Scouting Report

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

O’Donnell spent his first two years of college ball at Northwestern and had a breakout sophomore season, finishing with an OPS north of 1.000 and breaking the single-season school record for doubles. After hitting well in the Cape Cod League last summer, the Colorado native transferred to Virginia and has kept on performing in the ACC to help him climb Draft boards.

Just like he did in 2022, O’Donnell has shown a knack for making a lot of hard contact from the left side of the plate this spring, doing it against better competition in the ACC and in a home park not known for being hitter-friendly. Scouts like his swing and think he has the chance to hit for average. There’s some sneaky pop in there too, he has the ability to drive the ball to all fields, with some over-the-fence power particularly to his pull side. 

O’Donnell runs well and has shown an improved acumen for stealing bases. That speed also helps him defensively in center field, where he has a chance to stick at the next level. College performers who have an opportunity to play up the middle tend to keep moving up as Draft Day approaches.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

After two years at Northwestern, including a big sophomore season, O’Donnell turned in a solid performance in the Cape Cod League and transferred to Virginia for his junior season in 2023. Posting a 1.034 OPS with 13 homers and 18 steals for the ACC power certainly put him on the map, and he landed in the sixth round of that summer’s Draft, where he signed for a bit under slot. Despite playing through a shoulder issue for the first couple months of his first full year, he reached double digits in homers and swiped more than 30 bags with High-A Dayton, helping his numbers tremendously with a fully healthy August that led to an OPS over 1.000.

O’Donnell has a knack for making a lot of hard contact from the left side of the plate. He has solid swing mechanics and he could end up being a better pure hitter than his numbers indicate with the shoulder issue in his rearview mirror. He may never be a huge power guy, but he can drive the ball to all fields with some sneaky over-the-fence pop, especially to his pull side. 

O’Donnell runs well and has shown he knows how to steal a base. He’s seen time in all three outfield spots, but his ability to play center field regularly gives him a very high floor. He might be a fourth outfielder when all is said and done, but he could develop into a big league regular up the middle if it all clicks.

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

After two years at Northwestern, the second of which saw him finish with an OPS over 1.000, O’Donnell went to the Cape Cod League and hit over .300 in a 14-game stint before transferring to Virginia for his junior season. Another productive season at the plate (.354/.448/.587) with 13 homers and 18 steals -- this time in the ACC -- helped his Draft profile and landed him in the sixth round, where he signed for a slightly below-slot bonus of $307,500. He’s looking like an early Draft bargain after posting a 1.047 OPS across 23 games in the Florida State League.

A left-handed hitter, O’Donnell has carried his habit of making consistent hard contact with him to the pro game. While he uses a bit of a toe-tap at the plate for timing, he repeats his quick swing well, and while some weren’t sure how it would translate to this level, he went out and, at least in Single-A ball, showed it works just fine. He has a solid approach and limits strikeouts while driving the ball to all fields. He gets to his sneaky power without selling out for it, with his over-the-fence pop typically coming to his pull side.

O’Donnell’s above-average speed is an asset on both sides of the ball, where he can steal a base offensively and has a real chance to stick in center field for a long time. How he responds to the challenges of moving up the organizational ladder will help determine what kind of big league impact he might have.

Awards

MID Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2024

FSL Player of the Month

Month	Team
09/2023

FSL Player of the Week

Week	Team
08/27/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/02/2024	OF Ethan O'Donnell assigned to Dayton Dragons from Daytona Tortugas.
	03/14/2024	OF Ethan O'Donnell assigned to Cincinnati Reds Prospects.
	02/25/2024	OF Ethan O'Donnell assigned to Cincinnati Reds.
	08/06/2023	OF Ethan O'Donnell assigned to Daytona Tortugas from ACL Reds.
	08/06/2023	Daytona Tortugas activated OF Ethan O'Donnell.
	07/27/2023	OF Ethan O'Donnell assigned to ACL Reds.
	07/27/2023	Cincinnati Reds drafted OF Ethan O'Donnell.
	05/24/2023	College Workout activated OF Ethan O'Donnell.
	05/20/2023	OF Ethan O'Donnell assigned to Virginia Cavaliers.