SportsBlurb.com的farm report
http://www.sportsblurb.com/minors/farm14.asp
The Texas Rangers
The Rangers’ farm system was led by a trio of young pitchers known
collectively as “DVD” – a combination of the initials for Thomas Diamond
, Edison Volquez, and John Danks. All three pitchers started the year at
High-A Bakersfield before moving up to AA Frisco, and all three struggled to
some extent during their first exposure to Double-A. Volquez even managed to
score an invitation to the majors, where he was hit hard in limited exposure.
The Rangers had a good draft in 2005 which added depth to a farm system that
desperately needed it, and the future promises some homegrown pitching to go
with the homegrown offensive players already in the major leagues.
1.Edison Volquez, SP:
Picking the best member of the DVD trio is difficult, as there is very little
difference between the three pitchers. Volquez has two plus fastballs, a four
- with good movement that touches 95 up in the zone and a two-seamer that sits
in the low 90s with good sinking action down in the zone. He also has a plus
slider and a changeup that can be a plus-plus pitch when he has command of it.
Volquez’ problems at Frisco and in the majors stemmed from his aggressive
approach on the mound – he attacks hitters by throwing strikes and never wastes
a pitch or tries to get batters to chase a pitch out of the zone. He has a good
feel for pitching and will spend 2006 working on missing more bats and
improving his location within the strike zone. ETA: 2007.
2.Thomas Diamond, SP:
Diamond is the most projectable member of the DVD trio, with a power pitcher’
s frame (6’3, 230) and the ability to reach back for more to add to a fastball
that already sits in the 92-95 range. He also has a good changeup, a curveball
with the potential to be a plus pitch, and an improving slider that could be an
average fourth pitch. He struggled with his command at Double-A, due largely to
inconsistent mechanics, and once he fell behind hitters, he did not know how to
approach them. Diamond has the ability to locate his fastball within the zone
to compensate for his lack of movement, and the fact that he has three additional
pitches gives him a strong arsenal to attack hitters. If he can develop
consistent mechanics and start more batters with strike one, Diamond can be a
solid middle of the rotation starter. ETA: 2007.
3.John Danks, SP:
Danks, the third member of the DVD trio, is almost two years younger than the
other two pitchers, but he pitched at the same levels as them during the 2005
season. He is the only lefty in the group, and his plus-plus curveball was
absolutely devastating to Texas League hitters, as they hit just .222 against
him for the season. Right-handers hit 100 points higher against Danks, which
accounted for his struggles in Frisco. He has a good fastball that tops out
at 94 miles per hour and an improving changeup, and possesses the ability to
throw all of his pitches for strikes. Danks will revisit Double-A in 2006 as
he learns to set hitters up and not just rely on his stuff. Given his maturity
and two excellent pitches, in addition to the fact that he pitched in Double-A
as a 20-year old, the argument could be made that Danks will be the best of the
DVD trio. ETA: 2007.
4.John Mayberry Jr, OF:
Mayberry was the 19th overall pick in the 2005 draft, and spent his first
professional season at Spokane in the Northwest League. His overall numbers
were unimpressive, but given the fact that he was adjusting to wood bats and a
new position (right field), the fact that Mayberry survived is a testament to
his abilities. His most impressive tool is his power, as he repeatedly put on
a show in batting practice and displayed the best power potential in the league.
His large frame (6’5, 210) and long arms caused him to struggle with pitches
inside, struggles which were amplified by his long swing. Mayberry is a smart
player who works hard to correct his weaknesses, but given his size he is
likely to need at least three seasons before he is ready to be a useful major
league hitter, and he might not blossom as a hitter until his late 20s.
Defensively, he showed promise in right field, using his above average speed
and plus arm to make up for his lack of instincts and poor reads on balls. ETA:
2009.
5.Ian Kinsler, 2B:
A year after hitting a loud .401 at Frisco, Kinsler struggled to adapt to life
in Triple-A. He finished the year with 23 home runs and a line of .274/.348
/.464 and struck out 89 times in 530 at-bats, a respectable total given his
long swing. Kinsler is not a good second baseman, though he does have a strong
arm for the position. He looked stiff around the bag at times, but his
offensive tools will likely cover up any deficiencies with the glove. His best
tool is still his power, as he projects to hit 20-30 home runs a year in the
major leagues. He is also a good baserunner despite average speed, and stole
19 bases while being caught just five times. The Rangers are shopping Alfonso
Soriano this off-season, and while Kinsler does not have Soriano’s explosive
swing, he could be at least an average offensive second baseman in 2006. ETA:
2006.
6.Joaquin Arias, SS:
Arias was the “other” player in the A-Rod/Soriano swap, and would have ranked
much higher than sixth on the Yankees’ top ten list. He is a very different
player than Kinsler, hitting for average and contact and playing excellent
defense. He has the range and athleticism to be a plus shortstop and could
eventually move Michael Young back to second base. He makes spectacular plays
on a regular basis but needs to focus more on making the routine play.
Offensively, he is a good contact hitter who showed a strong ability to hit
for average in Frisco; he was hitting .233 on June 1 and hit well enough to
finish the year at .315. His 23 doubles and 36 extra-base hits hint at power
potential that could produce 12-15 home runs per season at his peak, but his
offensive ceiling is limited by his inability to draw walks. ETA: 2007.
7.Taylor Teagarden, C:
Teagarden was considered by many scouts to be worthy of a first round pick in
the 2005 draft, but he fell into the third round after signing Scott Boras as
his agent. The Rangers, a franchise that has always gotten along with Boras
, gladly snapped Teagarden up in the third round. He was the best defensive
catcher available in the entire draft, combining a great arm with excellent
game-calling skills and good receiving and blocking skills. Offensively, he has
some holes in his swing, but he has good power to all fields and good knowledge
of the strike zone. He hit very well on pitches when he was ahead in the count
but looked lost at times when he fell behind. After starting slowly, he hit
.342 in his last 76 at-bats in the Northwest League; his bat will need to adapt
quickly to higher levels as his defense should move him through the system
quickly. ETA: 2008.
8.Eric Hurley, SP:
Hurley was a first round pick in 2004, and while he lags behind fellow 2004 No.
1 Thomas Diamond, he has the upside to make the DVD trio a quartet, or at least
close games for them in the future. He was a pure thrower in high school who
was hit hard in Spokane after signing, but he was promoted aggressively to
Low-A Clinton and pitched very well, striking out 152 batters in 155.2 innings.
Hurley has a plus fastball that sits in the 94-96 range and the ability to
throw it high or low in the zone. His other pitches are far behind his fastball
, but his slider has the potential to be a plus pitch, which would make him an
excellent candidate to be a power reliever. He also has a below average
changeup that could develop into an average pitch and make him an effective
No. 3 or No. 4 starter. Hurley has a projectable, lanky frame (6’4, 195) and
works hard to study hitters and improve his approach. He also has good command
and a delivery that is more repeatable than expected given his height. ETA:
2009.
9.Travis Metcalf, 3B:
Metcalf was named the Rangers’ minor league player of the year for hitting
.291-22-94 at High-A Bakersfield (No. 10 prospect Jason Botts, who hit
.286-25-102 in AAA, would have been a better choice based on pure numbers,
and neither has tremendous upside). Metcalf compiled those numbers as a
23-year old, which means that his offensive ceiling is not likely to get a lot
higher than it is now, especially given his totals of 129 strikeouts and 49
walks. His defense at third base is excellent, which is not particularly useful
to the Rangers since his bat is unlikely to displace Hank Blalock from the hot
corner, but Metcalf’s potential to be a .270 hitter with 12-15 home runs per
season might be enough to get him a job in another organization. ETA: 2007.
10.Jason Botts, 1B:
Botts had a good season at AAA, hitting 25 home runs to lead the Rangers’
farm system, and earned a brief promotion to the major leagues in September.
He hit .296 in 27 at-bats with Texas, drawing three walks but striking out 13
times. Strikeouts were the story of Botts’ season at Oklahoma as well, as he
whiffed 152 times in 510 at-bats. Like many Rangers, his long swing was the
reason for his power and his strikeouts, but Botts’ power potential should
make him a useful role player in the major leagues. He is unlikely to be much
more than that, given his poor defense at first base and decreasing speed that
makes him a liability in the outfield, but a switch hitter with a good work
ethic and the ability to hit 13-15 home runs in 300 at-bats can be a useful
role player. ETA: 2006.
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耶耶....
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/ 襪 好一個妙技!!!
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