2B Prospect Smackdown - Emilio Bonifacio VS …
http://tinyurl.com/5exnu4
by Zephon on Jun 23, 2008 8:45 PM EDT
All though the Diamondbacks already have a multiple Gold Glove winner in
Orlando Hudson playing second base, we have to remember that Hudson is in a
contract year, and will be eligible for Free Agency at the end of the 2008
season. I think it's important to take a look at the guys in the minors who
could potentially hold down the second base position next year, or in the case
of an injury this year. Today I'm going to look at the two most likely
candidates, Emilio Bonifacio and Rusty Ryal...
One of the reasons why I chose these two players for this article, besides the
fact that they're both candidates for the second base job next year, is the
fact that they both embody two different aspects of the game. Speed in the case
of Bonifacio and power in the case of Ryal.
I would think most Diamondbacks fans should be familiar with 23 old Emilio
Bonifacio, who's often credited as one of the fastest players in the Dbacks
farm, and has seen a brief cup of coffee at the end of the 2007 season. After
being signed as a teenager as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican
Republic in 2001, Bonifacio has made a slow ascent through the Diamondback's'
Farm System. He's a small guy, listed at 5'10 and 195 pounds.
25 year old Rusty Ryal, on the other hand, hasn't been well known amongst
Dbacks fans, until recently. The son of former MLB outfielder Mark Ryal, Rusty
was drafted in the 14th round out of Oklahoma State University. He's listed at
6'2 195 pounds, relatively tall for a second baseman. Unfortunately, I don't
have access to any scouting reports for Ryal.
To start things off, let's look at what Emilio Bonfacio has done statistically
over the course of his career.
Bonifacio began his professional career as an 18 year old playing for the
Missoula Ospreys, Arizona's Rookie Ball affiliate. He didn't much in his 146
at bats, posting a putrid overall line of .199/.287/.219. He struck out 43
times while walking 18 times. Overall, his debut season was very underwhelming,
and I'd be hard pressed to find much in the way of positives, other than the 15
stolen bases, and the fact that he was very young.
Bonifacio was promoted to A Ball in 2004, and in my opinion really didn't do
much to impress, and actually regressed in some areas. He did show signs of
improvement, posting an overall batting line of .260/.303/.319 in 411 ABs.. He
struck out 122 times, all though he did so at about the same rate as the year
before. One troubling thing I noticed is that he started walking at lower pace.
I guess the biggest positive is the 40 stolen bases while being caught 10 times
.
2005 saw Bonifacio repeating A ball, but this time he showed real improvement
across the board. In 522 ABS he posted an overall batting line of 270/341/.330.
All though he had about 122 at bats than the year before, he dropped his strike
outs down to 90. Mean while, he more than doubled his walks from the year
before, drawing 56 free passes. He also stole 56 bases, all though he was
caught 17 times.
In 2006, Bonifacio was promoted to Arizona's high A affliate Lancaster. In
response, Bonifacio flourished in the California league's hitter friendly
enviroment, posting arguably his best season. In 546 at bats, he hit
.321/.375/.449 and led the California League in stolen bases (61); was second
in runs scored (117) and hits (175); third in total bases (245) fifth in
doubles (35) and sixth in batting average (.321). He did strike out 104 times,
while walking only 44 times.
2007 saw Bonifacio leave the hitter friendly confines of the California league
and enter the much more pitcher friendly AA Southern League. In 551 ABs,
Bonifacio posted an overall line of .285/.333/352. Once again he struck out a
ton(105 times) while walking even less(38 times).
Going into this year, you should all get a good idea of what kind of player
Emilio Bonifacio is. He's got absolutely no power, doesn't walk much and
strikes out a ton. Honestly I think we could all deal with his lack of power
considering the speed he possesses on the base paths. Unfortunately, the guy
just doesn't on base enough for that to really make a difference. He's still
young, but he just hasn't shown enough of an improvement offensively to become
a legit every day major league ball player. Ok, you can point out his
305/350/385 line with a 57/24 K/bb ratio in 325 at bats. He's striking out a
little bit of a lower rate, and he's a walking just a bit more, while still
having absolutely NO power. I'm still skeptical than he can succeed in the
bigs. (Just FYI, writing about Bonifacio's minor league statistics has been
almost painful)
__________
Let's move on to Rusty Ryal.
After being drafted and signing with the Dbacks in 2005, Rusty was assigned to
Rookie Ball in Missoula. In 294 at bats, he posted a strong 333/391/497 batting
line, with a 47:14 K:BB ratio. He had 32 extra base hits(22 doubles, 4 triples
, and 6 HR's). A few things that are worth noting are his 11 SBs... as well as
the 15 HBPs.
In 2006 Rusty skipped a level and was assigned to High A Lancaster. In 350 at
bats he put up a 277/342/454 overall line with a 78:23 K:BB ratio, and 34 XBHs
(17 2b, 6 3B, 11 HRs). He stole 8 bases, but was caught stealing 8 times.
Overall, I'd say that his 2006 season was rather unimpressive, considering the
hitting friendly enviroment of the california league.
In 2007, Rusty split time between High-A Visalia and AA Mobile. In 444 combined
at bats he had an overall line of 277/331/462, with a 89/24 K/BB ratio, along
with 17 HRs, 5 triples, and 21 doubles. He stole 6 bases, but was caught 7
times. It's worth noting the .301/.354/.496 line he posted in Visalia vs the
238/291/405 line in Mobile. Obviously, he struggled after being promoted, and
his AA numbers really brought down his overall line, especially in regards to
his K:BB ratio.in his 168 at bats in AA, he struck out 42 times while walking
only 8 times. The one area where he obviously didn't struggle to much was in
regards to his power, hitting 6HRs in the pitching friendly enviroment of the
Southern league.
This year, Rusty has been playing in AA Mobile once again, and has thrived. In
253 at bats, he's posting a .304/.359/.478 line with a 49:20 K:BB ratio, 9 HRS,
2 triples, and 13 doubles.
So what is there to say to about Rusty Ryal? He's a got a good, not great bat
for a second basemen, with some real good pop. He's a bit old for his league,
but IMHO, as a college player, it's not as critical. He doesn't walk a ton, but
he doesn't really strike out at Bonifacian pace either. He does struggle when
promoted, but he has shown consistent signs of improvement, especially in
regards to his HR power.
So back to the debate of Bonifacio vs Ryal. Who is the better prospect? In my
opinion, I'd say Rusty Ryal is a better prospect than Emilio Bonifacio. They
both don't walk a lot, and do strike out quite a bit. However, Rusty Ryal
actually hits with enough power, that it shouldn't matter. Bonifacio, on the
other hand will have to rely entirely on his batting average and speed if he
wants to succeed in the bigs, something I wouldn't bet on happening.
So who do you think is a better candidate to replace Orlando Hudson?
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