Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Rays 10th Round Pick - 311st Overall: Deshun Dixon

BaseballAmerica:(rated #9 in Mississippi)
Deshun Dixon has quite a legacy to live up to. His older brother Rashun plays in the Athletics system, while older brothers Antwon and Anthony play college football at Midwestern (Texas) State and Mississippi State. The youngest of the family, Deshun may have drawn the short straw athletically. He's shorter and not as physical as his brothers and lacks explosiveness as a hitter. He's an above-average runner but at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, he's not a burner and is a tweener offensively. On the mound, Dixon has flashed an average fastball but pitched in the 80s most of the year. He has hand speed and a solid breaking ball, and his arm works. He got better as the season went on, leading Terry High to the state finals, but wasn't expected to be picked with a single-digit pick or to approach brother Rashun's $600,000 signing bonus.

Andy Seiler:
Deshun Dixon is an athletic two-way player from Terry High School in Terry, Mississippi, a small town about 15 miles southwest of Jackson. Dixon’s family is rich in athletic bloodlines, both in football and in baseball. One of his brothers, Anthony Dixon, was a sixth round pick in the NFL Draft this April as a running back out of Mississippi State, while another brother, Rashun, is a baseball prospect in the Oakland system. He also has a third brother who plays Division II football. Needless to say, Deshun is athletic. His speed is above-average to plus, with plus being the most common grade. He utilizes that speed well on the basepaths, and he projects to be a leadoff hitter at the next level. His bat is a little behind his athleticism, but he does project to be an average to above-average hitter, though his pitch recognition skills are currently weak, and he’ll have to overcome that learning curve to be successful in the minors. He doesn’t project for much power, as he’s more of a spray hitter, which is more conducive to his body size and strengths. Defensively, he’s a rare left-handed thrower, as he hits right-handed. His glove projects to be about average, though his routes are currently raw. His arm is plus, though, which leads to his pitching. He offers solid upside on the mound, featuring an above-average fastball from the left side, sitting 87-91, along with a fringe-average curve in the 73-75 mph range and below-average changeup in the low-80s. He offers more upside in the field, but some teams might prefer his fastball velocity on the mound. Dixon doesn’t currently have a college commitment, which is viewed as a negative, and he’s slipped this spring to the eighth to fifteenth round range, and he is expected to head to a junior college if he’s picked in that range.

5 comments:

  1. The knock on this kid is he is unmotivated and lazy. He also supposedly has a bad attitude. No idea.

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  2. Deshun is a great player i think he will do well in the next level

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  3. Spectator said...

    He is the ultimate competitor and will lay it on the line for his team. I see a little Rickey Henderson in the making. He is definitely not unmotivated and lazy. No bad attitude just a competitive nature.

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  4. This kid is lazy, terrible attitude, will not make it in the minors, only drafted because of his name. He hurt his high school more than he helped

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  5. How does a kid who got drafted in the 10th round overall hurt your high school baseball team? Don't be a woman and get jealous because the kid can play. I've played with him before and I guarantee that kid could slack off all year long and not do a thing and still do more for that team on the field than anyone else. When he is hitting against pro level pitching with the Grays and still hits bombs and make them look like they're throwing BP I'm pretty sure he did more for your high school team than anyone that has ever come through there, unless you've had another super stud. It's called SWAG. You would understand what that is if you ever knew a thing about the mental aspects of a great player... which you obviously don't. Every guy in the pros has it and when you're playing at a pro level in high school you're going to have MAJOR SWAG. Since you don't know a damn thing about what goes through a good players mind you can start by looking up the definition of swag in urban dictionary. Stop hating because he can play and be happy the kid got drafted and gets a shot at the next level. I guarantee he is NOT "unmotivated and lazy" if he got drafted in the 10th round of the MLB draft and has the skills he has and has done what he has done. And I am pretty damn sure the kid is NOT going to be "unmotivated and lazy" with the BIGS a few steps away. Grow up and be a man and stop hating. It's annoying watching great high school players who have obviously worked their ass off to play at the next level get thrown down by some jealous inconsiderate assholes who know nothing about baseball and think they do. Be glad you got to watch someone play with the talent that kid has and use some common sense before you make a statement like he is "unmotivated and lazy" when he has 3 very successful brothers to live up too and, even more obvious, when he has obviously worked his ass off to be as good as he is since I don't ever recall hearing someone simply jumping out of the womb or just picking up a bat every once and a while and going 3 for 4 with 2 bombs against one of the best pitchers in the nation throwing in the 90's with sick off-speed. Do your self a favor and stop knocking the kid and making an absolute fool of yourself.

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