Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The MLB Draft is quickly approaching, and so is the end of this profile series. This one is on a talented prep outfielder named Henry Bolte, who has all the makings of a great prospect.
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Previous Profiles
- Peyton Graham (June 15)
- Drew Gilbert (June 21)
- Ryan Cermak (June 22)
- Thomas Harrington (June 27)
- Peyton Pallette (June 28)
- Landon Sims (June 29)
- Malcolm Moore (July 5)
- Cade Horton (July 6)
- Walter Ford (July 7)
- Eric Brown (July 11)
- Jacob Misiorowski (July 12)
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Vitals
6’3, 195 pounds
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
DOB: Aug. 4, 2003
Location
Palo Alto, Calif.
Commitment: Texas
Rankings
The Athletic: NR
Baseball America: 42
CBS Sports: NR
ESPN: 47
MLB Pipeline: 40
Prospects Live: 41
Slot recommended bonus (No. 29): $1,950,900
Note: All information of draft prospects compiled from Internet sources, scouting reports and videos.
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Gavin Lux is the last prep position player the Dodgers have drafted with their first selection. That was all the way back in 2016. They haven’t had a lot of luck, recently, with 2nd-round prep bats. Mitchell Hansen is the only one Billy Gasparino has drafted as Dodgers’ scouting director. Before that, Alex Verdugo (2014), Alex Santana (2011) and Ivan De Jesus (2005) were the only high school position players drafted by LA this century. Bolte could break that trend thanks to a really high ceiling. But with high ceilings tend to come high risk.
Bolte has a tantalizing combination of power and speed that might be the best among prep hitters and among the best in the entire class. He has easy plus-power, speed and athleticism. The biggest question mark surrounding his offense is the hit tool. At times, he looks like a plus-hitter. Other times, he looks below-average. He’s the definition of streaky. He has plus-bat speed, but his swing tends to get long and leads to whiffs. He has improved his pitch recognition and discipline since breaking out at the Area Code games last summer, but some swing adjustments might be necessary. He has a slightly open stance and some uppercut in his swing. Combine that with the bat speed, athleticism and strength and you can see why he has a chance for double-plus power down the road.
Defensively, he’s plenty athletic and has more than enough arm to handle center field. His ultimate defensive home will be depend how he maxes out physically, but he has everything he needs to stick in center field. If he has to move to a corner, the defensive should play up. He could be a 20 stolen-base threat at the next level.
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Video
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Bolte was a bit of a late bloomer, but his tool set is sure to entice teams. At No. 40, he could be a bit of a tough sign for LA. If they pop him, they’ll likely have to go over-slot to get him away from Texas. He has the look of a middle-of-the-order power hitter with plus-defense. Those guys don’t grow on trees. He could develop into a George Springer-type with maybe more power and a little less hit.
