[情報] Prospects Will Break Your Heart
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=20243
While it’s premature to suggest the 2013 crop of minor-league shortstops
will usher in a Golden Era for the position, the class of talent might be the
deepest at the position we’ve seen in a long time. Heading into the season,
13 shortstops cracked the Baseball Prospectus 101, including seven within the
top 35. Going even deeper, more than 25 shortstops were included on
individual teams’ top 10 lists, with several more featured as “On the Rise”
candidates for the season.
Unlike in previous seasons, the current class is lousy with legitimacy,
meaning the bulk of the crop has a good chance to remain at the position
going forward. Just looking back a few seasons, some of the 101-worthy
shortstop prospects included names likes Grant Green, and Wilmer Flores, and
Christian Colon, and Miguel Sano, guys who aren’t what I would consider pure
shortstops, or even worthy of the distinction “pure enough.”
Even though the season is young and has yet to offer much in the way of a
blossom or a wilt, let’s check in on the 2013 class of shortstops in the
minors, putting them in purity tiers designed to highlight the likelihood of
defensive sustainability at the position, ranging from the purest in the
field to those who might be hard pressed to stick at the position at the
highest level. For this particular article, let’s keep the bulk of the focus
on the top-tier talent, but add scouting notes on a few of the lesser names
in the class who have a chance to make waves this season.
The Pure Shortstops
Jurickson Profar (Rangers)
Placement on BP 101: 1
Current level: Triple-A Round Rock
2013 Sample: .222.400/.259 (8 games; 27 at-bats)
Notes: The consensus top prospect in the game, Profar failed to crack the
Opening Day 25, but the roster crunch had more to do with a surplus of bodies
than with Profar’s readiness for the challenge. With Elvis penciled in as
the starting shortstop for the next decade, Profar’s likely home will be at
second, but not because of any defensive limitations he might have; Profar’s
slick in the field, with a very good glove, a very strong arm, and a flair
for making the difficult play. He will still make the casual error, and his
decision making often has a stronger tether to the dramatic than to
fundamentals, but he makes plays. The stick can separate him from others in
the class, because he could end up with a well above average hit tool coupled
with at least average power, making him a force on both sides of the ball. He
’s off to an odd start in Triple-A, with a lot of walks but not a lot of
quality contact, especially from the left side of the plate. It’s only a
matter of time before Profar finds his way to the major-league level, but
unless he is offered up in a trade, he won’t be making his bones as a
shortstop for the Rangers.
Francisco Lindor (Indians)
Placement on BP 101: 10
Current Level: High-A Carolina
2013 Sample: .333/.429/.472 (10 games; 36 at-bats)
Notes: It was during the fall instructional league in 2011, not long after
Lindor signed and managed to play a few games in the New York-Penn League,
that I first put eyes on him. I was in Goodyear, standing with my face folded
into the fence surrounding the field, watching this 17-year-old shortstop
showcase talents that were far more developed than his age might suggest. The
following day, I was sharing the experience with a member of another team’s
front office, waxing poetic about his glove and his approach and his superman
qualities, which I think I amended to include a cape and spandex and perhaps
the ability to heal the sick. The money quote that followed form the industry
source burrowed its way into my head, ringing at the same volume 18 months
later. “Lindor is going to play shortstop at the major-league level for 15
years. He might not be a glory guy, but you can have the lineups printed up
in advance with his name on them.” You aren’t going to hear this about many
players in the minors, and the qualities that prompted such a statement are
already evident in his lower-level game. In a small sample, the now
19-year-old is hitting for average, showing a very mature approach at the
plate, and flashing the type of leather that will play all the way up the
chain. He’s a special talent despite the fact that his numbers might fall
short of that distinction. The number on his back, as he trots out to a
premium position in the Indians org for the foreseeable future, is the number
that matters the most.
--
＊Athletic frame.
＊High baseball IQ. Xander
＊Smooth, fluid swing. Bogaerts
＊Elite batspeed. #01
＊Strong and explosive hands.
＊Above-average-to-better power ceiling, potential 30 home run bat.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 122.117.20.246
討論串 (同標題文章)
Prospect 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
23
46
