Stick a Fork in 'em

but if he’s a full time reliever he strikes me as the kind of guy who could figure it out late and end up a pretty tough 7th/8th set up type

Chris Carter’s career path couldn’t be clearer. He will wash out in Oakland, get released, sign a minor-league deal with Tampa Bay, then become an American League All-Star first baseman.

I look at how a player has matured physically, but I don’t have a cut off for when all players are matured.

Just for an example, Wade Davis matured very early while Tim Beckham still hasn’t matured.

reported 97mph on his fastball in his most recent start, which was quite successful. He’s not fixed, but his stuff is still there.

I think it’s insanely early to give up on him at this point, considering hitters typically don’t learn how to hit for power until their early 20’s. Yeah, I understand the plate discipline hasn’t been there and he doesn’t seem to have a position at the moment but I’d give him at least two more years before even thinking of calling him a bust. He was one of Tony Bernazard’s last rush jobs in the organization back in 2009, starting him at Low A Savannah as a 17 year old (along with Jefry Marte).

Just to give an example here and not to say that he’s a big prospect even now but a similarly rushed, albeit not as highly touted prospect in Juan Lagares has raised his stock immensely the past two years after being left for dead by Tony’s Minor League System of Doom. They got Lagares on a more reasonable path and he’s hitting .345/.384/.511 between St. Lucie and Binghamton and exhibiting better plate discipline. So, I think there’s still time for Flores. He’s got a lot of talent…he may just need more time is all.

but he’s a hard guy for me to give the benefit of the doubt to - at least in terms of ranking him highly - because a) he’s performed very poorly; and b) he’s not all that toolsy and probably ends up in RF. I’m not even sure he’ll be an asset there. He’s still a guy I think could figure it out & emerge as a player/prospect whose bat carries him (thus he’ll probably get more attention than he should!) but for now I can’t get excited about a guy like this.

He is playing in the FSL…

Fastball looked great at the end of 2010.

I actually laughed. Yes Sir, I think a kid with 180 Innings, 226 walks allowed, and 31 hit by pitches may have other things to worry about besides being a hot prospect. Like perhaps, a new job soon!

I’ve always been a critic of him I guess, at draft time anyways. I tinked I sniffed out that he wasn’t the 3rd best player in the country at the time, at least.

That said, he’s actually having a pretty decent year with the stick at AA, in his age 21 season. I like 31 Xbh’s and only 37 strikouts - thats pure hitting ability.

Being one day younger than Matt Dominguez, the Marlins 2b prospect, Vitters always seems to do things one year after Matt. I’d argue that Vitters year at AA is better than Dominguez’s in AAA. Shoot, it is sven superficially better, but more so when you consider the vast differnces in the leagues.

Of course, I realize that Dominguez is a rock solid 3bman and Vitters has been so shaky that he has started to play 1b but, I just think the perception about Vitters might change a by a LOT by the time he has played a couple minths at Iowa next year.

As to whether he becomes a good major leaguer, not sure on that one. I think he has the talent with the bat though.