On Monday, Stanford junior first baseman Carter Graham went 228th overall to the Cincinnati Reds in the 8th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Graham was the sixth Cardinal selected in the draft, following Joey Dixon who went 224th overall to the Houston Astros.
This past season, Graham batted .315 for 15 home runs and 77 RBIs to go along with a .558 slugging percentage and a .390 on base percentage. On defense, Graham had a .994 fielding percentage and only three errors.
Graham is a really powerful bat, capable of hitting a home run any time he steps up to the plate. While he started the season in a bit of a slump, he found his groove by the end of the season and really delivered the goods, returning to form as one of the more reliable bats in the Cardinal lineup.
While he’s not the fastest guy in the world, Graham stole nine bases this season on 10 attempts. He did a really good job of reading pitchers and going for the steal at the right time. He definitely improved his base running abilities, becoming a bit of a weapon when he was on base.
Probably the biggest thing Graham needs to work on is just being a bit more versatile of a hitter. Sometimes he was feast or famine in terms of either going yard or flying out. If he can improve his contact hitting and become more consistent in that area while still being a threat to hit a home run, that would really open things up for him.
While he has been drafted a bit later than he would have liked, Graham has an opportunity in front of him with the Reds. He knows how to hit and has the potential to be a powerful bat in their lineup. I look forward to seeing what he makes of this opportunity.
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