Small sample size theater: Franklin Gutierrez

by Joltin Joe Orsulak on Apr 16, 2006 10:38 AM EDT

After a very solid Venezuelan winter league season and World Baseball Classic, Franklin Gutierrez is off to a hot start in Buffalo, hitting .351/.442/.595 with a BB:K of 6:8 in 37 AB.

What do people think? Did he figure something out toward the end of last year, or is this just a hot streak that will play itself out? (He had a very bad spring -- at least in terms of numbers, I don't know how he looked in terms of scouty stuff -- so including those numbers might bring things back to earth a bit.)

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Franklin

He put himself on the prospect map by homering six times in the first six games of 2003, and the Indians grabbed him in the Milton Bradley trade with the Dodgers.

He feasts on pitches in the middle- to inner-half of the plate. In the past, he often chased breaking balls away. He no longer does that and that's the difference in his stats. He has enough bat speed and power to be an impact player. He's also got above average speed and a great arm. Pick him up for sure.

by grandslam on Apr 16, 2006 3:06 PM EDT reply actions

The reasons for Gutierrez's bad spring!

Hello everyone,

Joltin Joe Orsulak - Gutierrez put too much pressure on himself to perform this spring; plus, he was also working on taking the outside pitch to the opposite field, as well as working the count more. That's why his ST BA was very low. He is doing both of the above skills quite well at Buffalo.

By the way, in case anyone is wondering, the reason why he is leading off in the Bisons' lineup is to get him more at-bats; it's not necessarily because the Indians think he is a top-of-the-order hitter, though he could be if he uses his speed to steal more bases and works the count very well.

However, I still think he is more of a #6-#9 hitter down the road at this point. Time will only tell how well he does and where exactly he fits best in the Indians' future lineup.

Take care and have a great day!

by indiansfan on Apr 16, 2006 7:50 PM EDT reply actions

adjustments

i remember reading things somewhere over the winter (possibly here, but i was doing a lot of reading so i don't remember) about gutierrez having "rebuilt" his swing over the past season or so.

by wily mo on Apr 17, 2006 12:50 AM EDT reply actions

Correct, wily mo!

Hello wily mo,

Yes, you are correct - the Indians wanted him to rebuild his swing so that he could handle outside pitches better, as he had major trouble with them as he came up through the Dodgers' system and early on with the Indians.

At the beginning of 2005 when he was at AA, his numbers didn't look very impressive because he had a wrist injury that he was still recovering from as the season opened and the Indians were retooling his swing to handle outside pitches better and he was still getting used to it.

That's why his 2005 AA numbers did not look very impressive. I think Gutierrez is beginning to show that he is a better player than those numbers indicated. Hopefully, he will keep it going. :-)

Take care and have a great day!

The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Apr 17, 2006 1:05 AM EDT reply actions