Prospect of the Day: Dave Sappelt, OF, Cincinnati Reds
by John Sickels on Jun 30, 2011 8:00 AM EDT
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Prospect of the Day: Dave Sappelt, OF, Cincinnati Reds
While prospects Yonder Alonso and Devin Mesoraco rightly draw most of the attention, Cincinnati Reds fans should keep track of a sleeper prospect who could also contribute soon: outfielder Dave Sappelt.
Sappelt was a ninth round pick in 2008 from Coastal Carolina University. He was an excellent performer in college, hitting .359/.410/.580 as a sophomore in '07 and .349/.415/.636 with 18 homers as a junior in '08. He runs well and has a good throwing arm, so the physical tools were solid, but he is an undersized right-handed hitter at 5-9, 195, and scouts weren't sure what to make of him, hurting his draft stock.
He's been very effective as a pro, hitting .361/.416/.548 last year in 89 games for Double-A Carolina last year, then .324/.365/.481 in 25 more games for Triple-A Louisville. A strained oblique has limited him to 40 more games for Lousiville this spring, but he's still hitting well at .325/.391/.516. Overall, in 65 career Triple-A games, he's hit .325/.381./.502.
Sappelt made a big impression in spring training, hitting .564 (22-for-38) for the major league team before being one of the last cuts. Given his continued strong hitting during the regular season, a chance in Cincinnati should come eventually.
Scouts point to strong contact hitting skills and plenty of bat speed that results in gap power and occasional home runs. He doesn't draw tons of walks, but he keeps his strikeouts under control. He has above average running speed, but is not yet an effective stealer, swiping 80 bases but being caught 46 times in his career. Although Dusty Baker mentioned in spring training that Sappelt needs to improve his fielding, in the minors he's received good reviews for his play in center field, and he throws well.
While most scouts see Sappelt as a future reserve outfielder due to his size, he's proved doubters wrong at every level so far. He is certainly one of the more interesting potential promotions for later in the year.
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cowgill
Well there are some similarities yes. They are both undersized players with good tools and performance.
I would say that Cowgill is better currently. He makes much better use of his speed for example.
by John Sickels on Jun 30, 2011 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions
How's his defense?
Seems like a key to turning into more than a “maybe”. If they can rely on his defense, it’s easier to swallow his ceiling of “gap power”.
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Jun 30, 2011 1:04 PM EDT reply actions
I loved this pick.
Sappelt should have gone much higher. The Reds sent him back to AAA, in part, to work on his baserunning. The kid can hit. If he doesn’t help Cincinnati, he’s at least a valuable trade chip.
We Are ... Marshall!
by Thundering Turtle on Jun 30, 2011 1:45 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Hope this doesn't bother John
But I just thought it would add to the conversation of Sappelt. While he didn’t show a ton in his first few years,dramatic swing changes took place between 2009 and 2010 and he really has taken off ever since. You can see the breakdown here. Essentially he went from all kinds of movement pre swing to getting in a much better position with his hands, arms and legs pre swing and it really helped his timing which increase his ability to square up the ball better with his full power at hand.
by dougdirt on Jun 30, 2011 4:09 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I have never been a believer in Sappelt
until this year. If he can keep his SLG up and his K’s down, I think he can be a pretty useful player.
Doesn't that apply for everyone?
I mean what guy with a high slugging and low strikeout rate doesn’t turn out pretty good?
Well yeah
So if he stays that guy then he can be pretty good. Some guys you might see as having a better chance to do that than Sappelt who was never a big time prospect and is undersized (that specifically relates to the power). I’m not sure what you’re getting at.
I became a believer
once I got to see him. Same as Altuve. There are still some odds against both, but in each case the hitting approach is sound and they pass the eye test.
by blackoutyears on Jul 1, 2011 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions
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