Jon Still

by slurve on Aug 14, 2008 9:30 PM EDT Comment 6 comments

Why has this guy been flying completely under the radar? A little old for his league (23 in high-A), but he is a catcher so it's not as big of a deal. 20 HR's, with an OPS that has been around .900 most of the year. Strikes out a bit, but also draws a fair share of walks.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Jon%20Still&pos=OF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=453287

Anyone heard any scouting on him? Can he stay behind the plate?

0 recs | Comment 6 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I think you answered the first part of the question. He’ll turn 24 in November which is old for A ball. Second, he’s playing in Lancaster which is a hitter’s paradise. Last, he’s only making the occassional start behind the plate.

If he eventually makes the big club it will be on the heels of a strong ’09 performance at AA and as a righty 1B/DH and emergency third catcher.

by mg050369 on Aug 14, 2008 10:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ehh...

If he was truely a catcher, 23 isn’t really old for his league – if you look at most catchers, they aren’t MLB ready until they are in their mid-20’s. VMart, Posada, Tek didn’t start hitting in the majors until they were 26-27.

Your other 2 points on the other hand are helpful – especially that he he’s only starting behind the plate occasionally. Thank you.

by slurve on Aug 15, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

stats

He’s played 59 games at C, and 47 elsewhere (1b/DH). Opps have tried to steal 72 times in those games, which is a lot, and he’s only thrown out 8 of them. Without digging deeper, I’d guess he’s either an awful thrower, or he’s been playing injured.

As far as his bat, I was a lot more impressed with his performance last year. As noted, Lancaster is a utopia for hitters. But, then again, catchers often hit better when moved off the position, so he’s probably worth keeping an eye on.

by BobbyMac on Aug 15, 2008 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

More Stats and Info

I show of his last 10 appearances, 2 have been behind the plate, 8 as DH. When drafted by the Sox I believe there were already questions about his ability to remain as a backstop. I would argue his recent appearances there and lack of success against runners have answered that question. Not that I wouldn’t love to see Still as Varitek’s replacement, hitting 25 HR’s a year, but I just don’t see him seeing him being that guy.

by mg050369 on Aug 15, 2008 11:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs