[情報] Prospect Watch: Top 10 first basemen
1. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs: Rizzo's big league debut in 2011 may not have gone
very well, but that didn't mean his left-handed bat wasn't still in high
demand. Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer, who helped draft Rizzo in Boston and
then traded for him while the GM in San Diego, acquired him in Chicago during
the offseason. A solid defender at first, it's Rizzo's power bat (51 homers
and 200-plus RBIs over the past two seasons in the Minors) that is his
calling card. Look for him to make some adjustments and be ready for the big
leagues in 2012, even if he starts the year in Triple-A behind Bryan LaHair.
2. Yonder Alonso, Padres: Alonso wasn't going to play first base in
Cincinnati because of Joey Votto, and even with a valiant effort, left field
really wasn't for him. So no one was surprised when Alonso was a part of the
trade with San Diego that brought Mat Latos to the Reds. With Rizzo now in
Chicago, first base in San Diego should be Alonso's for the taking. He brings
to the table an advanced approach at the plate, with the ability to hit for
average and power to all fields -- even if that will largely be doubles at
Petco. No longer a stuck prospect, Alonso should take off and perhaps be a
National League Rookie of the Year Award candidate in 2012.
3. Jonathan Singleton, Astros: The Phillies moved Singleton to left field to
start 2011 in an effort to avoid the Ryan Howard roadblock, but after a
couple of months, they moved Singleton back to first, where he is much better
defensively. The Howard issue became moot when Singleton was shipped to
Houston as part of the Hunter Pence deal. He has a special bat, regardless of
where he plays, with the ability to hit for average and excellent on-base
skills. The power will continue to come as Singleton matures. He'll make the
big step up to Double-A in 2012.
4. C.J. Cron, Angels: Cron was high on Draft boards last June as one of the
better advanced college hitters in the class. The son of Chris Cron, now a
manager in the Tigers' Minor League system, his pitch recognition and plate
discipline should allow him to hit for average, and his strength will bring
power as well, as was on display during his summer debut. A former catcher, a
torn labrum will limit Cron to first base, and an injured knee required
surgery. He should be just fine for Spring Training and has the kind of
hitting skills that should enable him to move quickly through the Angels'
farm system.
5. Chris Parmelee, Twins: When he was a high school player in 2006, teams
coveted Parmelee's bat at first base. He hasn't exactly taken a quick route
to the big leagues, spending at least parts of two seasons at each level. In
2011, though, Parmelee jumped from Double-A to Minnesota and performed even
better than expected. He has a good approach at the plate, with good on-base
skills, and he doesn't hurt himself too much with strikeouts. The power
hasn't shown up on a consistent basis, though it did during Parmelee's big
league debut. If Justin Morneau isn't ready to play, Parmelee could be an
option, though he could get some Triple-A time first.
6. Matt Adams, Cardinals: Simply put, Adams can flat-out hit. With a career
.316/.365/.552 line, he's produced wherever he's been. The big jump came in
2011, when Adams moved up to Double-A and was named the Texas League Player
of the Year. Few doubt now that he'll hit for average and power at the
highest level. Adams is fine defensively at first, and now with Albert Pujols
in Anaheim, the Cards don't have to experiment with Adams in an outfield
corner. Give him some time in Triple-A and he'll be ready to contribute in
St. Louis soon.
7. Neftali Soto, Reds: For three years in a row, Soto's overall production
has increased, with upticks in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage. Last
year was his breakout, with a 30-homer season in Double-A. Soto doesn't draw
many walks, but he also doesn't strike out much for a guy with that kind of
power. With Alonso now in San Diego, Soto becomes the organization's best
first-base prospect. Now it's his turn to be stuck in Triple-A behind Votto.
8. Chris Marrero, Nationals: After five-plus seasons in the Minors, Marrero
finally made his way to the big leagues, playing first for the Nats for much
of the final month of the season. He's always had a decent bat with good
power, though it hasn't always shown up consistently in games. Marrero has
worked hard to become an adequate first baseman, and he might have received
an opportunity to play there in Washington in 2012 if it weren't for a torn
hamstring he suffered in winter ball. When Marrero gets back, he'll probably
have to head to Triple-A and wait for an opportunity.
9. Alex Dickerson, Pirates: Dickerson had a very solid career offensively at
Indiana, though his power numbers went down a bit with the switch to the new
college bats in 2011. That, and a lack of a true defensive home, led him to
be available in the third round for Pittsburgh. He's settled in nicely at
first base and showed his advanced hitting skills during his debut last
summer. Dickerson can hit for average and has some legitimate power,
maximizing it all with excellent plate discipline. His left-handed bat should
allow him to move pretty quickly up the ladder.
10. Dan Vogelbach, Cubs: Coming out of high school, Vogelbach was on radars
because of his light-tower power from the left side. It's legitimately
plus-plus, and he can hit it out to all fields. Vogelbach is not an
all-or-nothing swinger, either, and his advanced approach should allow him to
be a fairly complete hitter. Non-athletic would be a kind way to describe
Vogelbach's body type in high school, but he's already trimmed down as he
prepares for his first season of pro ball.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120119&content_id=26391492&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
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