Karson Kerce, SS, Georgia Tech
Age: 21
Bats/Trows: R/R
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 35 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
Throughout this series of draft articles, one theme has been that the third tier of players was massive enough to blanket multiple rounds. In that vein, I present to you, Carson Kerce. For the most part, Kerce ranks in the top 100-150 range on most boards, but is not truly that much different than many players ranked 40-50 spots higher.
Baseball America
#121 overall
Kerce has been a three-year starter for Georgia Tech, and he made significant offensive strides as a sophomore and junior. He started the 2026 season as something of an afterthought at the back of Georgia Tech’s potent offensive lineup, but his consistent performance in the box ultimately moved him into the team’s leadoff role in April. He finished the 2026 season with a .384/.473/.679 slash line, a career-high 11 home runs and 29 doubles—good for the second-most among DiI hitters. Kerce is a 5-foot-11, 200-pound righthanded hitter who pairs excellent pure contact skills with an advanced, all-fields approach. He has a level, direct swing that yields plenty of hard line drives to both gaps and has cut his strikeout rate consistently throughout college. He managed a 13.3% strikeout rate and standout 90% in-zone contact rate in 2026. While Kerce’s power output has also increased year-over-year, he doesn’t have exceptional over-the-fence pop, the swing or the approach to envision anything more than fringe-average game power with a wood bat. He’s an above-average runner who gets out of the box quickly, but hasn’t been much of a base-stealing threat in college, and has experience all over the infield. Kerce moved from third base to shortstop in 2026, but his actions, range and hands might all be a tick light for an everyday shortstop role in pro ball. He could be better suited for either second or third, or continue playing a bit of everything in a utility infield role.
Fangraphs
#138 overall
Kerce is a hard-swinging little shortstop who plays with all-out effort. His compact stature and supreme twitch give him the ability to let the baseball travel deep before deciding to swing. He unloads at the very last moment and shoots a ton of hard, low-lying contact the other way. Even though his peak raw power is below the big league average, Kerce managed a 60% hard-hit rate in 2026, which is incredible and speaks to the consistency with which he’s making flush contact. He has some issues against elevated fastballs and isn’t likely to slug a bunch because much of his spray is into the ground and to the opposite field. He has the arm and range for shortstop, but his hands aren’t great, and he was about 10 runs under water there in 2026. But with his speed and hustle, he should end up playing a multi-positional utility role, which might include center field.
MLB Pipeline
#114 overall
The most underrated player in Georgia Tech’s deep lineup, Kerce has modest tools but does a little bit of everything for the Yellow Jackets. He has improved throughout his college career, becoming one of the best contact hitters in NCAA Division I and proving he can handle shortstop this spring. He’s a high-floor utility type who was generating top-two-rounds buzz as the Draft approached.
Kerce employs a simple right-handed swing and disciplined approach to produce a lot of line drives and hard-hit grounders from gap to gap. His exit velocities have increased this year, though he makes a lot of groundball contact and rarely pulls balls in the air. That will probably cap his power ceiling around 10 homers per season, though he should provide his share of doubles and ranked second in Division I with 29 this spring.
Kerce’s instincts allow him to make the most of his average speed, though it plays up more in the field than on the bases. Primarily a third baseman during his first two college seasons, he’s getting to plenty of balls at shortstop and making plays with solid arm strength. He has a chance to be an everyday middle infielder but profiles better in a utility role.
Knee-jerk Reaction
Carson Kerce is an infield version of the Mike Hazen model. There are simply too many questions regarding his projectability at this point, but he comes from a strong program and is one of the better, yet heralded players on that strong squad. The jury is likely to be out on Kercefor a while.
