Name: Art Charles
Position: 1B
Bats: L
Throws: L
DOB: November 10, 1990
Height: 6′ 6″
Weight: 221

Drafted: Selected in the 20th Round of the 2010 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.  Traded to the Phillies for RHP Michael Schwimmer.

Pre Draft Report:

Career Synopsis:

Charles made his debut after signing in the Gulf Coast League where he hit for power but struck out in over a third of his at bats with 48 strikeouts in 139 plate appearances.  His final line was .244/.331/.431.

The Jays sent him to rookie level Bluefield in the Appalachian league in 2011.  Over 289 plate appearances Charles hit .240/.351/.468, showing good power and on base skills with large contact issues and plenty of swing and miss.

In 2012 Charles returned to Bluefield for 31 games before moving on to Vancouver in the Northwest League for 33 more games.  Once more he showed good plate discipline and power and a ton of swing and miss.  His final combined line was .236/.381/.528 with 13 HRs.

Scouting Report: Below is an assessment of Charles’s raw tools, rated on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale. The grades are my estimation based on what I’ve read and those I’ve talked to. The second number is a future projection, the first number is the current assessment

Hit For Average: 30/35
Hit For Power: 60/65
Fielding: 40
Throwing Arm: 40
Speed: 20

Summary:  Charles is a huge slugging first baseman with big raw power.  There is a lot of swing and miss in his game and it is a testament to great plate discipline that he has shown good in-game power.  He is a true three outcomes guy who profiles more as an org guy going forward but at 22 he isn’t too old to give up on and he could be a bench bat on the major league level eventually.

Upside:  Charles’s big power gives him so hope but otherwise he is a three outcome hitter.  If Charles can continue to hit up the levels he could be a bench bat or second division regular, but his likely outcome is as a org guy who will smash minor league mistakes.

Videos:

Articles

Update:  Charles hit a team leading 19 HR for the Threshers in 2014 but continued to strike out in 31.3% of his plate appearances.  In 2015 at Reading, he continued to strike out at a rate above 30% while his SLG dropped to .367.  Charles was released during 2016 Spring Training on March 16, 2016.

Charles spent 2016 playing for the New Jersey Jackals in the independent Canadian American Association.  He his 29 HR, slugged .699, and lowered his strike out rate 70 21.1%.  This got the attention of major league scouts, and signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on October 24, 2016.  He was claimed by Milwaukee during the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft.

Profile updated: 1/23/2017