Thomas Neal....What do you think?

?

There has been a lot of discussion about Neal here lately.

by jibs on Jun 16, 2009 9:51 PM EDT reply actions

My apologies

I just said I hadn’t seen it, my apologies…

The second coming of Pujols deserves his own thread, right?

by Sgt. Dingleberry on Jun 17, 2009 7:58 AM EDT up reply actions

I haven't seen any discussion either and this thread is definitely appreciated

But 2nd coming of Pujols is overstated. If that power holds, though, then he could be awfully good. Did anybody see this spike coming?

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by OldProspects on Jun 17, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

The Pujols reference was a joke

Or maybe less of a joke and more of a dream with some positive reinforcement thrown in….

by Sgt. Dingleberry on Jun 17, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Nah, not exactly. The power was a known entity when he was drafted, and the tools are evident. His season in the sally last year was good, but not spectacular—and it was easily overlooked since he was limited to dh/1b due to injury.

Contact was much more the question with him, not power. He has huge raw power, so it is very intriguing to see the jump in contact.

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by haverecords on Jun 18, 2009 5:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Seen him a couple times

First time I saw him…VERY impressed. Blasted an opposite field homer in San Jose. It’s hard to homer at all in San Jose, let alone the opposite way.

Next time I saw him…very disappointed. Showed some bad plate discipline, took some pretty poor swings. Struck out a couple times and took an O-fer.

Regardless, I’ve been following him and he has been raking, especially of late. I’m excited about him, seeing any Giant prospect with power is exciting to see.

by valley on Jun 16, 2009 10:23 PM EDT reply actions

My impression as well

I saw him last year a couple of times in Hickory, Greensboro and Kannapolis…

The first time I saw him, he cranked a deep HR to left and hit the ball hard….

The next time I saw him, he had a lot of trouble with breaking stuff and had some bad strikeouts…

Overall, he came across as a pretty good hitter, though…And he moved well for being a big dude…

This year he has taken it to a whole different level…

by Sgt. Dingleberry on Jun 17, 2009 8:02 AM EDT up reply actions

He's out-hitting Buster Posey

at a much less premium position, but very impressive nonetheless

waiting for 2011....

by Osama91w9 on Jun 16, 2009 10:41 PM EDT reply actions

My only thought is that he's 21 playing in A+

Isn’t that a little old for the level?

I’d like to see what he can do in AA before I start to get too excited, but I’m keeping my eye on him.

We don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks. - Calvin

by solace on Jun 16, 2009 11:00 PM EDT reply actions

Not really

Proud father of Juan Carlos Perez. Think Albert Pujols at second.

by marcello on Jun 17, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions

same age as Sandoval when he was tearing it up last year

putting up similar, if not better, numbers

by superk1ng on Jun 17, 2009 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Villalona is fat

I went to a recent SJ Giants game adn saw both Neal and Villalona. I was impressed with Neal as he homered and doubled impressively. Villalona looked like Cecil Fielder to me. I think he will have issues with his weight.

Play ball!

by tmannino on Jun 17, 2009 10:26 AM EDT reply actions

We like them fat!

After watching Sandoval hit this year I am all for the fatties!

Sandoval/Neal/Villalona could form one of the heaviest 3-4-5’s ever….There is some serious potential there for ability and for lbs….Too bad, Molina is going to get squeezed out for Posey…

by Sgt. Dingleberry on Jun 17, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Neal had another great game last night, going the opposite way several times, which I’m really excited to see, as he’s mostly been a pull hitter. He’s in the zone right now and hitting liners everywhere.

Awaiting his arrival in SF: Jesse English

by henwo on Jun 17, 2009 1:32 PM EDT reply actions

I think he's awesome

good raw power to all fields. He shows ability to get on base via the walk. He runs well for a big guy. Seems to have a strong arm from the outfield. he strikes out a bit, but has cut down slightly this year.

Bonds stands alone.

Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants

by nostocksjustbonds on Jun 17, 2009 3:11 PM EDT reply actions

Bonds really does stand alone...

…now that his wife has wised up and is dumping him. Have fun chillin’ in your Beverly Hills mansion, Barry.

by royshowell on Jun 18, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Really?

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by WalrusMan on Jun 18, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

huh...

by dogdays on Jun 18, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions

classy

Semi-proud adoptive father of Scott Barnes.

by boonitez on Jun 19, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

whatever

Bonds stands alone.

Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants

by nostocksjustbonds on Jun 19, 2009 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Glad to see someone mentioned Neal’s arm. His arm can give his power a run for its money as his best tool.

by StickRat on Jun 18, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions

That "42" in patience at the Baseball Cube worries me...

as does the spotty track record… right now he looks like a fringe top 100 candidate to me, but he could solidify his status if he keeps hitting at a reasonable (>900 OPS) rate for the rest of the season.

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Jun 18, 2009 3:05 PM EDT reply actions

not really sure how that’s calculated….

Bonds stands alone.

Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants

by nostocksjustbonds on Jun 19, 2009 9:59 PM EDT up reply actions

It's basically just the guy's walk rate as a percentile score compared to the average minor leaguer

It’s got major problems as a predictive tool, inasmuch as it doesn’t account for ARL at all, but it does a good job of telling you what kind of player a guy is.

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Jun 22, 2009 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions

FWIW - Law says he's a fourth OFer

Says he saw him in the spring. I wonder if he’d change his mind seeing him now? From what I’ve read in this post he can look awful and terrific from ab to ab. I wonder if Law only say bad and didn’t really look at him further?

We don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks. - Calvin

by solace on Jun 18, 2009 3:53 PM EDT reply actions

I think Keith Law is only a fourth analyst

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Jun 18, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

not sure about that. Neal makes loud contact, gets on base and sprays the ball all over the field. and he’s still only 21. I could see him as a starting LF for a long time with the Giants.

Bonds stands alone.

Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants

by nostocksjustbonds on Jun 19, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Goldstein...

who is alone worth the $5 a month BP costs you:

A draft-and-follow signed in 2006, Neal bounced back from shoulder surgery and earned some praise for a solid season in the Sally League, but he’s really exploded this year in California, and now that the scouting reports are coming in, it’s looking like this guy is legit. With a stocky build that one evaluator likened to that of an NFL running back, Neal generates tremendous leverage in his swing, and has been hitting balls all over the place of late, going 18-for-39 in his last ten games with 37 total bases to raise his season averages to .346/.426/.626. This isn’t a sleeper folks, this is a very real prospect.

by PissedMick on Jun 18, 2009 4:20 PM EDT reply actions

wow

That kind of praise must definitely get the Giants fans excited. Him and Posey could make an offensively challenged Giants lineup pretty darn good with Sandoval already there.

Now raise your goblet of rock. It's a toast to those who rock!

by Dewey Finn on Jun 18, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

Thanks for contributing that…

I started the thread because I hadn’t seen any press like that or even general conversation about Neal. Even though his numbers would lead you to believe he should be getting some attetnion….Now, maybe it is starting to come out…How about a BA hot sheet mention later on today?

How good could this “class” be that started out this year at San Jose be? Bumgarner, Alderson, Crawford, Villalona, Neal, Posey, Kieschnick, Gillaspie, Tanner, Noonan, Barnes? Obviously, they are not going to all pan out, but the guys who do should all reach the big leagues fairly close to each other…..That is quite a foundation to build on!

OT: Does PissedMick mean you are a drunk irishman or an angry dude named Mick? Just curious….

by Sgt. Dingleberry on Jun 19, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions