5 Collegiate Hitters to Know for the 2017 MLB Draft

Pavin Smith, 1B, Virginia

MLB.com Rank: 8th | Baseball America Rank: 15th

That's not all to say that Haseley was the only asset that drove Virginia to a two seed in their regional. Pavin Smith's bat deserves credit there, as well.

Smith's triple slash wasn't quite as gaudy as Haseley's at .342/.427/.570, but he still had the exact statistical profile we want. He was second on the team (behind Haseley) in home runs, slugging percentage, isolated slugging, and walks, with that plate discipline helping put him firmly on this list.

As mentioned, Haseley finished the year with just a 7.8% strikeout rate, which is tremendous. Smith managed to top that in his 274 plate appearances, striking out just 4.4% of the time. His walk rate was also superb at 13.9%. When you pair those numbers with a little bit of pop, good things will happen.

Because of the gaps in their production and Haseley's defensive position, it seems likely that Haseley would be the more desirable bat between the two. But Smith was also tremendous in college, he's getting an equal amount of love, and his ability to always make contact will make him a valuable prospect.