Sorry to Bother You: Austin Listi – Philadelphia Phillies

Sorry to Bother You focuses on the players that will hit their way through the minors.  Hitters you should take notice of.  This edition profiles Philadelphia Phillies prospect Austin Listi.  Listi was drafted by the Phillies in the 17th round of the 2017 draft out of Dallas Baptist.

After being named an All-American Freshman in 2013 and earning all Missouri-Valley Conference the next season, Listi left school to join the Marines.  He returned in 2016 and in his last season, his Senior season, Listi swatted 24 HR.

Austin Listi, Clearwater Threshers – photo credit The Baseball Betsy on Baseball Ross

In his first taste of pro ball, Listi hit 7 HR and made his way to Lakewood.  The Phillies assigned him to Advanced-A Clearwater in 2018 and Listi has thrived. Hitting in the middle of the Threshers lineup, Listi is slashing .357/.408/.545 with 166 WRC+.

Listed at 6′ 218 lbs., Listi is well put together.  He is primariy a RH 1B/DH type which is what Sorry to Bother You loves.  Listi has maxed his projection body wise.  He does look bigger than 218 lbs. but not in a negative way.

In the box, his feet are neutral and he starts in a crouch.  He finds the barrel consistently and makes hard contact to all fields.  When I evaluated him, Listi posted a multi hit game with a hard single to LF and an opposite field towering double to the RF corner.

I really like his bat speed and wrist strength.  He stays short to the ball and displays a mature approach.  He doesn’t see to have trouble picking up spin and recognizes pitches.  I’d give him a 45 hit tool and 55 game power with minimal projection.  Defensively, Listi doesn’t have a home.  Drafted as a OF, I dont think he has the foot speed or arm to play at higher levels.  I clocked him at 4.6 home to first.  He has started 3 games each in LF and 1B and the rest at DH.  His hit tool should carry him to at least AAA.

 

Featured image of Austin Listi – from Threshers Baseball on Twitter (Nathan Ray)

Jason Woodell has written about prospects for numerous sites. He got his start with Prospects1500 and has provided reports on prospects for Baseball Prospectus, 2080 Baseball, and Pinstriped Prospects. Jason is a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant and former model in Jordan. He lives in Tampa, likes dogs, craft beer, and his wife…not necessarily in that order.
Follow him on Twitter @JasonAtTheGame.




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