#23 - OF Zach Levenson
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Game Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40
Background: Levenson was the Cardinals' 5th-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. He began his college career at Seminole State College of Florida, where he showcased impressive power, leading his team with a .581 slugging percentage as a freshman. He later transferred to the University of Miami, where he had two strong offensive seasons, slashing .295/.406/.546 over 434 plate appearances, paving the way for his selection in the 2023 draft.
Scouting Report: Levenson is a well-rounded player who may not have a true plus tool but possesses at least fringe-average abilities across the board. His most notable trait is certainly his power potential, though. At Miami, he displayed impressive top-end exit velocities, recording a 107 MPH 90th-percentile exit velocity in his 2023 college season. This raw power translated into production, as he demonstrated a strong ability to elevate the ball, finishing the season with 14 home runs in 63 games. Levenson’s approach leans aggressive, yet he managed to post respectable chase rates and drew plenty of walks in his two seasons at Miami. His strikeout rate was slightly higher than ideal, but his contact rates were decent enough, and he held his own against both velocity and secondary offerings, providing confidence in his ability to translate his skills to the next level.
After signing, Levenson was assigned to Palm Beach, where he played 34 games and made an immediate impact. He hit six home runs and posted a 114 wRC+, displaying a clear pull-side identity at the plate. Heading into the 2024 season, Levenson was an easy breakout pick for me. His underlying data in college was impressive, and he successfully carried it over into pro ball during his brief time at Palm Beach. His 90th-percentile exit velocity there was 103.5 MPH, and his contact rates and swing decisions remained consistent with what he had shown in college.
Levenson started his 2024 season much like how he finished 2023, slashing .272/.359/.474 over his first 32 games for High-A Peoria. However, he then encountered the first major roadblock of his baseball career. Over his final 38 games, he slashed just .168/.284/.277 before missing the last two months of the season due to an undisclosed injury. While his strikeout and walk rates remained steady, his quality of contact declined significantly. His tendency to hit infield fly balls exponentially grew, and he struggled to replicate his previous success on balls in play. Something mechanical might have threw him off, and his heavy pull-side approach may have also contributed to the issue. Restoring his batted-ball profile to its previous norms should help Levenson get back on track and regain the form that made him such an exciting draft pick for the Cardinals. He’ll need to find the right balance—maximizing his pull-side power without sacrificing quality of contact or increasing his infield fly ball rate to a detrimental level.
Future: Levenson is a power-oriented corner outfield prospect with a pull-side approach at the plate. If he can rediscover his power stroke, he has the potential to develop into a future starting caliber big-league corner outfielder. If his offensive game doesn’t fully click, his well-rounded skill set could still allow him to carve out a role as a reserve outfielder at the next level.
