Is Brignac a forgotten man in Tampa Bay?

by St Pete Native on Jun 10, 2008 5:02 PM EDT Comment 5 comments

Reid Brignac is seemingly blocked in Triple A by Jason Bartlett who has been a major contributor to the Rays turnaround this the season with his super defense, even though his offense has been questionable to date. All reports on Brignac are that he is above average with the glove and good with the bat, even though he could use work on his OBP and K ratios.

And behind Brignac is the first overall pick in Tim Beckham, assuming that the scouting reports read true (and i know thats a huge assumption) is a very strong defensive SS and hopefully future SS of the Rays.

With that being said this promising prospect seems to be forgotten by the Rays front office, with him having a decent year at Triple A at the ripe age of 22 is he still considered a top prospect? What are some of the Rays options for dealing with Brignac, Bartlett, and the long term future of Beckham?

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Brignac

Has he been looked over somewhat? Maybe. But he is over looked due to the Rays having a #1 pick and taking a great SS prospect, so it’s hard to really fault them. As for the future, if they think Brignac is ready next year he should be up … I expect struggles along the way but could be a nice solid bat there in due time. When Beckham comes up the logical solution to me is a move to 2B, where his defense and bat would have more value, as Aki should be on the downside by then anyways or at least I would think Brignac would be abetter overall player by then.

by hybrid on Jun 10, 2008 5:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nope

However, behind Brignac…the Rays had nothing worth a damn prospect-wise for SSs.

As for Bartlett, it was a stopgap move until Reid was “ready”. Had they just thrown Brignac at the MLB to start this year, he would still be slumping worse than he was at the beginning of the AAA season.

His OBP is still only 020 higher than his batting average, which isn’t good when he’s playing in a league and park that actually should make hitters look like future superstars.

The doubles, HRs and his .980 Fielding Pct.(which is actually higher than Bartlett’s right now) are good predictors for Briggy, though

by Jacob Larsen on Jun 10, 2008 6:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He’s definitely got the power, and his glove and arm are among the best I’ve seen in AAA (tough call between Briggy and Lillibridge). But he swings and misses a lot, which is problematic if you assume he’ll be swinging and missing even more once he hits the majors. He’ll probably get a cup of coffee this September and have a shot at making the club next Spring.

by mraver on Jun 10, 2008 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

While Durham is a bit of a hitters park

I haven’t a clue as to what you mean by “a league that actually should make hitters look like future superstars”.

The INTL league is fairly neutral

by nms on Jun 15, 2008 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You could bring the kid up if there was an immediate need, but there isnt. Bartlett is holding it down just fine. This is giving Reid the opportunity to work on his plate discipline and his overall approach to the palte. He needs a higher walk rate than what he’s currently displaying.

This is a great situation ofr TB, they can let an almost ready prospect get the necessary seasoning and fine-tuning to be an effective major leaguer once he does indeed make the jump.

Cain is Able ...

by Norcalfan10 on Jun 11, 2008 11:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs