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Player Comments from the 2008 Baseball Prospect Book

A couple of comments from the 2008 Baseball Prospect Book. Note that the book contains full statistics, but I won't reproduce those here because the formatting is a pain.

Luke Hochevar, RHP, Kansas City Royals
The Royals were hoping to get a quick return on their investment in Luke Hochevar, but the early results on this stock were mixed. On the positive side, he showed a 92-95 MPH fastball, and his curveball, slider, and changeup are all plus pitches at times. He posted impressive K/IP and K/BB ratios in the Texas League. He pitched well for Omaha in August and didn't look out of place during his late-season audition in Kansas City. The negatives: for someone with plus stuff, he was awfully hittable. He left too many pitches up in the strike zone and was very vulnerable to the home run. Some scouts still question his mental toughness. Hochevar could end up being a really good pitcher, or he could languish in mediocrity, at least for awhile. In some ways he reminds me of Jeremy Guthrie, a similar package of talent who took some time to figure out the pro ranks. What we basically have here is a guy with Grade A- natural talent, but Grade C+ results in his first pro season. Average that out and you get a Grade B prospect, which seems like a reasonable rating to me. The upside here is high, but there is considerable risk as well.

Justin Huber, 1B-OF, Kansas City Royals
The Royals don't seem to have a place for Justin Huber to play. He's now had two seasons in Triple-A, producing power but being hampered by injuries and, at times, what looks like discouragement (whether conscious or subconscious I don't know) if you watch him play. In the majors he statistically projects as a .250 hitter with 20-25 homer power, not great for a first baseman but potentially useful, although I still have some hope that he can do better than that when healthy and confident. Ideally he would have gotten a chance last year when Ryan Shealy forgot how to hit. But Huber got hurt at the same time Shealy did, and Buddy Bell seemed allergic to the idea of giving Huber playing time in September. I don't think that 98 at-bats spread out over 38 major league games is a fair test of Huber's skills. He needs either a change of scenery, or a clear shot at playing time. I gave him a Grade B last year, but the clock is ticking and we have to reduce him to Grade C+ now. He has a fair chance of getting typecast as a Triple-A slugger.

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Huber
The Rangers strike me as a team with nothing to lose giving Huber a chance to prove himself while awaiting the arrival of Chris Davis in the next year or so.

by t ball on Nov 7, 2007 7:26 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Botts?
Don't the Rangers already have their own Huber in Jason Botts?

by Yakker on Nov 7, 2007 6:19 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

But
Botts is a DH, or, if you're desparate, a LF.  He's really not good at 1B.

by t ball on Nov 7, 2007 10:06 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Huber
Seems like there are a lot of guys like Huber who seem like they could play MLB, but don't seem to get the chance due to a variety of reasons.  Are these guys just not good enough, or is it just lack of opportunity?  A guy like Jack Cust last year is an example of someone who maybe just needed the right GM to give him a chance.

by DrBGiantsfan on Nov 7, 2007 1:23 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

re: trapped players
How about the Giants? It's not like they're chalk full of first base talent.  I would've said the Nationals before they stupidly signed Young to a long term deal...

Maybe Marlins? you can platoon him with Jacobs....

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Nov 7, 2007 2:56 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

d'meathook
that wasn't really a bad signing.  i would have preferred a one year deal, but WAS doesn't have any overwhelming prospects in the pipeline, and the two adequate 1B options in the system, nick johnson and josh whitesell, are both left handed with good gloves, making d'meathook an ideal platoon partner.
ORGANIZATIONAL DEPTH REPORTS (link fixed)
variables don't; constants aren't

by overlord on Nov 7, 2007 3:33 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Gload or Catcher
Sounds a lot like Ross Gload. Was his defense at catcher that bad that he can't even be marketed as such?

by jaguar2490 on Nov 7, 2007 6:02 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

baird blew
He signed Minky instead of letting Huber play...

by doublestix on Nov 9, 2007 3:02 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

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