D-backs Prospect Profile: OF Evan Frey
Name: Evan Frey
Draft: 10th Round, 2007
Position: Centerfield
DOB: 06/07/1986
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170 lbs
B/T: L/L
History: In his 2007 professional debut, Evan Frey exhibited no power, only
decent pitch recognition, and poor base stealing instincts. The fact that he
was able to bat over .300 at Yakima and cover a lot of ground in the outfield
was overshadowed by all of the things that he could not do. Frey barely
cracked the FutureBacks Fifty last April based on these deficiencies.
It just so happens that this little outfielder from the University of
Missouri is extremely self-aware and coachable. He worked hard on his
weaknesses last winter to make himself a more well-rounded player. For one
thing, Frey realizes that the days where a centerfielder could get by without
any power are over.
"In the offseason, I worked out a lot and tried to build up my strength,"
explained Frey. "Instead of hitting it to the outfielders, I'm hitting it to
the gaps so that it can shoot through."
That approach allowed Frey to string together a 23-game hitting streak at
South Bend. Shortly after being selected to the Midwest League All-Star
team, Frey earned his promotion to Visalia, where he finally cracked some
home run power after a slow start.
"Whenever I moved up to the Cal League, it took me a bit to get adjusted."
Frey admitted. "It probably took me 40-50 at-bats to get adjusted to the
pitching. The pitching was different; I saw a lot of offspeed."
After a successful campaign in the California League, Frey was named to the
Phoenix Desert Dogs' Fall League roster as the Diamondbacks' only farmhand
there who had no Double-A experience. Nevertheless, Frey more than held his
own in the AFL, capping a .288 batting average campaign with a three-RBI
performance in the Dogs' title-clinching victory.
Frey has proven that he can hit advanced pitching and hit with some
authority, but he has also improved the stronger points of his game. Frey
knows what his strengths are and how to use them to best help his team win
and advance as a prospect.
Batting and Power: "I think that's going to be my main goal throughout my
career: to set the table," said the sage Frey. "My main goal is to get on
base, make the defense think about me a little bit, and score a lot of runs
for our team."
The weight lifting and increased power will aid Frey in getting on base,
because pitchers will be less likely to throw him first pitch strikes,
allowing Frey to work the count and continue to draw walks at higher levels.
"I tell you, he's a battler," raved Mark Haley, Frey's manager at South
Bend. "He's got a definite plan: he knows what he wants to do, and goes out
there and does it. He can play the small game, but we're in the situation
where we develop hitters. The days when a guy could bunt two or three times
in a game are kind of obsolete now. Nowadays, you've got to be able to drive
the ball. And he can do it."
Of course, Frey is improving as a bunter and drawing more walks. He could
hit homers if he tried to, but he understands that a contact-oriented swing
is best for him to be able to put the ball in play and utilize his good speed.
Base Running and Speed: Frey stole bases at just a 57% clip in 2006 as
compared to 69% in 2008, including the Fall League. The really impressive
part of this improvement is that he also increased the number of swipes from
23 to 43.
Again, he is far from the swiftest player in the organization, but he is
possibly the smartest base stealer and almost certainly the best base runner.
His 11 triples ranked second in the organization only to Tim Raines. His
professional ratio of 20 triples to 35 doubles (including the AFL) paint the
picture of someone who is always running hard and looking to take the extra
base.
"He's a good runner," said Haley. "He's got what we call usable speed; he
knows how to use it and when to use it."
Defense: Frey uses his speed well on defense, for sure. Not only does he
run well, but he takes straight paths to the baseball, positions himself
intelligently for each batter, and makes the play once he gets there. He is
known for making the spectacular play, but only after an all-out hustle to
get there, never to showboat.
His arm is more surprising. The little guy has a strong, accurate gun that
has caught several base runners off-guard. He's nailed 14 runners in just
over a major league season's worth of games in center, a total that would
have led all major league centerfielders last year. In fact, only two big
leaguers threw out more than six from centerfield.
"We worked a lot [on defense] in the Instructional League last year," noted
Frey. "I learned a lot from [outfield coordinator] Brett Butler. He's
helped me a lot with different ways to think about the game."
Major League Clone: Dave Roberts
Prediction: Frey's path to the majors will be as a reserve outfielder who
pinch runs and plays great defense. This is partly due to Frey's skill set
and partly due to the Diamondbacks' extensive outfield depth. But here's
predicting that the D-backs quickly realize that players with Frey's
table-setting and defensive abilities are hard to come by and that Frey is
the best man to lead off for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Frey even handles
southpaws better than he does right-handers, so there is little reason to
platoon him.
ETA: The only thing preventing Frey from being a September callup next year
is the fact that the club does not need to protect him on the 40-man roster
until the 2010 Rule 5 draft. Expect Frey to split time between Reno and
Phoenix in 2010 and challenge for an outfield spot in 2011.
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