Welcome to Draft HQ's War Room. It's time to start breaking down the nitty-gritty of the top prospects for the 2020 MLB Draft.

In Round 1 of our Tale of the Tape series, we ring the bell for an in-depth match-up of the top two college shortstops. Both come from Power 5 conferences and have performed well against top competition. Both were members of the USA Collegiate National Team last summer. And both are safe bets to be future Big Leaguers. Who would you pick? Let's go to the Tape...

NICK LOFTIN	vs	ALIKA WILLIAMS
SS	Position	SS
R/R	Bats/Throws	R/R
6-1	Height	6-2
180	Weight	175
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS by D1Baseball
84.1	Overall Score	83.8
77.5	Hit Ability	79.8
80.8	Game Power	75.7
85.0	Plate Discipline	86.1
TOOLS (20-80 Pro Scale)  Present/Future
60	Athleticism	60
55/55	Run	55/55
4.20	Home-1B	4.20
55/60	Throw	60/60
50/55	Defend	55/65
50/50	Range	55/60
40/55	Hit Ability	30/50
50/55	Raw Power	30/45
40/50	Game Power	30/40
INSIDE THE TOOLS
88.7 mph	Avg Exit Velo	90.2 mph
106.8 mph	Max Exit Velo	104.4 mph
14.5 degrees	Launch Angle	18.9 degrees
40.50%	Ground Ball Rate	30.40%
8.58%	2019-20 K Rate	9.40%
7.05%	2019-20 BB Rate	12.35%
26.90%	Chase Rate	27.70%
3.9	Pitches/Plate Appearance	3.6
12.70%	Swing/Miss Rate	11.90%
6.80%	Swing/Miss Rate in Zone	6.30%

It's an extremely close call. Williams scores some points with a slight defensive advantage, possessing more arm strength and range, while Loftin has more present strength and juice in the bat. This one's a tossup, but we have to make the call:

WINNER BY SPLIT DECISION:

 

 Please login to see the Winner...