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Who is the best corner outfield prospect in baseball? My top 15

Dago1_tiny by the pinstripes on

Please find a list below of my top 25 corner outfield prospects. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs seemingly to stay.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value where I use the following categories: OPS, HR, SB, RBI, R 

If I've left anyone off the list whether by mistake or otherwise I apologize. Please feel free to let me know it.

Travis Snider - Toronto (20 yrs old) - .275/.358/.480 total minors - currently with mlb toronto - travis was recently called up and is holding his own thus far. after a very slow start to the year travis has really come on strong. he's hammered 23 long balls plus 1 in the majors along w/ posting a 61/154 bb/k ratio. the k's are a concern but at age 20 he certainly has time to improve.  

Jason Heyward - Atlanta (18/19 yrs old) - .316/.381/.473 total minors - currently playing for A+ myrtle beach - jason was voted the sally league's most outstanding prospect after playing most of the year as an 18 yr old. he's also shown advanced pd with a 51/78 bb/k ratio, has banged out 11 homers and swiped 15 of 18 bags. one of my favorite prozi's.

Matt Laporta - Cleveland (23 yrs old) - .279/.386/.539 total minors - currently playing for AA akron - matt has monster power potential hitting 22 homers on the yr. he's also shown a keen eye as evidenced by a 49/75 bb/k ratio. he hasn't really found his groove since being traded but i'm not worried at all.

Michael Stanton - Florida (18 yrs old) - .293/.381/.611 for class A greensboro - talk about exploding onto the prospect scene. i'd really like to see him hit for a little more power as the 39 homers he mashed really wasn't enough. on a serious note, he definitely needs to work on cutting down on the k's as evidenced by his 58/153 bb/k ratio.

Michael Burgess - Washington (19 yrs old) - .246/.333/.477 total minors - currently playing for A+ potomac - major power prospect belting 24 homers on the season, 6 of them in his last 19 games since being promoted. needs to improve on his plate discipline 55/162 bb/k ratio. strikeout totals are a big concern although he has time on his side.

Nicholas Weglarz - Cleveland (20 yrs old) - .272/.396/.432 for A+ kinston - insanely good plate discipline especially for a 20 yr old. 71/78 bb/k ratio to go along with 10 homers. i definitely expected more power production but at 6'3", 245 i certainly expect this to change. huge ceiling imo.

Dominic Brown - Philadelphia (20 yrs old) - .291/.382/.417 for class A lakewood - dominic has terrific plate discipline as evidenced by a 64/72 bb/k ratio, at 6'4", 205/lbs one would assume his power output would spike from the 9 homers he's hit this yr. dominic also swiped 22 of 29 bags this yr. but i would think given his size this will not be sustainable once he reaches the majors. overall, i like him and his home park quite a bit!

Andrew Lambo - Los Angeles (19/20 yrs old) - .295/.351/.482 total minors - currently with AA jacksonville - although andrew is not well liked on this site it seems, he happens to be one of personal favs. 18 homers on the yr to go along w/ a 43/119 bb/k ratio. his pd certainly needs improving but all i've read is that this guy can hit. good thing for the dodgers because they'll certainly need it. 

Aaron Cunningham - Oakland (22 yrs old) - .329/.400/.532 total minors - aaron is currently with mlb oakland and had posted a very solid minor league season with 17 homers, 15 steals in 20 attempts along with a 49/108 bb/k ratio.

Nate Schierholtz - San Francisco (24 yrs old) - .320/.363/.594 for AAA fresno - nate definitely deserved a chance to play in san fran from the outset imo. however, much to his credit he went to the minors and slammed 18 homers in 350 ab's. his 21/51 bb/k ratio could use some improvement but he looks like a solid bet to turn his recent callup into something permanent.

Wladimir Balentien - Seattle (24 yrs old) - .266/.354/.584 for AAA tacoma - wladimir had a solid season overall with 18 homers plus another 7 for seattle. his 32/49 bb/k ratio was very respectable but didn't translate to the major league level. the jury's still out.

Nolan Reimold - Baltimore (24 yrs old) - .284/.367/.501 for AA bowie - nolan has put together a very nice season for bowie albeit at age 24. he's shown some nice power numbers in smoking 25 long balls as well as put up a very good 63/82 bb/k ratio. he could definitely push for a job in spring training. 

Josh Reddick - Boston (21 yrs old) - .311/.356/.544 total minors - currently with AA portland - josh played most of the yr in lancaster where he absolutely raked. since moving up to portland the power production hasn't suffered but the average certainly has. overall he's hit 23 homers, swiped 14 of 17 bags and compiled a 34/82 bb/k ratio. an interesting prospect to watch going forward.

Ryan Kalish - Boston (20 yrs old) - .273/.365/.363 total minors - currently with A+ lancaster - ryan had a very underwhelming season to say the least but makes this list due to pedigree. his 61/99 bb/k ratio is very respectable along with 19 steals in 23 attempts but the lack of power is of concern as he only hit 5 homers on the season. needless to say next yr is very important for him.

Kellen Kulbacki - San Diego (22 yrs old) - .304/.400/.540 total minors - currently with A+ lake elsinore - kellen had a pretty strong season albeit in the hitter friendly cal league. he posted 22 homers with a solid 56/71 bb/k ratio. the plate discipline improved markedly which is very promising as he definitely has power potential.

 

HM - Michael Saunders, John Mayberry, Wilkin Ramirez, Gerardo Parra, Cody Johnson, John Raynor

NOTE: I will be posting my centerfield list on Monday of next week. The players listed below are all being considered for the list. If there is strong public opinion that any of these will be moved from center I will make a revision and include them on this list.

Daryl Jones, Colby Rasmus, Dexter Fowler, Jordan Schafer, Felix Pie, Cameron Maybin, Gorkys Hernandez, Andrew McCutchen, Che-Hsuan Lin, Desmond Jennings, Austin Jackson, Ben Revere, Fernando Martinez, Gregory Halman, Engel Beltre, Peter Bourjos, Angel Morales, Jose Tabata, Michael Brantley, Cedric Hunter, Corey Brown, Julio Borbon & Tyler Colvin

 

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I might throw in....

Nick Evans. Great numbers at AA.

by Lunkwill Fook on Sep 5, 2008 4:53 PM EDT   0 recs

i honestly thought he had exceeded the ab limit for true prospectdom. having said that, i’ll certainly take a look at him when i get a chance.

I heard Tim Lincecum will win 1 Cy Young & 11 Tim Lincecums. Question is, how many Cole Hamels will he win?

by the pinstripes on Sep 5, 2008 5:03 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Prospectdom

I figured it was ROY cut off. If he’s out, he’s out but he’s still under 100 MLB at bats.

by Lunkwill Fook on Sep 5, 2008 5:05 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Evans

Nick Evans is a first baseman.

by BobbyMac on Sep 6, 2008 1:06 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Watch the Mets

He’s been playing left field in the majors.

by aap212 on Sep 6, 2008 4:00 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Evans

And he’s played a ton of LF in AA. Mike Carp took most of the turns at 1st.

by Lunkwill Fook on Sep 8, 2008 1:43 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Give me a break!

He played 22 games in LF in AA, due to Carp’s presense. He made 34 putouts, and 3 errors. He has played 24 games in LF for the Mets, and made 34 putouts. When the team moved him from 3b, they didn’t move him to LF… they moved him to 1b. An organization wouldn’t do that if they thought he could be even an above-average LF.

No, he’s a 1b who has played LF in duress this year for 46 games (the entirety of his pro experience in the outfield). Even with the need-based attempt to make him into a LF, he’s played more games at 1b this year (58), than in LF.

by BobbyMac on Sep 8, 2008 2:53 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Jesus. Chill out.

He may not have been a left fielder all his minor league life but he is one now and he’s playing there in the majors which is more than almost any of the corner outfielders on this list can say.

He’s a first baseman that was, in full effort, turned into a left fielder. I’m sorry if that’s not good enough for you but it’s good enough for the rest of us.

by Lunkwill Fook on Sep 8, 2008 3:07 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

The bottom line is

He probably shouldn’t be on this list at all anyway. He is currently only a leftfielder (just like Matt LaPorta, Jack Cust, or anyone else who’s an outfielder whether people on here like it or not), so he qualifies for it. But his bat was never good enough to make him a serious first base prospect, so good for the Mets seeing if he can be of any use out there. Right now, he and Murphy make a perfectly good platoon.

And BobbyMac, given some of the players called shortstops, catchers, and third basemen on these lists, having a young first baseman who’s been playing left on this list is not a big leap.

by aap212 on Sep 8, 2008 3:33 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Well, that's arguable....

If someone like Nolan Reimhold can be on this list, certain Nick Evans belongs on it.

by Lunkwill Fook on Sep 8, 2008 4:17 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Reimold's better

Reimold’s got more power, better plate discipline, and is substantially better outfielder. Evans is younger, but I don’t think he’s got a whole lot of upside. I’m confident that Reimold can at least carve out a career as a decent starter in a corner for a few years. I’m not so sure about Evans. And I say that as a Mets fan.

by aap212 on Sep 8, 2008 4:55 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Power

I dunno. Look at the pace Evans was at, he really turned the corner on the power department (as evidenced by the comparitive slugging percentages). Honestly, if they kept him at AA all season, he’s probably somewhere between 20-25 homeruns.

Also remember Evans had a great eye at the plate last season (evidenced by walks). Assuming this was a consolidation season, I except the eye to combine with the power assuming he plays in AAA.

by Lunkwill Fook on Sep 8, 2008 7:14 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Fair enough

I hope you’re right, of course, too.

by aap212 on Sep 8, 2008 8:31 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Can anyone comment on Snider's defense?

Throwing arm, instincts, speed, etc.?

Is he limited to left field exclusively, or can he play right too? Is he a future DH, and if so, at what age do you see that happening?

"Innings eater? Depends on whether you want delicious innings or burnt, moldy innings. Kirk Saarloos is the Hot Pockets of inning eaters." - Gallagher's Watermelons

by notsellingjeans on Sep 5, 2008 4:57 PM EDT   0 recs

snider

Has below average speed, a solid arm, but he doesn’t run well in the outfield. Hense the Giles comparisons by BA.

by Bravesin07 on Sep 5, 2008 5:04 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

suanders

I think you are seriously undervaluing Michael Saunders. He is 21 (maybe 22) at AAA and has the potential to hit for .300 avg with 20+ hr’s. And he has the speed to steal bases and play CF on a limited basis

by VanillaGorilla on Sep 5, 2008 5:09 PM EDT   0 recs

i honestly don’t think he belongs in AAA right now but he certainly could develop into what you say. he showed no improvement in pd this year and was caught stealing 8 times in 20 attempts. at age 21, he does have plenty of time to develop. they should have left him in AA but we all know seattle likes to move their prospects quickly.

I heard Tim Lincecum will win 1 Cy Young & 11 Tim Lincecums. Question is, how many Cole Hamels will he win?

by the pinstripes on Sep 5, 2008 5:15 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Suanders is a better prospect than you give him credit for

An .858 OPS in AA as a 21 year old tells you a lot about what type of player he is. Coming from British Columbia he also has not had the same baseball exposure as a lot of other position players. I think his AA performance is for real.

by Birdfan01 on Sep 5, 2008 11:06 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Raynor

is playing LF/RF in AA right now due to Maybin but if he has an MLB career it will probably be as a CF.

by nms on Sep 5, 2008 5:19 PM EDT   0 recs

matt sulentic

any consideration for him? maybe in the next tier or 3rd tier of OF’s?

Matt Sulentic – Oakland (20 yrs old) – .309/.368/.481 total minors – currently with A+ stockton- Matt had a solid season after a down season in kane county in 2007. Rather then have him repeat another season in kane county, A’s sent him to the cal league. his season was cut short in the last month of august due to a broken wrist/forearm after being hit by a pitch.. But during that time OF’s Corey Brown and Matt Spencer filled in well. Matt should be in AA Midland in 09 for his full age 21 season. His lack of power is of concern for a corner OF but has a good combo of avg/obp ability. could he end up a 4th OF type like a ryan sweeney eventually or good enough to jump ahead of a cunningham/brown/buck etc? Has he regained some of the prospect status he lost that considered him a fringe top 100 prospect from a couple yrs ago?


http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Matthew%20Sulentic&pos=CF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=501991</a>

by Asfan4ever723 on Sep 5, 2008 5:35 PM EDT   0 recs

did you cut & paste that?

just messing w/ ya .. :-)

I heard Tim Lincecum will win 1 Cy Young & 11 Tim Lincecums. Question is, how many Cole Hamels will he win?

by the pinstripes on Sep 5, 2008 5:42 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

well played

I used to like him a lot. Has been slow to develop…

by benzalman on Sep 5, 2008 5:53 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I can't agree

Unless he develops power that he didn’t have before, he’s Dustin Pedroia as a corner outfielder. The typical corner OF is about 10 runs better than the typical 2B, meaning that a good hitting 2B like Pedroia is an average corner OF.

I think he’s a fine player, and rumors of his demise were obviously exaggerated, but I don’t think he really belongs on this list.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 5, 2008 6:30 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I can't believe no one else has challenged this post...

Dustin Pedroia’s line…

597 AB 112 R 17 HR 78 RBI 45 BB 48 K’s 17 SB .328 AVG.

Two things:

1) Those are not typical 2B numbers
2) What team would turn that line down from an outfielder. The RBI’s are a bit low, but he hit 2nd most of the year.

If Dustin Pedroia is his comp he should be a top 5 OF prospect.

by tt68 on Sep 12, 2008 9:56 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Don't forget....

the 50 doubles.

"My mom always taught me it's better to laugh at yourself than to laugh at others. She was so wrong. ;)" -Pedrophile

by Boxkutter on Sep 13, 2008 10:36 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Keep in mind that Pedroia plays (and plays to) Fenway

and Sulentic is, hypothetically, at least starting his career in the Coliseum.

The park effect is definitely a big, big deal in Pedroia’s case, because he pulls a lot of not-that-long-distance fly balls and gets singles and doubles out of them instead of outs like someone in a normal park. Playing in the Coliseum would probably knock his average and OBP down 30 or 40 points and his slugging down 50 to 100. At that point you’re looking at a corner OF with an OPS of a bit over 800 in the Coliseum, which is undoubtedly a nice player but surely not a top 5 OF prospect.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 14, 2008 3:00 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Borbon

belongs on the CF list, not the corner list.

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.

by t ball on Sep 5, 2008 5:45 PM EDT   0 recs

yeah kinda suprised about Borbon

being placed in the COF group. Kid is considered a GG caliber CF that in his first full season is already in AA, OPSing over 800 with 50+ SB

by laxtonto on Sep 5, 2008 11:12 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

it was a mistake, i accidentally placed him in the wrong list. i’ll make the change.

I heard Tim Lincecum will win 1 Cy Young & 11 Tim Lincecums. Question is, how many Cole Hamels will he win?

by the pinstripes on Sep 6, 2008 8:36 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

No to Schierholtz

The guy has abysmal plate discipline and plays poor defense. He’s really a one dimensional player and that one dimension isn’t great enough to put him in the top 15, I think.

by aap212 on Sep 5, 2008 5:48 PM EDT   0 recs

?

I’ve always heard he plays pretty decent defense and I know for sure he has a great arm?

by Mr. Pleasant on Sep 5, 2008 7:07 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Think Brad Hawpe upside

Clunky outfielder with solid arm. He’d have more power and many fewer walks than Hawpe if he worked out well, but that’s the level of player I think he could be.

I guess I’m under-selling his power, and he doesn’t strike out as often as one might think, but his walk rates are so hideous that I wonder how he’ll hold up in the majors, when pitchers are told to never throw him strikes.

by aap212 on Sep 5, 2008 7:51 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

‘Solid’ arm? You obviously haven’t actually watched him throw. Schierholtz has one of the top 5 arms I’ve ever seen on an outfielder. He can hit the plate from the fence in right center with no more than two bounces, and does it with accuracy, too. There’s a reason he’s regularly one of the league-leaders in outfield assists, and it has only a little to do with people underestimating his arm.

I’d still rather take a hit over a walk, especially an extra-base hit, and frankly, after seeing Schierholtz turn a pitch at the shoelaces into an RBI double or a pitch at the shoulders into a deep right home run, I’d much rather take either of those hits than a walk that wouldn’t score a run.

SFDugout.com is BACK! See the Top 50 Giants Prospects!

by BruteSentiment on Sep 6, 2008 5:35 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I'd rather have a walk than a hit too, but...

Guys with no plate discipline more often than not get exposed in the majors, even guys with huge power. I look at Schierholtz and see a big chance that he only turns out to be Daryle Ward or Glenallen Hill. That’s a major leaguer to be sure, but it doesn’t seem like a top 15 guy to me.

by aap212 on Sep 6, 2008 11:34 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Discipline may not be as much an issue as the numbers seem to indicate: he does have very good plate coverage, and does lay off the stuff that is clearly not hittable. (Sort of the same story as Sandoval, except his plate coverage is just silly). Pitchers won’t just be able to not throw strikes.

Adoptive Parent of Francisco Peguero. He can throw, he can run, he can hit(fastballs), and he's Dominican. What else do you need to know?

by haverecords on Sep 7, 2008 6:05 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Not necessarily

Be careful about the conclusions you reach about his plate coverage based on those numbers. Again, if you look at what Glenallen Hill did in Triple-A at 24, or what Daryle Ward did in Triple-A at 23 and 24, but might have reached similar conclusions. Both had poor plate discipline, but kept high averages in the minors to go with tremendous power. But once they got to the majors, they were terrific bench players, but rarely more. Like them, I would project Schierholtz to be a fringe starter or good bench player.

by aap212 on Sep 7, 2008 1:46 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

considering how many prospects burn out every year, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could find a couple of former prospects with similar minor league stats that didn’t make it. all this list is saying is that he would be top 15 in corner outfielders, that’s probably about the equivalent of top top 100 or 120 overall. Considering how solid his last couple years in AAA were and how well he’s done in the majors this year and last I don’t think that is out of the question at all.

by zeisenbe on Sep 8, 2008 12:38 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Not on numbers, on visuals.

Adoptive Parent of Francisco Peguero. He can throw, he can run, he can hit(fastballs), and he's Dominican. What else do you need to know?

by haverecords on Sep 8, 2008 7:13 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Well, we'll see

Again, part of what I was getting at is that plate coverage doesn’t necessarily hold up in the big leagues. After two years of watching Delmon Young in the majors, I’m certainly not buying into the Vlad-like plate coverage people had ascribed to him in the minors. Guys who actually succeed like that are flukes, and I’d rather bet on the guy who can let a ball go by without swinging every single time.

by aap212 on Sep 8, 2008 11:15 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

‘Fluke’ would be putting it two strongly, even in the case of Vlad. Vlad’s case would be relatively rare, but it happens (more often with players from the Carribean, likely because of how the game is initially learned there. Vlad still stands out, of course, but he’s not alone: Clemente was much the same, and one could add a few others.).

None of this is to say that Schierholtz has Vlad like coverage—he certainly does not. But it is very good. He’ll still need to be more selective—as many of you note—and take more walks in the majors, but his having very good plate coverage does lesson the concern about the low walks.

(by the way, another SF prospect, Pablo Sandoval, really might Vlad like coverage. He was reported to have crazy coverage, and since he’s been called up, that has been proven true to the eyes. Some of the pitches he squares up causes laughter. Not as much power as Vlad, but some real power too..)

Adoptive Parent of Francisco Peguero. He can throw, he can run, he can hit(fastballs), and he's Dominican. What else do you need to know?

by haverecords on Sep 9, 2008 12:05 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

No, that really isn't true

Vlad is sui generis. There is no hitter like him in the major leagues. Go look at his numbers on the fangraphs.com leaderboards— he swings at 6% more pitches outside the strike zone than any other hitter. He swings at more pitches IN the zone than any other hitter. He swings at more pitches, period, than any other hitter— in spite of the fact that he sees 4% fewer strikes than any other hitter.

He is an extreme outlier. Expecting anyone to be like him is setting yourself up for a major disappointment, because most of the people who are similar to him are similar in the “he does the same thing, but much worse” way.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 10, 2008 2:00 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

To be sui generis (and I assume you mean it in the legal sense), Vlad would need to be the only hitter like that, ever. And we don’t have such stats as you reference for many players past. Instead of sui generis, it is as I said it: rare, and in Vlad’s particular version, quite rare.

(and note that I said that his abilities—what I mean by Vlad’s case: great plate coverage, with pop, being a free swinger—are of a genus of player—rare, but not as much as one might think. However, I also said ‘he still stands out’, and to be more exact, I take him to be an archetype of the genus (along with others such as Clemente).

Still, I agree about your point of expecting anyone to be like him. I generally dislike the use of analogies from known and very good to great players, to describe a given prospect (I don’t mind it as much once that player is well established, though). Also, as you may note, I limited the use of Vlad to be ‘vlad like plate coverage’—the ‘like’ being approximate, and limited to that skill alone.

Adoptive Parent of Francisco Peguero. He can throw, he can run, he can hit(fastballs), and he's Dominican. What else do you need to know?

by haverecords on Sep 10, 2008 4:01 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Also

Looking at body types, scouting reports, and minor league numbers, I’m still not talked out of my Daryle Ward/Glenallen Hill comp for Schierholz.

by aap212 on Sep 10, 2008 12:38 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Hmm…I’ve only seen ward play on occasion, and that some time ago. I never really gave him enough thought as to why he didn’t turn out to be much (though something).

I can say the Glanallen Hill comparison isn’t a good one. Hill was the proverbial ‘slider speed’ bat, who hit mistakes well. As I recall, he was not particularly adept at making consistent hard contact. Schierholtz doesn’t struggle with hard stuff, and is more consistent with making hard contact (at least in the minors, and so far in the majors). They may end up with similar numbers, but they won’t get there the same way.

Adoptive Parent of Francisco Peguero. He can throw, he can run, he can hit(fastballs), and he's Dominican. What else do you need to know?

by haverecords on Sep 10, 2008 4:47 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

My point exactly, though

It’s easy to say now that Schierholz has way more power than those guys had in the minors, but it simply doesn’t match what people saw then.

by aap212 on Sep 10, 2008 10:02 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I don't have a video to counter with...

but I’ve seen Schierholtz put one over the kids zone at Chukchansi Park (that’s about 340-45 deep in the part he hit, 15 rows of seats or so, and then a patio about as wide as an average street).

He doesn’t do it often, maybe just that once, but I think he ‘could’ do it.

Will he ever do it? I don’t know…he needs a chance, first.

SFDugout.com is BACK! See the Top 50 Giants Prospects!

by BruteSentiment on Sep 11, 2008 5:37 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Not arguing

I’m the one saying that Schierholz is comparable to Hill and Ward. For both the good and bad.

by aap212 on Sep 11, 2008 5:50 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Paul and I talked about sui generis once before.

BCB's "very own marginally deserving all-star!"

by battlekow on Sep 10, 2008 2:10 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Everyone would rather have a hit than a walk

The question is, rather, how many walks you’re willing to give up for that hit, and in Schierholtz’s case, the answer appears to be “a lot.”

He has some chance of being a good player, but it depends on him developing either plate discipline or power that he doesn’t have right now. I think he’s a reasonable choice for the list, but if his approach stays the same as it’s been he’ll never be even an average major leaguer.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 6, 2008 12:39 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

+1 Schierholtz is garbage

I remember DrB being REALLY high on this guy and I still just don’t get it. Can’t take a walk to save his life and it’s not like he ever possed another trait that would off-set that what so ever.

by slurve on Sep 7, 2008 3:05 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Not sure

Ther Pirates are developing Tabata as a CF. It even came up in Dejean’s chat in today’s Post-Gazette.

by Robinson Checo on Sep 5, 2008 10:11 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Does that mean McCutchen moves to LF? He doesn’t have the arm for RF. This sort of surprises me.

by jfish26101 on Sep 6, 2008 10:31 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I think

what the Pirates are doing is letting Tabata play CF until he plays himself out of the position. If he can play CF, then let him play because that makes him that much more valuable of a player. I don’t think that they are even looking at the fact that McCutchen also plays CF. If a player can play adequate defense at every position in the OF, then he is most valuable (if defense stays the same) in CF because it’s tougher to get the same offensive production in CF as it is at a corner OF position.

by parnz on Sep 6, 2008 7:50 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm a believer in Wladimir Balentien

During the offseason, there were brief rumors about the A’s and Mariners talking trade for one of the A’s starters (as it happened, they traded for Bedard instead) and he was the second guy I wanted most after Adam Jones. Worst case, he’s Marcus Thames, and I think he’s got considerably higher potential than that.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 5, 2008 6:26 PM EDT   0 recs

Wlad is better than Thames.

I don’t get why the only people who like Wlad AREN’T M’s fans (except for me).

Wlad is raw as hell, but he has a great approach to learning; you could see him getting better week-by-week in Tacoma, and it’s happening now too (more on D than at the plate so far, but still).
He’ll be a league average player either next year or 2010, and from there, I have no idea.

by marc w on Sep 11, 2008 5:49 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Sorry, I thought you said corner infielder.

by fartballs on Sep 5, 2008 6:29 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I believe you have put up a real good list.

It is quibbling to say that would consider moving some names at the bottom of the list. I think Reimold will keep his power but he has a long swing which I don’t think will translate well to the ML. I am a little surprised that Kulbacki was behind both Reddick and Kalish. Kalish’s pedigree might be great but his performance sucks. I believe that Reddick has been rushed which is the tendency in the AL east. For what it is worth, I agree with aap on Tabata and would place him in the lower third on this list. I actually would not have Snider at the top but that is really quibbling. Nice job!

by sdtribefan on Sep 5, 2008 8:18 PM EDT   0 recs

Michael Taylor . . .

Huge numbers in his break out year across A/A+, 22 years old drafted in the 5th round by the Phils last year. He’s 6’6 250, with surprising speed for a guy his size. Supposedly has a cannon of an arm as well. He’s a freakish athlete.

A .361/.441/.554
A+ .329/.380/.560

39 doubles, 19 home runs, 15 steals.

by Southwest on Sep 5, 2008 11:09 PM EDT   0 recs

+1

Love him

Touch em all Joe...

by FisherCat on Sep 14, 2008 10:04 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Kulbacki

Glad to see Kulbacki on the list!

Yes, he plays in a hitters’ league, but his home park is a pitchers’ park (425’ to RC)…

Kulbacki might be one of the most unheralded top prospects in baseball…

by pffriberg on Sep 5, 2008 11:24 PM EDT   0 recs

Matt LaPorta

He didn’t struggle at all in AA, since he played there the entire season … he has struggled since being traded to the Indians (although he had a multi-homer night a couple of days ago).

by JP_Frost on Sep 6, 2008 7:13 AM EDT   0 recs

I don't care what "position" he "plays"

LaPorta should still be on the “who is the best DH prospect…” list.

If your defensive value is so poor that a team would put you at DH if the spot wasn’t already taken (or doesn’t exist, in the case of NL teams), you’re a DH. Jack Cust is a DH, regardless of whether he happens to be wearing a glove on any given night or not.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 6, 2008 12:43 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

LaPorta will be a first baseman, not a DH

Especially considering the Indians have Hafner for awhile longer.

BCB's "very own marginally deserving all-star!"

by battlekow on Sep 6, 2008 1:13 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Since you appear not to have read my post

I’ll just re-post it.

If your defensive value is so poor that a team would put you at DH if the spot wasn’t already taken (or doesn’t exist, in the case of NL teams), you’re a DH.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 6, 2008 5:13 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

The word "especially" is an intensifier

Perhaps you missed the subject of my post? I don’t see why LaPorta can’t stick at 1B; he was supposedly a fine first baseman at Florida.

Oh and Paul, quick being such a fucking dick.

BCB's "very own marginally deserving all-star!"

by battlekow on Sep 7, 2008 3:51 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

not sure why this was a reply to my post, but he has played most of his games in the OF, so untill he officially moves I think he should be considered a corner outfielder. There are probably more players listed that will move eventually.

by JP_Frost on Sep 6, 2008 3:50 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

weird

I’ve never heard anything about LaPorta’s defense that would indicate that he couldn’t handle a corner OF or at least 1B.

by mraver on Sep 6, 2008 3:53 PM EDT to parent up