SS DJ Crumlich
2010 Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks
Height: 6'1" - Weight: 185lb
Level: DI Sophomore
School: UC Irvine
Draft Eligibility: 2011 (DI Jr.)
Prev. Draft: N/A
Scouting Video
Posts regarding DJ Crumlich
When the All-ABL picks were announced shortly before the end of the season, I knew I had to get another look at Gold Glove winner DJ Crumlich of the Goldpanners. Fortunately I had several more chances to form an opinion on the talented UC Irvine shortstop, both live and on video, before the year wrapped up. I've been playing with his scouting report all off-season and, encouraged by his selection as a top-25 prospect in the ABL by Perfect Game, I'm now releasing my thoughts on Crumlich for all to see. Here's my take on the guy:
Description: Standing 6'1", Crumlich has a pretty average, athletic middle-infielder build. He stays loose at the plate, draws hands back as he loads up, and then drops them into the swing slot right before swinging with a small-to-moderate stepping stride.
Strengths: At the plate, Crumlich's swing looks smooth and solid. He keeps his head on the ball despite his stride and strokes the ball with a nice, moderate-effort cut. Crumlich really shines in the field. He has great range and footwork; he's able to reach a lot of balls that are out of his position and make the appropriate approach for the play. Also to his benefit are very quick hands, with great catch-and-release time to make the bang-bang play. Finally, his makeup is also a plus. He's faced adversity and brings 100% to the ballpark every day in spite of it.
Weaknesses: Crumlich doesn't have the strongest arm from the left side of the infield; compared to the rest of the ABL it appears average and pretty mediocre by professional prospect standards. He's also not a big power hitter. This may be due to some excess hand movement as he loads up his swing.
Assessment: Crumlich's strength is definitely his defensive abilities, and as a middle infielder, I think that his excellence in this area puts him up there as a solid prospect. One thing I noted about him is that he didn't look as "flashy" as some of the other guys I saw play shortstop this season, but that's because he makes the difficult plays look routine. I was not super impressed with his arm but it's workable and there's always the option of moving to second.
He didn't put up spectacular offensive numbers in Alaska this past season, but I'm not worried about that. His power might come around if he tightens up his swing a bit, but as a middle infielder he won't be expected to hit 30 homers a year. Hitting for contact may work best in the long run. As far as getting on base more often, I think that will come with more practice. He's got the tools to put wood on the ball and that means more than a batting average over a 40-game sample. As a draft prospect, I don't know if he's burning up anyone's draft charts for 2011, but he'll be a solid player to watch for 2012.
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