 |
|
| Born: 12/11/1989 (Age: 24) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 210 |
| Mechanics |
| Limited involvement of lower half; quick arm stroke; almost short arm; very fast arm; 3/4 slot; lots of effort to delivery; lets it all hang out with delivery. |
| Evaluator | Mark Anderson |
| Report Date | 07/24/2014 |
| Affiliate | New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA, Blue Jays) |
| Dates Seen | 4/12/2014, 6/7/2014, 6/27/2014 |
| OFP/Risk | 50/Moderate |
| Realistic | Role 45; Situational Reliever |
| MLB ETA | 2015 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| FB | 60 | 60 | 92-94 | 96 | Velocity plays slightly higher because of arm stroke and fast arm; lacks command of offering; can throw strikes in spurts; lives up in the zone frequently; offering has natural life that keeps the ball from being squared. |
| CB | 50 | 50 | 79-80 | Likes to use pitch; will throw in any count; prefers to come back after getting ahead with fastball; short, sharp break of 12-6 variety; not a classic bat misser but has some ability to get whiffs; induces weak contact and keeps guys from sitting dead red. | |
| SL | 40 | 45 | 84-85 | Thrown with velocity; tight rotation is infrequent; lacks control; mostly a chase pitch to LHH; threw infrequently; better off focusing on FB and CB. |
| Overall |
|
Obvious relief profile; CB and deception allow him to handle RHH as well as LHH; aggressive arm that comes in and just throws; won't back down; can get in trouble when control escapes him; control has to improve to have reliable bullpen role; shows stuff and fire for an MLB future. |
 |
|
| Born: 04/11/1988 (Age: 26) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 5' 9" | Weight: 190 |
| Primary Position: 2B | |
| Secondary Position: LF | |
| Physical/Health |
| Small guy; might be shorter than listed height; very strong; muscular build; decent athlete; still looks like he belongs on a big-league field despite height; very well built for his size. |
| Evaluator | Mark Anderson |
| Report Date | 06/19/2014 |
| Dates Seen | 4/10/2014-4/13/2014; 6/6/2014; 6/8/2014 |
| Affiliate | New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA, Blue Jays) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2015 | Low | 45 | 45; Utility Player | No |
| Makeup |
|
Calm and cool on the field; plays the game hard; near max-effort approach to the game. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 45 | Above-average bat speed; quick from starting position into the hitting zone; has some lift to swing; likes to swing but shows plan and approach in the box; has strength to put a charge in ball; doesn't use the opposite field much; will swing through quality secondaries in the zone; can have trouble with premium velocity; fringe hitter. |
| Power | 50 | Lots of strength in the upper body; uses lower body well in swing; timing is good between components of the swing to allow him to max out his strength and bat speed and generate game power; over-the-fence power is to pull side; likes to lift and drive it out of the park; lots of doubles in game as well; enough hit tool for power to play at 20 double, 15 home run level. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 50 | High-effort runner; works hard to allow average speed to play in games; instincts were better than in prior viewings; won't steal many bases because he lacks the straight line speed; runs well enough and is aggressive enough to take extra bases where appropriate. |
| Glove | 40 | Plays multiple positions; doesn't defend particularly well at any of them; instincts at 2B are mediocre at best; still new to 3B and instincts/feel for the position lag behind; can handle left field adequately; hands are fringy on the infield; footwork is unrefined at both infield positions; routes in outfield are raw; best position is batter's box. |
| Arm | 45 | Fringe arm; playable at second base and in left field but won't be an asset at either position; below-average arm strength for third base; tends to get rid of the ball quickly but accuracy suffers as a result. |
| Overall |
|
Not a flashy profile; does enough at the plate to earn and MLB opportunity as a LHH bench option; will hit, get on base some, and drive the ball to the gaps and out of the park; can stand at multiple defensive positions but won't be an asset at any of them; not a standout prospect by any means, but a useful MLB bat off the bench. |
 |
|
| Born: 09/08/1991 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 6" | Weight: 230 |
| Primary Position: RF | |
| Secondary Position: LF | |
| Physical/Health |
| Enormous man; listed height is accurate; playing above listed weight; closer to 260-265 than 230; chiseled physique; thick/strong legs; long legs; long arms; broad shoulders; physical from head to toe; beast. |
| Evaluator | Mark Anderson |
| Report Date | 07/24/2014 |
| Dates Seen | 6/5/2014-6/7/2014 |
| Affiliate | Erie SeaWolves (AA, Tigers) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2015 | High | 65 | Role 50; Solid Regular | No |
| Makeup |
|
Quiet; humble; diligent worker; has fun on the field; works incredibly hard; shows focus throughout pre-game and during games; historically earns high marks for makeup in past dealings. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 35 | Incredible development since prior viewings; has made enormous strides; still a long way to go; swing is long and can be exploited on inner third but shows flashes of getting to velocity in that location; even with length, bat speed is very impressive; surprising barrel control but contact on spin is frequently weak; developing ability to use opposite field; when he goes oppo he drives it there; approach is still very raw; knows what he wants/needs to do in the box but is still learning to execute; shows visible frustration with himself when he chases or doesn't recognize; comes back with adjustments and tries to stay back or hold off; shows strong plan against starter and works hard to get deep into counts (not always successful); struggles to have plan against relievers and will chase more late in games as he faces arms he wasn't prepared to see; will always be a below-average hitter but has more feel now than he's ever had before; could hit .245-.250 at peak. |
| Power | 70 | Raw power is undoubtedly elite; some of best raw in minor leagues; hit balls to parts of NH park that I've never seen happen before; drives it on a line to gaps and over the fence; can also show majestic light-tower power; power plays despite difficulty with contact; even with low batting average and raw approach, chance to hit 20-25 home runs and 20-25 doubles at MLB level; raw power just plays in spite of other issues. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 50 | Surprising runner; gets up to speed quickly out of the box; very long strides; good athlete for his size; more grace than you'd expect when he runs; can show solid-average speed once underway; aggressive runner in taking extra bases, but not intelligent runner; still learning when to go for it; speed can play to the gaps in OF but reads are raw enough that it doesn't play much of a factor; average overall runner. |
| Glove | 45 | Below average at present; only projects to improve slightly; streaky defender; can struggle to read the ball off the bat; routes are hit or miss with some loop to them; good athlete; works hard in the field; chance to be average but likely comes up a bit short; may fit better in LF than RF long term. |
| Arm | 50 | Plus raw arm strength that shows pre-game; struggles with mechanics; ball doesn't come out cleanly; fights mechanics and release; lacks accuracy as he thinks too much about throwing mechanics; plays fringe-average at present but should be average given raw arm strength. |
| Overall |
|
Difficult to believe progress since prior viewing last year; every part of offensive game has taken a step forward; incredibly hard worker; projects to make additional strides; applies instruction well and learns from mistakes; will be low average, low OBP player; power will play and will make up for some other offensive misgivings; surprising speed; solid enough defender to play either OF corner; arm will play better than presently shows; unusual abstract player at Double-A; still putting things together and has room to grow. |
 |
|
| Born: 02/21/1991 (Age: 23) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 5' 9" | Weight: 195 |
| Primary Position: 2B | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Tiny frame; looks really small on the field; high waist; short torso; very strong for his size; shows signs of past high-end athleticism; solid athlete at this point. |
| Evaluator | Mark Anderson |
| Report Date | 07/24/2014 |
| Dates Seen | 6/5/2014-6/8/2014 |
| Affiliate | Erie SeaWolves (AA, Tigers) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2015 | Low | 50 | Role 45; Second Division Regular | No |
| Makeup |
|
High energy player; leaves it all on the field; clearly enjoying himself before, during and after games; works very hard at his conditioning and overall game. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 55 | Simple, short swing; starts with hands at just below shoulder height and pulled close to chest; trigger is straight back, lightning quick, and very consistent; bat gets to the hitting zone quickly and on a level plane; knack for getting the bat on the ball; strong forearms and wrists allow him to drive the ball to all fields; works from line to line; frequently gets out ahead of pitches and hits off his front foot; still drives the ball despite balance issues; likes to hit and won't sit back and wait too often; OBP will be driven by batting average; potential to hit .275-.280 at MLB level. |
| Power | 40 | Has bat speed and strength in swing; can drive ball to all fields; has to sell out for home run power; most of home run power is to pull side and requires him to cheat and pull off; can drive ball to gaps consistently and will have plenty of doubles; 20-25+ doubles; 9-12 home runs if hit tool reaches peak. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 45 | Fringe runner down the line; consistently 4.35-4.38 home to first; looks in pain when he runs at full speed; max-effort runner; makes the most of fringe speed; good instincts and will still steal 10-15 bases a year; speed is not impact tool at MLB level. |
| Glove | 55 | Above-average total package; fringe range that plays up because of instincts; first-step quickness is not overly impressive; reads angles well and makes more plays than he should; good footwork when he gets to the ball; exceptionally soft hands; lightning quick on the pivot; turns an excellent double play; doesn't project to defend at other positions; limited to right side. |
| Arm | 45 | Very quick release and quick transfer on pivot; ball comes out cleanly but lacks impressive velocity; throws from behind the bag doesn't have the zip to make the impressive play; throws accurately on the run; fringe-average arm strength overall. |
| Overall |
|
Grinder with tons of effort and instincts for the game; hit tool driven offensive profile; power comes up short of average and OBP will be batting average driven; has to hit a ton to play every day; fringe runner with instincts to take bases; glove works very well at keystone even with fringe arm; has some skills for an extended MLB career. |
 |
|
| Born: 02/22/1992 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 170 |
| Primary Position: SS | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Tall and thin; has added weight in recent years but still very thin; noticeably stronger with added muscle definition; well proportioned; good athlete. |
| Evaluator | Mark Anderson |
| Report Date | 07/24/2014 |
| Dates Seen | 6/6/2014-6/8/2014 |
| Affiliate | Erie SeaWolves (AA, Tigers) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2015 | Low | 45 | Role 40; Utility Player | No |
| Makeup |
|
Quiet; shows minimal emotion on the field; puts in pre-game work with diligence; carries himself with confidence. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 35 | Excellent approach; knows the zone and recognizes pitches right out of the hand; decides what he wants to do quickly; barrel control is average; contact lacks punch and results in lots of weak groundballs and soft liners; won't hit much but can hit enough for bench role; will walk more than he strikes out thanks to approach and willingness to get deep in counts; .235-.245 hitter with some OBP if he can keep pitchers from blowing him away. |
| Power | 20 | Ball is sluggish off the bat; lacks strength; below-average bat speed; doesn't impact the ball; will find rare juice and drive one to the gaps; power is non-factor in game. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 55 | Good athlete with quality running technique; gets out of the box quickly and hustles down the line; 4.25-4.30 times; frequently at lower end of that range; speed really plays when he looks for extra bases; potential for 8-10 steals per year; not an aggressive baserunner. |
| Glove | 60 | True SS defender; easy actions; makes everything looks simple; instincts are off the charts; reads the ball extremely well and always takes the correct first step; positions himself like a veteran; plus range to both sides; gets to everything up the middle; extra soft hands; quick transfer; aggressive with double-play turns; loves to make a play; knows his capabilities; simple plays look mind-numbingly boring for him; makes impossible plays look easy; glove could play beyond plus. |
| Arm | 70 | Never really let it fly during series; shown better in the past; easy velocity with quick release; lasers across the field; ball carries and has excellent accuracy; velocity is evident on the move as well; can show near-elite arm strength on plant and throw from the hole. |
| Overall |
|
Excellent left side glove that can carry him to MLB; arm is near elite at times and plus-plus at all times; defensive profile is beyond impressive; speed plays above-average consistently; well below-average hitter; approach is good; bottom of the scale power; minimal offensive profile; quality makeup; highly instinctual player. |
Thank you for reading
This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.
Subscribe now