Pimp your players

[Mariners]

Ask BA
Who will be the best center fielder of the next decade?

By Jim Callis
September 28, 2007


Lots of interesting center-field thoughts to ponder, so I'll jump right in.

Justin Upton just started playing center field in 2006. Chris Young is a more natural center fielder and between the two of them, Upton has the stronger arm and is better suited for right field. In his first 40 big league games, Upton played only right and it looks like he's there to stay.

Not to take anything away from Granderson, who keeps improving and is having a fabulous season, but Maybin is a superior athlete and is the better center fielder as well. Complicating matters, however, is the fact that he also has a stronger arm than Granderson and would fit better in right field once Magglio Ordonez is done. Don’t be surprised, however, if neither Granderson nor Maybin is Detroit's center fielder of the future. I could see Gorkys Hernandez in center, with Granderson in left and Maybin in right, forming one of the game's best defensive outfields.

Rasmus ranked as the best defensive outfielder in the Texas League. He's not going to be a Gold Glover, but he'll able to stay in center field. He'll probably take over in St. Louis at some point in 2008, as he's just about ready for the majors and Edmonds is just about done (though due to make $8 million next year).

Bruce's athleticism is underrated. He's not a classic center fielder, but he has enough speed and instincts to get the job done there. I think he'll probably first surface in the major leagues as a center fielder, with Josh Hamilton sliding over to right field and either Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. getting traded in the offseason. A couple of years down the line, after he loses a step, Bruce will shift over to right field.

Schafer will be the Braves' center fielder of the future, but he's not ready to step in if Andruw Jones departs as a free agent. Brandon Jones (no relation) is an interesting athlete, but he spent 2007 in left field, so I don't think he's the answer. It's the same situation with Lillibridge, who played some outfield in college but has seen time only at shortstop this year. If Andruw leaves, Atlanta probably will try to get by with Willie Harris at first and then could turn to Jeff Francoeur until Schafer is ready in 2009.

Though McCutchen didn't have a great season, he's still the best prospect in the Pirates system. He's a gifted center fielder, and Chris Duffy and Nate McLouth won't be able to stop him from claiming that spot in Pittsburgh in the near future.

As for B.J. Upton, scouts long had said that center field might be his best position. He moved there in June after Rocco Baldelli got hurt yet again, and there's no reason for Tampa Bay to move him. And yes, he'll (B.J.) be the game's premier offensive center fielder for the decade—in part because his two biggest challengers (Bruce and his younger brother) look like they'll be right fielders in the long run.

[RedSox]

The IBC Rays had a decent hitting block with 4 of 9 BA AA Classification All-Stars:

Double-A All-Stars
Pos. Player, ________ AVG/OBP/SLG _AB _R__ H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB
C John Jaso, ______ .316/.408/.484 380 62 120 24 2 12 71 59 49 2, BA SOU Rank Due 10/8
SS Jed Lowrie, ____ .297/.410/.501 337 61 100 31 7 8 49 65 58 5, First team BA Minor League All-Star, BA EAS #8 Prospect.
OF Colby Rasmus, _ .275/.381/.551 472 93 130 37 3 29 72 70 108 18, First team BA Minor League All-Star. BA TEX Rank Due 10/9.
OF Fernando Perez, .308/.423/.481 393 84 121 24 10 8 33 76 104 32, BA SOU Rank Due 10/8.

Scattered singles until a 3 of 5 pitching burst in the Rookie All-Stars:

Pos Pitcher, ______W L ERA __IP _H HR BB SO GO/AO AVG
SP Cole Rohrbough, 3 2 1.08 33.0 20 1 8 58 1.69 .167, BA APPY #1 Prospect.
SP David Bromberg, 9 0 2.78 58.0 45 4 32 81 1.54 .211, BA APPY #3 Prospect.
RP Bradley Tippett, 7 1 0.93 39.0 20 1 4 51 0.91 .155, BA APPY #18 Prospect.

Other Classification All-Stars:

1B Christian Marrero, .305/.383/.561, 269 AB, 53 R, 82 H, 21 2B, 6 3B, 12 HR, 63 RBI, 36 BB, 43 SO, 3 SB, BA PIO #10 Prospect.
SP Trevor Cahill, 11-4, 2.73 ERA, 105.0 IP, 85 H, 3 HR, 40 BB, 117 K, 1.83 GO/AO, .220 BAA, BA MID #19 Prospect.
1B Chris Carter, .291/.383/.522, 467 AB, 84 R, 136 H, 27 2B, 3 3B, 25 HR, 93 RBI, 67 BB, 112 SO, 3 SB, BA SAL #10 Prospect.
SP Aaron Laffey, 9-3, 3.08 ERA, 96.0 IP, 89 H, 5 HR, 23 BB, 75 K, 2.83 GO/AO, .243 BAA, BA INT Rank Due 10/10

[Orioles]

Time to pimp a few IBC O's youngsters...

From Goldstein (BP):

RHP Bob McCrory, Phoenix Desert Dogs (Orioles)

The Orioles system has rarely been seen as an especially good one of late, but theyíve done a fine job of producing power bullpen arms, as evidenced by their young closer, Chris Ray, as well as future hard-throwers like James Hoey (also an IBC Oriole) and Radhames Liz, both of whom got extended big league looks this year. Next in line is McCrory, a bit of a late bloomer who at 25 is already a Tommy John survivor, and who didnít see Double-A until this year. Finally healthy, McCrory had a 2.60 ERA in 44 games this year split between High-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, nearly striking out a man an inning and limiting opposing batters to a .228 batting average with just one home run. That success has carried over into the desert, as McCrory has retired all six batters heís faced, striking out two. McCrory has very good stuff, relying on two plus pitches out of the bullpen--a 94-96 mph fastball than can touch 98 and features some late sinking action, as well as a hard-breaking slow curve that doubles as a change of pace offering. Like Liz and Hoey, McCrory has problems with his control, and like Hoey and Liz, if he can better harness his stuff, heís lined up to be part of what could be a scary homegrown relief corps, and sooner rather than later.

From BA's IL (AAA) top 20:

11. Adam Miller, rhp, Buffalo Bisons (Indians)

...Miller showed easy 93-95 mph velocity on his four-seam fastballóand he touched 98óas well as his trademark low-90s sinker that bores in on righthanders. His high-80s slider with sharp, biting action and average changeup played up because of his fastball command and life, leaving batters with no choice but to sit on the fastball or the slider...

From BA's Southern League (AA) top 20:

9. Gio Gonzalez, lhp, Birmingham Barons (White Sox)

More than one scout referred to Gonzalez as the league's pitcher closest to the majors after Parra graduated to Milwaukee. For the third straight summer, he pitched at least 130 innings, and his 185 strikeouts were a career high and tops in the minors.

Gonzalez has a polished three-pitch repertoire that's highlighted by one of the minors' best breaking balls. He has great feel for and confidence in his two-plane curveball, which changes hitters' eye level and grades as a plus-plus pitch. He adds and subtracts from his fastball, which ranges from 86-92 mph and has occasional run and sink...

"I can remember one outing where he had our hitters talking to themselves," Sauveur said. "He's got big league stuff."

(Gio's 2007 line... 3.18 ERA, 150 IP, 116 H, 185 K, 57 BB, .216 BAA)

17. Diory Hernandez, ss, Mississippi Braves

In a year where the Braves emptied their farm system to trade for Mark Teixeira, Hernandez' emergence as a toolsy, versatile infielder with a chance to hit his way into an everyday role was a welcome development for their farm system.

Hernandez has a short swing with good bat speed and excellent hand-eye coordination. He can drive balls from gap to gap and uses the whole field, though his approach tends to vacillate. Hernandez has pitch recognition and doesn't swing and miss often, though he could tighten his plate discipline.

He's a plus runner, which aids his ability to play both middle-infield positions...

From BA's Carolina League (Hi A) top 20:

11. Mitch Einertson, of, Salem

After Einertson tied the Rookie-level Appalachian League record with 24 homers and won league MVP honors in his 2004 pro debut, he struggled just to stay afloat the next two years in low Class A. He reinvented himself in 2007, using the whole field with a line-drive stroke and grabbed the CL batting title (.305) and MVP award.

Einertson shortened his swing and achieved better overall balance at the plate this season, which allowed him to hit for average while maintaining the ability to turn on inside fastballs. He hit just 11 homers but topped the circuit with 40 doubles.

ìHeís more concentrated on being a better hitter," Salem manager Jim Pankovits said.

From BA's SAL (Lo A) top 20:

18. Justin Maxwell, of, Hagerstown (Nationals)

Injuries plagued Maxwell during his last two seasons at Maryland and in 2006, his first year of pro ball, so most scouts and managers didn't hold his age (23) against the five-tool outfielder. He finally put together a complete season in 2007, batting .281/.363/.533 with 27 homers and 35 steals between two Class A stops. He finished the year in Washington, where he hit a homer off Tom Glavine.

After hitting just five homers in his 91-game pro debut, Maxwell finally started the same power he shows in batting practice during games. His swing can get long, leading to strikeouts, but he's still productive. He uses his speed well in the outfield, where he saw time in center and left, and on the basepaths, where he was caught just eight times in steal attempts.

ìHeís one of the few true five-tool players youíll see,î Herr said. ìHe does everything very well and he made a lot of improvements this season. Heís going to hit for a high average with some good power numbers and excellent defense. Justin could be a guy with 25 homers and 25 steals annually if he stays healthy.î

[RedSox]

Don't know how valid it is but hey, positive press for the Rays.

3. Brandon Webb and Jaime Garcia

This is another closest-thing-in-the-minors comparison. Yes, Webb is a righty and Garcia is a lefty, but on top of being statistically similar, the two also have comparable builds. Garcia is going to be hard pressed to maintain his current ground-ball rate in the big leagues. But he does have the advantage of being more efficient in the strike zone and significantly younger at each level. Webb and Garcia also have similar strikeout and ground-ball rates.


Pitcher MiLB K% 2007 GO/AO ___ MiLB K/BB Height
Webb __ 20.9% ____ 2.54 ______ 2.58 _____ 6'2''
Garcia _ 21.2% ____ 2.28 ______ 2.89 _____ 6'1''


4. Chris Carpenter and Aaron Laffey

Again, as difficult as it is to compare a 6-foot-6 righty to a 6-foot-2 lefty, my study was statistically driven. Carpenterís strikeout rate and frame show that he definitely had a higher stuff ceiling coming out of the minors than Laffey. But Laffeyís ground ball and K/BB rates are better and both pitchers reached the majors at about the same age. (It should be noted that Carpenter's GO/AO in the chart below came from his 2006 season.)


Pitcher __ MiLB K% 2007 GO/AO MiLB K/BB
Carpenter 18.4% ____ 2.04* ____ 1.68
Laffey ___ 16.3% ____ 2.83 _____ 2.11

Credit: A. Foster

[Phillies]

Outman left the game after the fifth inning, finishing with eight strikeouts, no walks and three runs allowed, only one of which was an earned run.

dudes nasty, watch out.

[Padres]

The IBC Mets are proud to announce:

In "real life", Jimmy Rollins won the NL MVP Award today as he narrowly edged out Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday.

Rollins became the first player in history to collect at least 200 hits, 25 homers, 15 triples and 25 steals in a season. Overall, the switch-hitter batted .296, with 38 doubles, 20 triples, 30 homers, 94 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, 212 hits and 139 runs scored.

Not mention the fact that he is a solid fielding SS ... The IBC Mets look forward to a more productive 2008 IBC season from their MVP!

[Phillies]

even thinking about rollins in that uniform makes me sick.

[Phillies]

solid fielding would be an incorrect assessment ... dudes nasty.

[Padres]

Carlos Gomez was the National League's youngest player when he debuted last May. He broke the hamate bone in his left hand on a checked swing in July, however, and missed two months following surgery.

In 102 at-bats for Escogido, Gomez was hitting .255/.321/.324.

"He's still trying to get his feet under him after the surgery, but his hitting is coming back," Bernazard said. "He's going to be fine.

"He's a true five-tool player with outstanding speed and defense. He just has to learn how to play more under control. If he does that, he's got the chance to be a very special player. I mean, this guy is faster than (Jose) Reyes. Not only is that incredible, it's unbelievable."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/p ... 65355.html

[RedSox]

Nick Weglarz, LF -

"The 19-year-old outfielder hit .276/.395/.497 for an OPS of .892. Thatís very good considering the only players under 20 to have an OPS in the Sally League of .892 or higher in the last 15 years are: Adrian Beltre, Ian Stewart, Lastings Milledge, Vlad Guererro, Chipper Jones, Delmon Young and Kelly Johnson. Thatís good company to be associated with."
-MT-

"After being selected with the teamís third round selection in 2005, the Indians had a good deal of expectations for Nick Weglarz. Not among those expectations: missing the entire 2006 season with a broken hamate bone. But patience has proven to be a virtue, as the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder posted a solid .276/.395/.497 vital line in 439 Single-A at-bats in 2007. And patience has come to the forefront for Weglarz once again, as the Lakeshore Catholic (Ontario) H.S. product proved himself to be a nice combination of power (42.2% XBH) and discipline (82:129 BB:K)."
-PP-