2024 MLB Draft Profile: Slate Alford
Draft Profile: Slate Alford (Georgia, transfer from Mississippi State)
Height: 6'3
Weight: 220
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Slate Alford, one of Wes Johnson’s first additions as Head Coach at the University of Georgia, is poised to be an offensive contributor in 2024.
Alford’s bread and butter is against arm-side movement. Fastballs, especially against RHP, have been Alford’s specialty, batting over .300 with a slugging percentage over .500 with a hard-hit rate of over 51 percent (max exit velocity of 113 MPH).
His average against LHP is lower, but quality of contact indicators show that his performance should be similar with comparable whiff rates below 20 percent from either side, and similar batted ball data.
Changeups also have likely been his best pitch to hit, batting over .300 with a slugging percentage over .700. He whiffs at them at a 30 percent clip, and had an in-zone contact rate of around 89 percent on them.
Alford’s production against glove-side and break dips a bit, though his quality of contact against sliders is decent. He can hold his own against sliders to the point where it is not a total liability. He whiffs against both pitches a lot, at nearly a 40 percent clip, though.
Defensively, Alford has spent a considerable amount of time at third base during his tenure at Mississippi State. He had bright spots, such as those above, but has generally struggled at the position at points, with 13 errors last year in 45 games.
His arm is doable, and you see moments such as these above that would have you believe that it works. He can play third base in spurts, but I think it would be in his best interest to spend time primarily at first base long-term.
Conclusion
Alford is a work in progress but hopes to be a key figure for Georgia in 2024. His bat speed is appealing, and he can turn on arm-side movement quickly, but I would like to see some improved quality of contact against breaking pitches. I believe he has the potential to possess above-average in-game power and would benefit from leaning into lifting the ball more as his approach to induce more quality contact. His splits were inverted in 2023, but I believe they will be closer to correlation this upcoming season.
If he can tap more into in-game power, I think as a whole it would make his profile more intriguing.
