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August 25, 2008

Future Shock

Monday Ten Pack

by Kevin Goldstein

Brian Bogusevic, OF, Double-A Corpus Christi (Astros)
In the spring of 2005, Bogusevic was one of the top two-way players in the country, serving not only as Tulane's ace, but also as a tools-laden center fielder with above-average speed and power potential. A hamstring injury limited him primarily to mound duties, and the Astros took him in the first round as a power left-hander. While that didn't work out, his converting back to the outfield was something some scouts had been hoping for, as his batting practices were among the most impressive to be seen in a weak Astros chain. That conversion began in July after another brutal campaign on the mound, and it's been a smashing success. Over the weekend, Bogusevic went 7-for-11 to raise his averages to .359/.445/.553 in the Texas League, and while he had dropped well off of most Astros prospect rankings as a lefty, he's back on them—and very highly ranked—as an outfielder.

David Bromberg, RHP, Low-A Beloit (Twins)
Ranked the 10^th-best prospect in the system coming into the year, Bromberg's full-season debut has not exactly lived up to expectations, as his ERA has hung around the five mark for much of the season. The good news is that he's finishing on a high note; on Sunday, Bromberg whiffed a career-high 13 in 6 2/3 innings, and in his last four starts he's allowed two earned runs over 24 2/3 innings while punching out 38. At six-foot-five and 240 pounds, Bromberg is a massive presence on the mound, and he has two plus pitches with a heavy low-90s fastball and power curve. While he has an acceptable walk rate with 52 in 143 innings, he is still prone to bouts of wildness, as evidenced by 15 wild pitches and 17 hit batters, but he does miss bats—the most important ability in a young arm—so despite the unimpressive ERA, he's still an impressive prospect.

Brett Cecil, LHP, Triple-A Syracuse (Blue Jays)
Cecil was a closer at the University of Maryland, but the Blue Jays didn't surprise anyone by converting him to starter after spending a supplemental first-round pick on him last year, as he always had a deep enough arsenal to make the transition. What has been surprising is how quickly he's moved through the system. Starting the year at High-A Dunedin, a moderately aggressive first full-season assignment as it is, he lasted just four outings before moving up to Double-A, where he had a 2.55 ERA in 18 starts before moving up another level last month. On Saturday, Cecil delivered his second straight outing of seven shutout innings, only this time he did it by holding his opponent hitless while walking two and striking out five. Across three levels, he's allowed just 94 hits in 113 1/3 innings while compiling an impressive 124-to-37 K/BB ratio thanks to excellent command of a low-90s sinker, a fantastic slider, and a solid change. Once a moribund system, the last two drafts have turned the Blue Jays into a team with some interesting things coming, and we'll see to yet another arm in a short while.

Jordan Danks, OF, Low-A Kannapolis (White Sox)
Three years ago, Danks was one of the top high school outfielders in the game, but he stuck to his college commitment. Hindsight being 20-20, he probably should have came out, as he had a three-year career at the University of Texas that wound up well below expectations. With teams leery of his bonus demands, Danks fell to the seventh round this June, and he held out until the deadline, finally signing for a $525,000 bonus. His pro career has started off well, however, as he went 6-for-12 over the weekend with his first professional home run, giving him a .400 batting average and six RBI in his first five games with the Intimidators. It's far too early to project when he'll be joining his older brother John in the White Sox clubhouse, but he's one of the best position-player prospects in a system that entered the year desperate for anything in that department.

Cedric Hunter, OF, High-A Lake Elsinore (Padres)
A highly-regarded player early on after earning Arizona Summer League MVP honors in 2006, Hunter's full-season debut last year was a bit of a clunker, as he put up a .282/.344/.373 line for Low-A Lake Elsinore while not showing scouts much of anything in the way of tools. Those tools are still hard to find this year... except for his bat. With three straight multi-hit games over the weekend and 11 such efforts in his last 18 contests, Hunter is now batting .324/.366/.449 for the Storm while leading the minors with 181 hits. The tools still have scouts wondering where he fits in the end; he's no more than an average runner, which leaves him a bit fringy in center, and his power and arm are both a bit below average, and he also doesn't walk much. As an everyday center fielder, he's a bit short defensively, and as a corner guy, he's a bit short offensively. He's a prospect, but a bit of a weird one.