Here is an excerpt from the John Sickels Baseball Newsletter that I will be emailing to my subscribers this afternoon.
New York Yankees
One prospect who gets a lot of attention in the Yankees system is outfielder Tim Battle. A third-round pick out of a Georgia high school in 2003, Battle came down with bone cancer shortly after signing with the Yankees. George Steinbrenner did a good deed and paid his medical bills, then invited Battle to the World Series. The cancer is gone now and Battle is healthy again. His raw tools are among the best in the lower minors, but his playing skills are less refined. Battle is hitting .256/.331/.489 in 33 games for Charleston in the Sally League. His walk rate is OK, 13 free passes in 148 plate appearances, not great but not awful. His strikeout rate is VERY high, 44 whiffs in 33 games. He's swiped 13 bases, but has been caught 8 times. Battle has tremendous tools, but is still working out how to play the game. He is still just 19 years old, and if I were the Yankees, I would leave him at Charleston for the rest of the season. No rapid promotions here. If he puts it together, he has the physical ability to be a star, but he must be handled with kid gloves. Contact is his biggest issue right now, as the strikeouts will eat him up at higher levels. Possible comps, for both good and bad, include former Yankee prospects Wily Mo Pena and Ruben Rivera.
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