Team-by-team run-down: What prospects need to prove
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 13, 2006 3:43 AM EST
32 comments
I wanted to open up a diary where we could review, from your perspective, as a fan of a single franchise, what you were going into the 2007 season "hoping for" from each of your prospects. I'm not talking about posting a specific batting line for the year, but rather a reference to an area in which they must show improvement. On a related note, this diary is aimed more toward B- and C-level prospects than A-level prospects, unless you're genuinely worried about an aspect of that A-level prospect's game. I will start it off with a first post about the Dodgers to hopefully clarify what it is I'm looking for in this diary.
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Dodgers
Scott Elbert -- If Baseball America ever has a "most likely to throw a no-hitter" ranking, I think Elbert has a great argument for the top slot. However, if he doesn't start pitching with more control this next year and/or develop more pitches, he's destined to the bullpen. Basically, I trust he'll get his K's; I would be willing to sacrifice his K/9, H/9 and ERA if he proved for a year that he could control the ball better (hopefully also manifesting itself in fewer HR/9).
Justin Orenduff -- I was really high on this guy as a sure-thing three in the rotation, but he went down for the year (rotator cuff I think). Cheap, middle-top of the rotation starters are HUGE for a franchise, so his rehab assignment will have my full attention.
Tony Abreu -- Keep the batting average .290 or higher, hit 30+ doubles, 8+ homers, and make a smooth transition to short -- or else Chin-Lung Hu hit .285, 22+ doubles, 4+ homers. If they can't reach levels close to these, their prospect ceilings are disappointingly low.
Hong-Chih Kuo and Jon Meloan -- don't hurt yourselves. And, for Kuo, continue to use your electric stuff WITHIN the strike zone -- at least when it NEEDS to be.
Matt Kemp -- Learn that they're throwing you one pitch, and it's never a strike. Lay off that pitch, or at least learn to wait back on it and drive it to right. Be prepared to punish people when they do try to steal strikes off you by sneaking pitches by on the inner-half. You have a few years to figure this one out, but, if you do, you're a perrenial all-star, and if you don't, you're a cast-off journeyman.
Russell Martin and James Loney -- You've got it -- just let the power develop, as I know it will.
Chad Billingsley -- Get ahead in the count. Learn to throw the curve for strikes, so that you can mix up pitch sequences. Finish people MUCH quicker -- induce weak-swinging groundouts. You don't HAVE to K someone to get them out.
Jonathan Broxton -- See if Eric Gagne will teach you his change up before he leaves, because it would be nice to have something better to throw versus lefties.
Preston Mattingly -- Show some power, show some footwork. At if both of those showed up, you'd have done everything I could have wanted.
Kyle Orr -- Double-digit homers a MUST. Twenty would be fantastic.
Delwyn Young -- As much as I love you, the writing's pretty much on the wall. You're a utility player. But prove that you are a legitimate threat off the bench like Olmedo.
Bryan Morris -- See you in '08!
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 13, 2006 4:06 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
forgot a few......
Ivan DeJesus Jr. -- Needs to add a little power to his empty batting average.
Greg Miller -- The walk-rate MUST disappear, and the injuries have to stay away. If both those happen, I think it's time to take a step back and have a lot at what he did, and then reassess what the Dodgers can and should do with him.
Maybe I'll think of more later.
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 13, 2006 4:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I've never believed in him.....
I'll throw a few more on as long as I'm making an extra post.
Juan Rivera -- has to hit at least .280 in high-A
Mark Alexander -- keep up the impressive performance in Vegas.....just to have hopes of being a useful contributor as a middle reliever for a few years (hey.....those guys have to come from SOMEWHERE)
Travis Denker -- put up serviceable numbers at the Double-A level by season's end.....not all-star numbers, but not Blake DeWitt's season-ending Jacksonville numbers either
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 13, 2006 6:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
re
by ScottAZ on Nov 14, 2006 9:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
OBA
http://minorleaguebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/P1000038.JPG
ridiculous.
by npurcell on Nov 14, 2006 6:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
re
If Dunlap continues to draw a ridiculous amount of walks and continues developing power, there will be no shortage of teams willing to take a chance on him. Especially the A's, who love their high OB% base-cloggers, and Dunlap is from the Bay area to boot
by ScottAZ on Nov 15, 2006 10:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Cory Dunlap is a blimp.....
I'd be more willing to believe the power and batting-eye were "real" (as opposed to a function of one of my aforementioned alternatives) if scouts had raved about these skills when he was FIRST a prospect. But they didn't. The comps (perhaps PARTIALLY due to weight) were to Tony Gwynn -- he was a solid contact-hitting first baseman who was going to have to keep his batting average REALLY high if he wanted to have major-league value (something, as I alluded to above, I was very skeptical of from the start). And he hasn't done that. From there, I just see him as a prospect to advanced for his classification but going nowhere. And it's not like he dominated Vero either. As I said in my post above, if there are any Vero retreads to look out for, I'd go with Xavier Paul, not Cory Dunlap.
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 16, 2006 12:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
re
I agree with the rest though.
by ScottAZ on Nov 16, 2006 1:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
hyperbole
Take a look at the list of guys who have hit 40+ homers two or more times. Filter out the Coors inflated guys. The guys who hit 40 jacks are transcedent talents (ARod,Griff) or Behemoths (BigMac, Glaus, Dunn, JuanGone). The one short guy who comes to mind is Sheff. But his bat speed isn't just considered 'plus', it's considered legendary. You couldn't read an article about Sheff when he was coming up that didn't laud his bat speed as freakishly good. I don't see how 5'11 Andy fits in this group. Besides, having 30 homer power is still very exceptional.
by natsfan2005 on Nov 16, 2006 1:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
a bit of hyperbole, for sure....
As for short guys with power, we're not counting Mel Ott, are we? I can see how you'd be a little reluctant to.
Just searched a few names of recent 40 homer men though (through 2000, which is as far back as ESPN.com lists homerun leaders -- which gives me a convenient cutoff for this fun but idiotic research project). Sammy Sosa is 6'-even. Rafael Palmeiro the same. As is Manny Ramirez and Jeff Bagwell. And Jeromy Burnitz. Adrian Beltre is 5'11". Edgar Martinez (5'11") hit 37. We don't have anyone at 5'10" who hit FORTY, but Brian Giles hit 35, 37, 38 and 39, and Bret Boone hit 35 and 37.
Anyway, this just reflects people who hit 40 in the past seven seasons. I'm not saying that power hitters don't TEND to be taller, but so do all professional athletes. I guess my only point is, I don't consider 5'11" prohibitively small to be a power hitter. But I also wouldn't EXPECT him to hit 40 homers annually, so I'm not sure what I'm arguing about here.
As for the ScottAZ's post, I don't remember that ranking, but I totally believe you. Any time, of course, an organization has a player in Rookie ball have their "best plate discipline," though, I think it says a lot more about the organization and its philosophies than about that player. For all the Dodgers prospects, only Willy Aybar and Russell Martin have had any type of eye at the plate. And obviously a .492 in Ogden is a gaudy number, but: 1) Ogden is in a pretty extreme hitters league, 2) Dunlap was a 20-year-old in rookie ball at the time, and 3) there's a reason everyone says to ignore rookie-ball stats. Looking at the OBPs, they're pretty good all the way through, but I just don't see a lot of ways in which you can consider this guy a prospect until he's done this at a higher level. And fast, too, because he's not young. And it's not like you can move the blimp off first if his bat won't play there, either; I assume he'll be a DH before he's 30 if (big "if") he's still playing then.
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 16, 2006 4:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
RE:
by natsfan2005 on Nov 16, 2006 7:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
not many people period....
As for the steroids, I noticed too that a few of those cases I mentioned were prominent "users." Of course, they're only "prominent" because of allegations; it is both true that they (Palmeiro aside) WERE NOT found to be using steroids definitively, and it is true that a large portion of the "6'1"-plus 40-homer club" is equally likely (and, sometimes, equally accused) of doing 'roids. Hell -- you bring up McGwire, who almost certainly did, and JuanGone and Griffey certainly have the injury profile of steroid-users (though the evidence that has come to light makes Griffey look fairly clean). And, of the "users," I think only Bret Boone looks like a total steroid product; Palmeiro and Sosa were in the 40-range before they were likely to have been users.
Anyway, this thread has gotten pretty far off topic -- it was about prospects you were looking forward to seeing this next year, then Cory Dunlap -- and now we're arguing whether Andy LaRoche can be said to be "a guy with 40-homer power, most likely to stay in the 30s, but who people have labeled as being over-rated in power from Vero" or "a guy who has NOT been called over-rated, but cannot possibly hit 40 homers because of his height, and will be consistently in the low 30s." Doesn't seem worth arguing about -- given what fine distinctions, if they are distinctions at all, we're discussing in the extremely inexact science of projecting prospects -- though I guess discussion never hurts anyone. I guess I still object to the claim that shorter players CANNOT have power, when a random sampling of the last few years seemed to show otherwise (and I believe, if I had the patience to find a site that listed 40-homer men from the pre-steroid era -- but still from a time when 40-homers happened at a roughly equal frequency as it does now -- that you would continue to find shorter players in this group). As I said before, the fact that most of the players in a given year with over 40 homers are over 6-feet is not that compelling, since most players are tall, too, and it's not like the majority of these players are true giants (I found most were 6'1" to 6'3", with about as many exceptions above as there were below).
Just a thought, here is the 500-homerun club (6'0" and under)from the pre-steroid era (though I can't speak for "greenies"): Hank Aaron -- 6'0". Willie Mays -- 5'11". Mickey Mantle -- 5'11". Reggie Jackson -- 6'0". Mel Ott -- 5'9". Harmon Killebrew -- 5'11".
Besides Willie McCovey (6'4"), the rest are all 6'1" to 6'3" (pre-steroid era only).
One thing I did find interesting, somewhat in favor of your argument (though also somewhat just confusing to me) -- I was originally going to say that I had never many complaints from scouts about LaRoche's height, as I had for Travis Denker. So I was going to check Denker's height and say that I felt that THAT is a much more reasonable cut-off for scouts to write someone off. Yet, checking Denker's listed height, he too is 5'11" (and slightly outweighs LaRoche). What's the deal there? Why did scouts write Denker off (and correctly so) but not LaRoche (thankfully so)? I'm seriously looking for an answer here.
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 16, 2006 8:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
forgot...
That makes it 7 players from 5'9" to 6'0", 7 players from 6'1" to 6'3" and 1 player 6'4"+. If you throw in Lou Gehrig (493, 6'0"), the short guys have the plurality.
I realize you can argue that people have gotten taller over time, or the game has inheritently changed across eras, but you can't cross out all data as irrelevant for being either out-dated or steroid-aided. SOMETHING'S got to suggest that it's not SUCH a long-shot for someone to be 5'11".
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 16, 2006 8:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
question for you
BA didn't ultimately feel strongly enough about that statement to include it in LaRoche's writeup in the 2006 Prospect Handbook. They also didn't even label him the best power hitting prospect in the organization.
by TINSTAAPP on Nov 16, 2006 8:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
usually quoting is reserved for things others said
From my above posts:
"I guess my only point is, I don't consider 5'11" prohibitively small to be a power hitter. But I also wouldn't EXPECT him [LaRoche] to hit 40 homers annually, so I'm not sure what I'm arguing about here."
"[N]ot many people period hit 40 homers many times, which is why I admit I am hesitant to argue that LaRoche will. I wouldn't argue that by a long shot."
"LaRoche can be said to be a guy with 40-homer power, most likely to stay in the 30s"
I have stated, repeatedly, actually, that I think 40 homers is LIKELY for any prospect. If I had to give percent-chances that anyone still rookie-eligible will have 3 or more 40-hr seasons in their careers, I'd say the highest is Delmon Young with around an 8% chance, maybe then Alex Gordon at 5%, followed by Brandon Wood at 4%. It's a long-shot for anyone, since it's an impressive accomplishment, a difficult projection, and there are few people who do it, period.
Furthermore, I have stated myself that I find 40 to be unlikely for LaRoche, here, and in another post about him. If I HAD to give a percentage range for various home-run levels that LaRoche will regularly hit during his prime, I'd go (pulling exact percentages out of my @$$): 40+: 2%, 35-39: 6%, 30-34: 18%, 25-29: 35%, 20-24: 25%, fewer than 20: 14%.
So I hope those two point make it pretty clear that, no, it will hardly effect me in the least if LaRoche doesn't hit 40 homers (or somewhere close to it).
On the other hand, about my "clinginess," I do, in fact, find it more interesting that the statement was written ONCE than that it wasn't repeated again this year. The prospect world is way too fickle and way too impatient, demonstrated by your absurd overstatement in which you insinuate I would be a fool if, in THREE YEARS, when LaRoche hadn't reached his potential, I hadn't already discarded any notion of him doing what I once thought he would. Three years? Seriously now? That will make him 26 -- one year before his very own brother increased his homerun output by 60%.
I hate listening to the minor league community change their rankings every other day. I believe that, at an intellectual level, if you put up the poll question "How much does performance of sub-22-year-old pitchers at the major league level matter compared to past methods of assessment? A) it should be a primary factor B) it should be taken under serious consideration C) it should be paid attention to only under extreme cases," most would answer "C." Yet, people on this very site (and others, I might add) spend all their time arguing about whether Weaver has pushed ahead of King Felix (and what we were EVER thinking ranking King Felix ahead of Liriano), or how Jim Callis could POSSIBLY say Chad Billingsley would have a better career than Matt Cain when ANYONE reading their stat-lines could see Cain's superior peripherals. Is there any reason for this constant re-shuffling of ordinal rankings? Have we really gleaned THAT much new information that completely invalidates the previous scouting reports (and statistics from more age-appropriate levels) that we need to call those who stick to what was said in years past foolish?
Sometimes, sure. If someone has something exposed at a higher level, that's genuinely interesting. If someone is horrid beyond all logic, that's interesting. But, otherwise, I think it's a little bit too much an unavoidable gut reaction to whatever we've seen last, like "How could the Cardinals win in the playoffs when they've lost 7 in a row and went 4-10 overall in the final weeks heading into the playoffs, or "How can you say Eric Duncan isn't a great hitter" after he tears up the AFL last year, even though EVERYONE knows AFL stats are nearly meaningless. People get so wrapped up in the prospect world that they lose all their patience. Players like Cliff Floyd, Roy Halladay, Chris Carpenter and Carlos Delgado are just a few of the mid-'90s prospects I remember everyone wrote off to some degree after little time. Or look at Brandon Phillips now. Obviously, some prospects really do flame out, but the time to say that has happened isn't when their OPS goes from 927 (LaRoche '05) to 924 (LaRoche '06).
Just for a little irony -- and because, frankly, I found the tone of your post pretty insulting -- I thought I'd point out the logic of your post:
First, you insult me for holding on to a scouting statement Baseball America made last year. You then procede to state with a degree of certainty (and mockery) in your voice that he WILL NOT hit close to 40 homers in a year. You arrive to this certainty because of what Baseball America said (or rather, didn't say) THIS YEAR.
Is there something special about THIS YEAR'S prospect handbook that makes it less likely to re-organize prospects in the next 12 months?
Like I said, the important thing isn't always the flavor of the month; it's rare statements about supreme abilities (if you're looking for supreme feats -- which hitting 40 HRs regularly would be) that stand out just for having been said (by a credible source) once.
by bleedjaxblue on Nov 16, 2006 9:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
twins
Glen Perkins- Needs to show more consistency, can be great, or not so great. Has a outside shot at making the twins out of spring ball. Is a very confident kid, maybe a bit too cocky. Needs to work on his control a bit also.
Kevin Slowey- No complaints on this kid, he's the deal.
Matt Moses- Needs to show better plate discipline, cut down on strikeouts, and start hitting for a little more power and average. Good prospect, but some of his luster is gone.
Denard Span- He also has some flaws, as in no power, needs to take some more walks, get on base more, work on stealing bases and making things happen with his speed.
Anthony Swarzak- Very good prospect. Needs to work on being more consistent, some games he's dominant, next game not so much.
Jay Rainville- See how he comes back after missing all last year with a injury. Great arm, hopefully he still has it.
Eduardo Morlan/Alexander Smit- need to prove they can do it at a higher level, in High A ball or even AA. They dominated Beloit, but thats low A ball. Very talented young pitchers.
Trevor Plouffe- Always starts out slow, then ends the season well. Needs to put together a full season, add some pop, and play better D
Chris parmelee- Very good looking young hitter from last year, might need to get a little better plate discipline, take some more walks, keep that average up.. Very good power.
by hotshotschamp on Nov 13, 2006 7:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
FYI
by StatFreakNYM on Nov 13, 2006 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Reds
Jay Bruce - do the same thing at High A, or something close at AA; don't get hurt
Joey Votto - keep improving on hitting left handed pitching (at AAA this will not be easy) and show a little more power; remove silly errors from defense.
Phil Dumatrait - walk about 1 guy less per nine inning and stay healthy
Drew Stubbs - do not end up looking like older less developed Jay Bruce; make more contact, hit the ball with the authority of a 1st round pick
Chris Valaika - keep hitting in full season ball and tighten up your defense
Johnny Cueto - stay healthy; enjoy the Southern League ballparks and don't get married in Tennessee
Paul Janish - hit at AA and keep playing defense
Jay Garthwaite - pull off the "Joey Votto transition to AA" and you are a prospect
BJ Szymanski - cut strikeouts in half in High A; your average should jump 40 points.
Carlos Fisher - have a healthy stay in High A and keep your ratios the same
Travis Wood - keep the ball in the park in High A and knock off a walk per nine innings; stay healthy
Jonathan Coutlangus - knock your walks off by a third and keep throwing hard from the left side, making sure to get every lefthanded batter you see out in AAA
Calvin Medlock - grow about 6 inches; failing that, tighten command slightly and get consistent with your breaking stuff; stay healthy and enjoy your season as the closer in AA, saving about 30 games
Brad Salmon - keep doing your Brendan Donnelly imitation and stay healthy; wait three weeks until all the guys the GM traded for are hurt then go up to the ML and be yourself and outperform them.
Rick Asadoorian - pitch and put the bat down for good
by Torncuff on Nov 13, 2006 8:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
DBacks
J. Nippert- get that 5 mph you lost years ago to surgery. You're too tall to only hit 92-93
C. Gonzales- Lose the attitude, cut down on the Ks, learn to take a ball, and show some effort on defense. Like Upton, you can be a star.
J. Milons- keep translating tools to production and learn this complex game. You are blocked with Young and Upton, but you'd make great trade bait.
J. D'Antona- Good job putting a terrible 2005 behind you and learn to catch too boot. Just keep working on discipline (and not be so pull happy) and you'll make a great utility guy.
C. Young- Just keep what you do going and don't change your game. You'll never be a .300 hitter, but so what? You'll win some Gold Gloves, hit 30 homers, steal 30 bases and draw a ton of walks.
M. Scherzer- sign, we need pitching
M. Montero- Keep working on blocking balls, calling a game, and throwing. Your offense is already ML starting level, but its time to work on defense.
M. Torra- Get healthy. We need pitchers
G. Mock, AJ Shappi, and pretty much every other pitcher that entered last year as a prospect- You are leaving too many balls in the zone and are getting hammered. Giving up season BA's of .300 is nasty. You're not walking many people, so don't try to be so fine in the zone. Let it loose because whatever your doing right now is getting ripped.
Thats just off the top of my head. I'll more later after I get to think about it a little
by ScottAZ on Nov 13, 2006 10:06 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
After seeing him last year
by Torncuff on Nov 13, 2006 11:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
A few Rays
Elijah Dukes - Needs to stay out of trouble and learn how to deal with the media; would also help if he learned how to play a servicable 1B
Mitch Talbot - Needs to keep the ball in the park in Durham, with it's short porch in right.
Joel Guzman - Needs to put in a little more effort on the field; also, is this the year his power grows into his frame?
Andrew Sonnanstine - Sharpen up the breaking ball a bit and prove the naysayers wrong
Elliott Johnson - Still needs to work on endurance; wore down at the end of the year for the third season in a row.
Jon Barratt - Just needs to keep doing whatever he figured out in the second half of last season.
James Houser - I'd like to see him get his velocity back, though it's unlikely.
Jason Hammel - Keep the ball down and in the strike zone a bit more
Fernando Perez - Try to improve contact a bit; if he can do that, he could be a very good CF prospect in a year.
Jeff Niemann and Wes Bankston - For God's sake, stay healthy already
Chris Mason and Josh Butler - You were both drafted high for consistency and demeanor; try to get the bulldog attitudes back, and maybe the velocity will come back a tick.
Juan Salas - Needs to keep the slider a bit off the plate some of the time in the majors
by Brickhaus on Nov 13, 2006 11:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Giants
Marcus Sanders - Is he healthy, and can he stick at short? He doesn't still have a 20 arm at short...right?
Nate Schierholtz - Is he the player from the first half or the second? The power's for real, but can he make contact?
Fred Lewis - Doing okay in the minors...but he's closer to 30 than 20. Can he turn the tools into AAA dominance?
Travis Ishikawa - Sweet swing, sweet glove, but can he make contact?
Tim Lincecum - If I want to metaphorically make out with his potential, my wife shouldn't be concerned, right? Not that there's anything wrong with that....
by Grant on Nov 13, 2006 12:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
re
by ScottAZ on Nov 13, 2006 1:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Probably Gone?
IMO Lewis probably won't get much of an opportunity because Sabean is intent on bringing in another outfielder. Sad to say but I think Lewis will probably be an AAA guy while Linden takes that 4th spot.
By the way... nice to see you on here Grant.
by caintastic on Nov 13, 2006 5:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Mariners
Matt Tuiasosopo - stay focused, stay positive, and then hit a freakin' double or something. ISOs that Rey Ordonez would be embarrassed about won't cut it for a corner IF. Forget the defense; DH for a while and learn to drive the ball.
Brandon Morrow - sorry you'll always be compared to Lincecum, esp. as 90% of Ms fans wished the team had drafted Tim (the remainder wanted Miller). Limit walks, or post a nice K:BB ratio and end the talk about becoming a closer.
Yung Chi Chen - show some gap power and show that maybe you're not a reserve IF after all.
Michael Garciaparra - A few more 2Bs and BBs, and you might turn out to be useful.
Bobby Livingston - Forget about 2nd half, forget about AFL. Really work on disguising that change; your career is in the balance in 2007.
Anthony Varvaro/Steve Uhlmansiek - Stay healthy, limit walks and who knows where you'll be at the end of the year. The organization promotes early and often. One of these guys should break out in '07.
Alex Liddi - limit the Ks, take a walk once in a while and you'll be fine. Just needs experience
Greg Halman - don't punch anyone. stay healthy, and you'll be fine. Develop your patience a bit more, and you'll be a top 50 prospect. A little less all-or-nothing at the plate.
Chris Tillman - Listen to a coach once in a while. Limit BBs. Keep the ball down.
Anthony Butler - Build on your success, watch out for the Cal League (he'll probably end up there at some point in 2007). Watch the walks.
Manelik Pimentel - Take a walk, improve K/BB ratio (cut and paste for every M's hitting 'spect).
Johan Limonta - Gain some confidence in the bandboxes of the Cal League, learn to recognize pitches. Raw power is there, now be a hitter.
by marc w on Nov 13, 2006 1:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Missing some interesting ones...
by DrunkIrish on Nov 13, 2006 10:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dang Formatting...
Adam Jones: Keep up the monster finish you had in AAA before your callup. Don't let the fact that Hargrove believed WFB was a better option than you hurt your confidence. Show that you can put up a great AAA season, and not just a great age-relative one.
Jeff Clement: Hit. We know you went from high-A to AAA in less than a year, but the no power and very few walks are disconcerting. Don't be another top prospect the M's ruin with mismanagement.
Bryan Lahair: Keep the AAA power spike going. Make it real. Improve against lefties, and give the M's the homegrown power threat they haven't had since he whose name (ARod) shall not be spoken (outside parenthesis).
Francisco Cruceta: Oh wait, that's right. The M's released the PCL strikeout champion for nothing. So long, and good luck (!) in Texas.
Ryan Feierabend: Maintain the very solid ratios in AAA that you have at every stop where you've been young for the league. The M's will no doubt throw you into AAA at 21/22, and see if you've got the "grit" to be a ballplayer. Stay healthy, and if you add a tick to the fastball you can be a monster.
by DrunkIrish on Nov 13, 2006 10:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Detroit
Andrew Miller- Be patient and don't try to do too much. His contract put a lot of pressure on him to make the bigs asap.
Jair Jurrjens-Gain some weight to put behind that electric fastball. He's listed as 6-1 160. I think that he is one of the top 20 pitchers in the minors right now even though no one seems to agree. At 20 between high A and AA he was 9-3 2.70 112K 140IP.
Jordan Tata- Not sure if he still has prospect status but i think for him it's go time. The organization has been patient but now it's time for him to step up and realize he has big league stuff and take a big league job. As lauded as that bullpen is, there are weak spots(Miner, Grili, Colon)
Euglio De La Cruz- Step into the bullpen where he will haev more value at the big league level.
Scott Sizemore, James Skelton, Brennan Boesch, and Ronald Borquin- Hurry Up! Make it impossible for DD to trade arms for bats. I would rather be the Braves than the Giants.
by tigermeat on Nov 14, 2006 12:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Tigers
Miller - control the strike zone with his current stuff and work on a change up.
Jurrjens - I concur that he is much higher on the list than people give him credit for. I am not sure if he is top 20 or not. But anytime you have a 20 year old with a 93-95 mph fastball that he has pin point control over it is a good thing.
Tata - take your cutter to the Tigers bullpen.
De La Cruz - Learn to throw something other than a straight fastball.
Sizemore - hopefully continue to show that patient linedrive stroke in full season ball. He projects to be a good enough hitter for either SS or 2B. At this point he is probably better defensively at 2B. Just back up this year with another good one.
Borquin - add some power to that patience. Probably the most patient hitter in the Tigers system already. He may never hit for power like some expect at 3B but if he can get that ISO to the .140 - .150 range I will be happy.
Boesch - learn the strike zone some more and show some more power.
Gorkys Hernandez - Show me some more of the same that you showed in your first trip to the States. Could be an interesting speed/power combo package that is currently flying under the radar. Should be in Center Field in West Michigan this year. Definite sleeper.
Dallas Trahern - Up those K rates buddy... I know you have the stuff to do it.
Jeff Larish - Underrated year for this guy. He had some contact issues but overall good year in terms of patience and power. Show some more of the same and maybe bump the batting average to around .280.
Hollimon - time to be challenged properly. Force your way to AA in spring training somehow. You were way older than your competition but at least you came away with something to show for it.
Clevlen - learn to adjust to what pitchers are throwing you and keep your swing compact through the zone. His swing gets way too long for the good fastballs at times and it will kill him at the MLB level.
Ramon Garcia - Stay healthy!
by VtTigers on Nov 14, 2006 12:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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