FanGraphs' Mike Newman (also at Scouting the SAL) has a scouting report up on Delino DeShields, Jr.
Your money quote:
Should DeShields Jr. develop perfectly, the potential is there for him to become poor man’s Brandon Phillips, but it’s a very loose comp and one I’m not completely comfortable with. The combination of his physique, position and tools make him a unique prospect with skills that leave him a true boom or bust candidate.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Scouting the SAL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scouting the SAL. Show all posts
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Friday, December 9, 2011
FanGraphs on Rhiner Cruz
FanGraphs' Mike Newman (aka Scouting the SAL has a piece up on Astros' #1 Rule 5 selection Rhiner Cruz:
No offense to Rhiner Cruz specifically, but I spent the entire 2009 season watching him close for Savannah, the New York Mets full season A affiliate and never felt the need to actually scout him. At the time, Cruz was 22 and lived off a bit of a funky delivery and a fastball which topped out at 92. With a fringy little slurve, it was enough to keep lower level hitters off balanced, but not an arsenal that would translate well at the big league level...
No offense to Rhiner Cruz specifically, but I spent the entire 2009 season watching him close for Savannah, the New York Mets full season A affiliate and never felt the need to actually scout him. At the time, Cruz was 22 and lived off a bit of a funky delivery and a fastball which topped out at 92. With a fringy little slurve, it was enough to keep lower level hitters off balanced, but not an arsenal that would translate well at the big league level...
Friday, October 15, 2010
Astros nab two of the five top 2Bs in the SAL
According to Scouting the SAL, the Astros have something special in Jose Altuve (captip to Appy Astros for the link).
First, on Jimmy Paredes (ranked #2):
The only player on this list I was unable to scout in person, sources I spoke to commented on both his projection, and just how far away his skills were from ever reaching it. With a .287/.317/.417 line which included 50 stolen bases, best case scenario leaves Paredes as a passable second baseman with a solid combination of gap power and speed. Worst case, he’s little more than a very good athlete with a baseball skill set in which the pieces just never seem to fit together.
Hm. Well, what about Jose Altuve (ranked #3):
One of the best baseball players I’ve seen at the level, Altuve’s small stature had to weigh into my rankings or he would have had a legitimate shot at the top spot. Listed at 5’5″, there’s simply very little precedent for a player of his size becoming a successful pro. However, a .301/.357/.448 line including 42 stolen bases from any 20-year old prospect deserves respect. Especially when he also stands out from a scouting perspective.
Jose "Wee Man" Altuve! He's going to be dealing with questions about his size everywhere he goes, so let's just go ahead and not worry about mentioning it again.
First, on Jimmy Paredes (ranked #2):
The only player on this list I was unable to scout in person, sources I spoke to commented on both his projection, and just how far away his skills were from ever reaching it. With a .287/.317/.417 line which included 50 stolen bases, best case scenario leaves Paredes as a passable second baseman with a solid combination of gap power and speed. Worst case, he’s little more than a very good athlete with a baseball skill set in which the pieces just never seem to fit together.
Hm. Well, what about Jose Altuve (ranked #3):
One of the best baseball players I’ve seen at the level, Altuve’s small stature had to weigh into my rankings or he would have had a legitimate shot at the top spot. Listed at 5’5″, there’s simply very little precedent for a player of his size becoming a successful pro. However, a .301/.357/.448 line including 42 stolen bases from any 20-year old prospect deserves respect. Especially when he also stands out from a scouting perspective.
Jose "Wee Man" Altuve! He's going to be dealing with questions about his size everywhere he goes, so let's just go ahead and not worry about mentioning it again.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Scouting the SAL on Altuve and Mier
Mike Newman of Scouting the SAL watched the Legends this weekend, and had this to say:
On Jose Altuve:
It is not often I watch a player and think to myself, “this is the exception to the rule”. Jose Altuve fits into this category as a diminutive second baseman whose height would normally remove him from any sort of prospect discussion. However, Altuve flashed plus contact skills, the ability to drive the baseball like a much larger player, and was a very sound fundamentally. He may never start in Houston, but the fact I see him as a future big leaguer is a bit mind blowing.
On Jiovanni Mier:
Mier’s defense was as advertised, but his offensive game was nowhere to be found. In seeing eight at-bats plus batting practice, Mier showed little ability to drive the baseball and a swing more reminiscent of a left-handed hitter. The difference between a Wilmer Flores and Jiovanni Mier is while both have calm, fluid swing loads, Flores’ wrists explode through the zone while balls come off of Mier’s bat with a thud. For Astros fans expecting Mier to be a Nomar Garciaparra clone, it is never too early to temper those enormous offensive expectations.
On Jose Altuve:
It is not often I watch a player and think to myself, “this is the exception to the rule”. Jose Altuve fits into this category as a diminutive second baseman whose height would normally remove him from any sort of prospect discussion. However, Altuve flashed plus contact skills, the ability to drive the baseball like a much larger player, and was a very sound fundamentally. He may never start in Houston, but the fact I see him as a future big leaguer is a bit mind blowing.
On Jiovanni Mier:
Mier’s defense was as advertised, but his offensive game was nowhere to be found. In seeing eight at-bats plus batting practice, Mier showed little ability to drive the baseball and a swing more reminiscent of a left-handed hitter. The difference between a Wilmer Flores and Jiovanni Mier is while both have calm, fluid swing loads, Flores’ wrists explode through the zone while balls come off of Mier’s bat with a thud. For Astros fans expecting Mier to be a Nomar Garciaparra clone, it is never too early to temper those enormous offensive expectations.
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