Billy
Cook

2/15/20: A former corner infielder, Cook is a very good athlete and offers a power/speed package as his top tools. He has now transitioned to the center field where he shows a near average arm and a plus run tool, 4.03 from the right side to first base on a ground out to third. He’s strong bodied at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds with plus raw juice in his bat. With the power comes swing/miss as Cook takes a big, aggressive swing. He gets on-plane early and has some length. During my one game look against San Diego, his plate discipline could be improved with better pitch selection as his free swinging approach led to three strikeouts in his five at-bats. At this point, his tools package is more attractive than his career performance, but he did lead the Waves with five home runs last season and has started this year on solid ground going 4-for-13 with a double and a pair of walks. Currently, he profiles to receive consideration late on Day Two, but it’s all about his performance with the bat (no doubt he has the tools) and his draft status could change in a hurry.

8/1/2018: Here’s a potential breakout candidate on the West Coast. Cook, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, struggled as a freshman — as many often do. He hit .248 with five doubles, no home runs and 13 RBIs. He didn’t rack up a ton of strikeouts, though. This summer, Cook has shown a much better approach at the plate, hitting .312 with 17 doubles, four triples, three homers and 29 RBIs. While he didn’t blow me away in the ASG, I liked what I saw from him during in and out. Cook has a good, athletic, frame and he showed good instincts, making most of the plays look rather easy. He was a little wide on a couple of throws, but for the most part, looked steady over at third base. Cook has the foundation from a tools standpoint, and could start to garner some serious attention with a good showing with the Waves in 2019. (K Rogers)