Jaff Decker, will he still have it?
by Dray1996 on Aug 23, 2010 3:14 PM EDT
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This kid has been through some growing pains *being injured twice this year , acl sprain i believe, and a broken bone in the hand, and has silenced his doubters about his power. that being said, do you all still believe when he comes back as a 21 yr old, in AA next year that he will have that potential to be a 270-280 AVG 20+ HR middle of the order guy? I think he will be a beast!
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I expect
if he has a full recovery and gets the spring in, I that he possibly has a better year then this one next year in AA. And think he has a broken hand so the buffet table won’t be as easy to navigate this off season, although he did a good job pushing himself away from the table last year. Kid is a nice player, and even with the 2 injuries he still put together a nice year. He was probably one of the strongest performers the last 30 days of his season. And all indications are{at least in my book} that he will be one heck of a player for years to come.
"The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers."
Never a big fan
More worried about his defense than ever.
and has silenced his doubters about his power.
I’m not concerned about his power or anything… but you do realize he’s playing in the California League, right? realistically, if he hit any less this year I’d be down on him.
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While I agree overall
His home park certainly suppresses power (425 power Alley) an 66/50 park factors for HR, however overall offense is almost neutral. That could help explain the dramatic home/rd split.
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We've been over this
. . and I know I won’t get anywhere with you guys, especially Alskor, but I’ll ask anyways. . .
Is there any particular reason why the fact that Decker actually REACHES and CATCHES more baseballs than most all of the LF’s in the Cal League doesn’t count as evidence that he is a decent LF? I’ve read many reports that he’s pretty good at reading flyballs and taking routes.
Also, Decker had an extremely poor start in a tough league for his age- adjusted – and ended up 10th in the league in OPS destpite playing in a pitchers park. Any lower and you’d be down on him? Id say any higher and he’d have to be called the best, young hitter in the league!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csq6o3PmPVY&feature=search
He’s a sweet swinger
Rip Fredrick0220, cwhitman412, Mets2k9- mis you guys
Is there any particular reason why the fact that Decker actually REACHES and CATCHES more baseballs than most all of the LF’s in the Cal League doesn’t count as evidence that he is a decent LF?.
Yes. There are a billion factors that go into how many balls he sees. It could be a random grouping because of the small sample. It could be the park. It could be the defenders around him. It could be the pitching staff. I just dont see many reasons to think this kid is a decent fielder, nevermind anything good. His TotalZone is -5 (-7/150).
I’ve read many reports that he’s pretty good at reading flyballs and taking routes
Also, Decker had an extremely poor start in a tough league for his age- adjusted – and ended up 10th in the league in OPS destpite playing in a pitchers park. Any lower and you’d be down on him? Id say any higher and he’d have to be called the best, young hitter in the league!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csq6o3PmPVY&feature=search
He’s a sweet swinger
I do agree he’s got a very good bat.
Bullpen Banter
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His TotalZone is -5 (-7/150).
Is this from THIS year? or from 2009? I find it hard to believ he’d be below average in any defensive ranking since he’s plus average in range- his team gets more ks than average – and they appear to get an above average amout of groundballs. that defies logic to me but, I could be wrong.
The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.
-George Carlin
Ignore MiLB TotalZone
It depends on the accuracy of batted ball data, and that’s not exactly something that the minor leagues can provide yet.
A -5 TotalZone does absolutely nothing to support or deny the idea that Decker is a decent fielder.
I think here’s the biggest problem with Decker: he’s going to get older. Even Adam Dunn was a pretty solid defender in the outfield when he was 20, 21, but it’s been established that a player’s defensive prime comes much earlier than his offensive prime, on average. If Decker is a huge guy and an average defender at age 20, then what’s he going to look like once his bat is MLB ready? Or what about when he’s 26 or 27? Just because Decker is easily a playable outfielder now doesn’t exactly ensure that he’ll continue to be one. I’d be surprised if Decker doesn’t end up being a well below-average defender in left field or a DH by the time he’s 26.
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I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy
by Satchel Price on Aug 24, 2010 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I've discussed the weaknesses of TotalZone before
I brought it up here as further evidence that there really isn’t a case to be made for Decker as a good defender – Everything we can look at seems to show defensive issues going forward.
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twitter: @alskor
And the scouting reports are bad
JJ Cooper on 8/16:
Decker can’t run at all, and he’s a liability defensively, so his path to the big leagues rests completely on his bat.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=10048
http://bullpenbanter.com/
Jaff
as I’ve stated on here many times before, I coached against Decker here in AZ. In fact, his squad knocked ours out of the state playoffs in 2008. He is not a bad defensive player. He looks unathletic, but has surprising agility for a short fat guy. He has a hose for an arm (threw 90mph as a pitcher), and was his team’s starting CFer.
I’m not saying he is a great defender, or even a good one, but he is not terrible unless he has lost all agility and ability to judge balls in the past 2 years
At the MLB level there is an increased emphasis on defense
….at least with good teams.
Passable defense in the minors/college becomes unacceptable very quickly in the bigs.
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twitter: @alskor
True...
times are changing in baseball. The days of Jack Cust type characters attempting to play the OF are over. Speed and defense are certainly more emphasized today.
I guess it depends on the fit as well. There are parks you could hide a subpar defensive OF on a corner. In a park like San Diego this probably wouldn’t work though
Fine
He’s a tick below average runner, not nearly a bad as some make him out to be. He knows how to track flyballs a\nd throw however. His fielding shouldn’t be a concern either but, you are of course – obsessed.
Rip Fredrick0220, cwhitman412, Mets2k9- mis you guys
yes, if he somehow manages to maintain his athleticism and agility that he currently has as a 20 year old throughout his mid-20’s, then yes, he could be a tick below average fielder. However, as players age, most lose athleticism and agility and become worse and worse fielders, and this effect will most likely be even more pronounced given Decker’s body type.
Adoptive parent of Kyle Nicholson
by gore51 on Aug 24, 2010 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
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Id say that most players lose thier athleticism in the big leagues, on average, after the ag of say 28 abd later if they were already pretty good athletes. Decker is 20 years old. I see no evidence that he won’t get better unls he doesn’t work hard- which i have no idea. See as how he is 20 and knows how to track flyballs I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s just another solid big- league LF out there. Nothing to get excited about.
Except, of course, the people who are just BOTHERED by stocky people. I LOVE them myself! I am and was one when I played so I felt the predudice myself :)
The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.
-George Carlin
i hear you on that
5’7 and 190, right handed, with arm trouble doesn’t get you drafted as an OF from a D-2 even if it is the CCAA :)
"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball
I am
probably my favorite prospect
"The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers."
by fourfingerwoo on Aug 24, 2010 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions
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