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MLB Draft 2011: Kolten Wong's College Stats Show Disciplined Contact Hitter Cardinals Sought

Kolten Wong, the St. Louis Cardinals' 22nd-overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, has been described by scouts as a "pure" hitter—a line-drive hitter without a lot of power who puts up gaudy batting averages and does it, in this case, from the left side. His college stats from the University of Hawaii show that exact player, a career .358 hitter with 103 walks to 63 strikeouts and increasingly solid plate discipline. Wong had an especially strong adjustment to the weakened aluminum bats used in college baseball this season, improving his average from .357 to .378 while holding his power numbers steady.

Wong also ran aggressively in college, though scouts consider his speed only average; he stole 23 bases in 57 games in 2011, which was his junior season. Fans of scrappy top-of-the-order hitters will like that he took nine HBPs in 2011, while he was at it...

Wong has no one tool on which to hang his cap; if he's to succeed for the Cardinals he'll have to be the same well-rounded player he was in Hawaii, playing an average second base, hitting for a high average with walks, and running the bases smartly. He's the kind of player that, in lieu of any one strength, must play without any significant weaknesses.