Beltre, Moreland, or Smoak?

by StickRat on Aug 17, 2008 7:36 PM EDT

If you are ANYWHERE near Clinton, Iowa, get to Alliant Energy Field (here are transpo directions: http://clinton.lumberkings.milb.com/ballpark/page.jsp?ymd=20060208&content_id=40982&vkey=ballpark_t500&fext=.jsp&sid=t500) for one of the final six LumberKings home games from Aug. 21-26.

Justin Smoak has been assigned there, which imho gives Clinton the most intriguing trio of hitting prospects on any one team throughout the minors. We all know the Smoak comps to Mark Teixeira ... switch-hitting first baseman with power, great glove, advanced skills. It has been reported he will make his first pro start tomorrow.

Mitch Moreland is one of the best sleeper prospects in the minors. He has drawn comps to Chris Davis because of his left-handed approach, compact and powerful with a phenomenal Slg.% relative to BB/SO-rate: .533, 54/56. He was drafted as a first-baseman as a two-way plyaer out of Will Clark's alma mater Mississippi State. The Rangers have converted him to RF, where his only weakness is subpar-to-average speed.

Engel Beltre has been called the best prospect in the Rangers system. The 18-year old Dominican is raw, fast, powerful; all the tools to be a superstar. He has drawn just 12 walks against 94 strikeouts, but has improved his .291 batting average 20 points since the All-Star break, and is slugging .417 to compliment his 29 stolen bases.

So, if you could choose one of these players straight up for your team, Who would you choose?

Poll

Which one player would you most like to have in your farm system?

Engel Beltre

33 votes

Mitch Moreland

5 votes

Justin Smoak

177 votes

215 votes | Poll has closed

1 recs | Comment 14 comments

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Comments

I'm high on Moreland

but I wouldn’t compare him to Davis. Davis has much more power,and Moreland is more patient, love that K/BB ratio. I voted Smoak simply because he’s likely to be in the majors much sooner and seems a better bet to reach his ceiling, but I think Beltre has a chance to be the best of these three.

Also at Clinton, Cristian Santana has a chance to be special, though he’s had huge issues with the strike zone this year. Maybe more raw power than anyone in the system except Davis. All around good team, lots of arms, too, with Beavan, Main, Gomez, Castillo and Murphy all with a chance to be big leaguers.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 17, 2008 8:11 PM EDT 0 recs

Please tell me more about Moreland

I couldn’t find much on him at all. He seems to be raking in A-ball but I’m wondering if he, at 23, might be old for the league. Is he part of the Rangers’ future? Who would you compare him to? Seeing him grouped with Smoak and Hosmer got me excited. How come this is the first I’ve heard of him?

Why don’t the Rangers promote him? Is this guy for real?

by psugator on Aug 17, 2008 11:57 PM EDT 0 recs

He's really a fringy guy

it’s his 1st year of pro ball, and he was a senior when drafted. Good power, especially for the Mid-west league and good patience, even when he’s slumping. Athletic enough to play RF, bats and throws lefty.

by FirebatM3 on Aug 18, 2008 12:42 AM EDT up 0 recs

Maybe not a fringy guy

I like him a lot, but I think he may end up being a tweener, not good enough for CF, not enough bat to start in a corner slot. Hard to discount that bat entirely, though.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 18, 2008 1:19 PM EDT up 0 recs

He hasn't shattered A ball

which is probably why they haven’t promoted him yet. That being said, he seems to be a reasonably good prospect with the possibility of being a solid major leaguer, but we’ll have no idea if that’s actually the case until he faces much tougher pitching. It’s a little hard to imagine where he’d get the chance to play in the crowded Rangers offense, but it isn’t out of the question that he’ll find some crack. Considering he’s already 23, though, and still in A ball, he’ll have to hurry up

www.loftylantern.com

by OldProspects on Aug 18, 2008 12:53 AM EDT up 0 recs

I have a theory the reason they are keeping Moreland in Clinton is because (this is the theory part) he is mentoring Beltre. Any proceeding Crash and/or Nuke references would be appreciated.

by StickRat on Aug 18, 2008 2:45 AM EDT up 0 recs

It's possible

As a rule, though, I don’t think too many 23 year olds still playing in A ball for whatever reason who have an OPS of .900 make the majors from the outfield

www.loftylantern.com

by OldProspects on Aug 18, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up 0 recs

Different kind of player, but ...

Cory Sullivan comes to mind, simply because he was a two-way college player that came out of nowhere as a minor-league prospect. And if Sullivan had a 1:1 so:bb-ratio, he would hands down be the starting CF in Colorado.

by StickRat on Aug 18, 2008 5:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

Well, when Cory Sullivan was 23

he was in AA, but it is true that he might have had similar stats to Moreland had he been in A ball then. I guess my point isn’t that it never happens – because obviously it does and Moreland might make the majors – but that it’s unlikely.

www.loftylantern.com

by OldProspects on Aug 18, 2008 5:16 PM EDT up 0 recs

I hear you. Moreland doesn’t turn 23 until September. Still, relatively speaking Sullivan was 11 months younger than Moreland in A-ball. So I get your point. It is Moreland’s first full year of pro ball though. More important than age though is upside, and Moreland has showed more growth as a power hitter this year than most 22/23 year olds. If his power continues to improve next year — especially if he ultimately gets to AA where his current growth rate should have him by August ‘09 — I think this year’s age-relative-to-league anomoly will make much more sense as an investment in power potential, as opposed to he being a guy stuck at a low level because he is lacking big-league caliber skill.

by StickRat on Aug 18, 2008 5:26 PM EDT up 0 recs