Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm : 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

After graduating from high school early to enroll at the University of Florida in time for the 2019 collegiate season, Fabian struggled initially as a freshman, though he put that in his rearview mirror with a strong Cape Cod League performance that summer. He showed off his power in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and again in 2021, albeit with some swing-and-miss, leading to him being selected in the second round of the Draft by the Red Sox. He opted to return to the Gators for another season when he and the team could not come to terms.

Fabian brings the same offensive upside from the right side of the plate with him into the 2022 Draft. He’s answered a lot of questions but cutting his strikeout rate this spring (25.4 percent in his Florida career heading into 2022), and his bat speed and the power generated from it are legit, producing 20 home runs a year ago. He’s shown this year he is capable of making more consistent contact while not sacrificing power to help convince teams it will work at the next level.

Fabian doesn’t have blazing speed, but his above-average wheels along with his excellent instincts, reads and routes point to a long-term future in center field. Because of his decision to leave high school early, Fabian still is age appropriate and will be 21 at the Draft, still with an upside to be an up-the-middle impact bat if he can continue to cut the whiff rate.

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Fabian has been a legit prospect since graduating high school early to enroll at the University of Florida for the 2019 season, and he was drafted twice: first by the Red Sox in the second round in 2021 and by the Orioles in Competitive Balance Round B the following year. He signed with Baltimore for a full-slot bonus of $1.03 million, and after an exciting debut, reached Double-A Bowie in 2023, though he struggled against better pitching.

His entire career, Fabian has displayed a tantalizing combination of power and speed aside of the holes in his game. He generates legit bat speed and power from the right side of the plate and has good wheels and excellent instincts on the bases. He racked up 27 homers and 32 steals in only 142 Minor League games – including 15 and 12 respectively last summer in only a half season at Bowie. The tradeoff is his swing-and-miss, which was always a part of Fabian’s game. He struck out in 45 percent of his at-bats at Bowie. He’s shown he can make consistent contact without sacrificing power at times, but all the whiffs severely cut into Fabian’s upside. 

His speed and instincts benefit him as a defender. Fabian’s ability to read balls off the bat and run efficient routes point to a long-term future in center field, and he possesses one of the better outfield throwing arms in the Orioles system. The athleticism, baseball IQ and all those loud tools should enable Fabian to grow into a middle-of-the-field impact bat in the big leagues if he can consistently handle high-quality pitching and cut down on the swing-and-miss.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Fabian graduated from high school early to enroll at the University of Florida for the 2019 collegiate season, then reestablished himself as a early-round prospect with a strong summer in the Cape Cod League. The Red Sox made him a second round draft pick in 2021, but he returned to campus after he and Boston could not come to terms. Fabian hit 24 home runs the next spring in Gainesville, this time lasting until the Competitive Balance Round B when the Orioles swooped in and signed him for a full-slot bonus of $1.03 million. Fabian then enjoyed an exciting debut, hitting .333/.455/.615 in 22 games across three levels and reaching High-A Aberdeen.  

Everywhere he’s played, Fabian has shown serious offensive upside as well as the holes in his game. He generates legit bat speed and power from the right side of the plate, connecting for 44 homers over his final two years in college. The tradeoff is some swing-and-miss; Fabian finished college with a 24.3 percent K rate, while also posting a strong 17.6 percent BB rate over his last two years. He’s shown he is capable of making more consistent contact without sacrificing power at times, including during his 2022 debut (19-21 BB/K ratio).

Fabian isn’t a burner on the bases, but does possess above-average wheels and excellent instincts. His ability to read the ball off the bat and run efficient routes points to a long-term future in center field. Fabian will still be only 22 when he enters his first full season of pro ball, giving him significant upside; if he keeps cutting the whiff rate, he could grow into an up-the-middle impact bat at the highest level. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm : 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

After graduating from high school early to enroll at the University of Florida in time for the 2019 collegiate season, Fabian struggled initially as a freshman, though he put that in his rearview mirror with a strong Cape Cod League performance that summer. He showed off his power in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and again in 2021, albeit with some swing-and-miss, leading to him being selected in the second round of the Draft by the Red Sox. He opted to return to the Gators for another season when he and the team could not come to terms. There he showed off his tools, and the holes in his game. This time around he lasted until the Competitive Balance Round B where the Orioles, who coveted him a year ago, got their man for a full-slot bonus of $1.03 million.

Fabian brings some serious offensive upside from the right side of the plate into the Orioles system. Early in the spring, he answered some questions about his strikeout rate, but then struggled more against conference opponents and finished his Gators career with a 24.3 percent K rate. His bat speed and the power generated from it are legit, producing 20 home runs in 2021 and 24 in 2022. He has shown he is capable of making more consistent contact while not sacrificing power at times.

Fabian doesn’t have blazing speed, but his above-average wheels along with his excellent instincts, reads and routes point to a long-term future in center field. Because of his decision to leave high school early, Fabian was still only 21 at the time of the Draft, still with an upside to be an up-the-middle impact bat if he can continue to cut the whiff rate.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Fabian was a solid high school prospect in Florida who would have been eligible for the 2019 Draft, but instead graduated from Trinity Catholic high school early and enrolled at the University of Florida in January 2019. After scuffling a bit as a freshman, he performed very well in the Cape Cod League that summer and showed off early power before the shutdown in 2020. He performed well in the Florida Collegiate League last summer with the hopes it would carry over to 2021, but the outfielder came out of the gate struggling at the plate. He heated back up as the Gators got into SEC play, allowing his Draft stock to rebound.

The left-handed-throwing, right-handed-hitting Fabian has solid tools across the board. There’s been some swing-and-miss in his game in the past, but he started having better at-bats more consistently last year and over the summer with bat speed that reminded some of Mookie Betts, his strikeout rate spiked early in 2021. The power was still showing up, but he struggled with adjusting to breaking stuff.

While Fabian isn’t a burner, he does have above-average speed. That, combined with his ability to get good reads off the bat and run good routes, should allow him to stay in center field long-term. Fabian still has the chance to be an up-the-middle impact bat, but a team taking him in the top couple of rounds will have to believe he’ll make enough contact at the next level to get to that power.

Awards

SAL Player of the Week

Week	Team
06/11/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/20/2024	OF Jud Fabian assigned to Norfolk Tides from Bowie Baysox.
	03/07/2024	Baltimore Orioles Prospects activated OF Jud Fabian.
	02/26/2024	OF Jud Fabian assigned to Baltimore Orioles.
	06/20/2023	OF Jud Fabian assigned to Bowie Baysox from Aberdeen IronBirds.
	03/13/2023	OF Jud Fabian roster status changed by Baltimore Orioles.
	03/13/2023	OF Jud Fabian roster status changed by Baltimore Orioles.
	08/30/2022	OF Jud Fabian assigned to Aberdeen IronBirds from Delmarva Shorebirds.
	08/16/2022	OF Jud Fabian assigned to Delmarva Shorebirds from FCL Orioles.
	08/16/2022	Delmarva Shorebirds activated OF Jud Fabian.
	08/03/2022	OF Jud Fabian assigned to FCL Orioles.
	07/23/2022	Baltimore Orioles signed OF Jud Fabian.
	08/08/2018	RF Jud Fabian assigned to PG East.
	07/19/2018	OF Jud Fabian assigned to UA National.