to-gap approach, using fellow undersized infielder David Fletcher as a blueprint.
THE FUTURE: How Allen progresses as a hitter will determine whether he becomes a slick-fielding backup or something more. He is slated to begin the 2021 season in Double-A.
