[Farm] Bubba Starling Prospect Profile

看板Royals作者RoyGuy (相信)時間8年前 (2016/02/27 11:53)推噓1(1推 0噓 0→)

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The KC Royals former first-round pick looked like a bust for most of his professional career. Has he finally turned a corner? When the Royals drafted Bubba Starling back in 2011, he was earned the biggest signing bonus of any drafted position player. His $7.5 million dollar signing bonus remains a record for drafted position players today. So far, it seems that he was overpaid. There is still plenty of time for the former first-round pick to turn into a quality product for the Royals. He’s only 23 years old and has taken some major steps over the past 18 months. His athleticism is what got him drafted in the first-round and ultimately what pulled him out as a top-five pick. His speed, athleticism, and defensive prowess offered a high-ceiling option. His hit and power tools were known to be projects at the time and major flaws in his swing were apparent from day one. If he can ever figure out what he’s doing at the plate, he appears to be ready for the Major Leagues already. He took big strides in that regard in 2015, and a strong showing in 2016 may propel him to the big team sometime this season. Ned Yost recently commented on Starling according to Jeffrey Flanagan’s twitter account: Jeffrey Flanagan @FlannyMLB Ned Yost on Bubba Starling: "He's looking more hitterish every year I see him." #Royals That’s certainly a good sign for the prospect who has been labeled a bust. He ’ll look to shake that designation and become worthy of the first-round pick he was. Let’s take a look at his strengths and weaknesses and evaluate when, if ever, he’ll make his Royals’ debut. Areas for Improvement More Consistent Contact In his first year of pro-ball, Starling actually looked like he might turn out to have the bat and power that many thought he lacked. He batted .275 with ten home runs in only 200 at-bats. Unfortunately, all of the warning signs were there as he also managed to strike out 70 times. In his career, striking out has been a big part of Starling’s game. He has a strikeout in just over 30 percent of his at-bats in his professional career thus far. That’s about one in three at-bats. The positive, is that in 2015 Starling took steps to cut down his strikeouts and it showed. While it wasn’t a big improvement, Starling struck out 27.5 percent of the time at the Double ‘A’ level last season. It’s the highest level he’s played at so far. A strikeout every fourth at-bat beats a strikeout every third at-bat. If he can get that percentage down a little more in 2015 he may be even closer to the big leagues. A strikeout rate under 25 percent would be another big step. The good news is he’s taken a new approach and has tried to straighten out his swing and keep his bat in the zone longer. This should help hit at least make more consistent contact. He’s also got some pop in that bat. Seven of his ten Double ‘A’ home runs came in the second half of the year. He also added four home runs in the Arizona Fall League. If Starling has figured out what he needs to work on, the sky is the limit for the top prospect. If he can improve on his .269 batting average this season, he could make an appearance sometime soon. Areas of Strength Fielding/Arm/Speed Bubba Starling has turned into a prolific defender. He’s got excellent range in the outfield and the arm to back it up. He’s made only nine errors in his professional career and made zero errors in 2015. It’s not for lack of chances either. Lorezno Cain was credited with ten errors in 405 chances from center field last season. In Starling’s last 462 chances, he’s made only two errors from center field. Here’s what his MLB.com prospect profile has to say about his defense and speed: There’s nothing wrong with Starling’s defense. He has solid speed, takes direct routes in center field, and parlayed his strong arm into a high Class A Carolina League-best 14 outfield assists last year. He’s also an astute baserunner who projects to steal 20 or more bases per season at a high success rate. Check out a good example of Starling’s arm and baseball IQ in this article that chronicled a very strange Arizona Fall League game. With the tools that Starling already has in his arsenal, he may have enough going for him to work out for the Royals even without a plus hitting tool. If the Royals have proved anything over the past few seasons it’s that they will deal with a less than perfect bat in exchange for speed and solid defense. Omar Infante and Drew Butera are just two examples of players who have earned playing time in-spite of a poor bat. If the Royal’s are looking for some defensive help in the outfield, they may have the player they need in Bubba Starling. 2016 MLB Outlook: September Call-up While the young KC Royals’ prospect made significant strides last season, there is just no sense in rushing him to the Major Leagues. The Royals are trying to contend for a title for a third straight year. Gone are the years when the Royals can rush their prospects to the big stage mid-way through a season to see if they have what it takes. They now have something that allows players like Starling to take the time he needs to flourish: depth. Aside from All-Star players in left and center fields, both of whom didn’t flourish until their later years also, they have plenty of depth in right field. Jarrod Dyson is apparently going to get a shot at starting in right field. He ’s earned it. Where would this team be without Jarrod Dyson? Who knows what would have transpired had he not stole home in the 2014 Wild Card game or second base in game five of the 2015 World Series. In the event that Dyson doesn’t work out, there are plenty of players waiting in the wings for a shot. Paulo Orlando played a big role for the Royals last year and proved a capable replacement in the outfield. Fringe players like Jose Martinez, Reymond Fuentes, and Brett Eibner are also waiting to make and impact and newly signed outfielder Travis Snider wouldn’t mind a shot either. There is not a clear path to the Major Leagues for the former first-round pick in 2016, but hopefully there is no need to rush him. With a little more polish in the Major Leagues and perhaps a chance to develop at the Triple ‘A’ level, he could be ready to contribute in a full-time role next season. If 2015 was any indication, Starling may be able to shake his early label of ‘bust’ and turn into another late flourishing star for the Royals. -- ╭◢ ◣════════ ███◣ ═══════ ◢ ◣════════╮ ║█▌ █ ４０ ▁Kc 火 ◥█ １７ Kc╴ 沉 █▌ █５６聖光守護 ║ ║█▌ █ ▇ξ 球 ▇φ 默 █▌ █ ▁Kc ║ ║████ ● ′ ρ護 ◢█ ● ╯ 刺 ████ ● ‧ ￣ξσ╱║ ║█▌ █errera 「 / 衛 ███◤avis /\ 客 █▌ █olland╰ ﹂＜ ║ ╰◥◤ ═════ ▆▆▆ ═══════ ▆▆▆═══ ◥◤ ═════ ▆▆▆═╯ -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 180.176.173.172 ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Royals/M.1456545204.A.B16.html