5 O'Clock Power: Scouting a Series: Aberdeen vs. Williamsport

Evaluating in the public realm can often turn into a big-game hunting event, with a prominent portion of the coverage directed towards the eventual major league talent. This happens because the big names draw the largest crowd, so it's not an uncommon strategy to target those players that will garner the most buzz. Player evaluation is not so cut-and-dry, however. Over the course of the season, scouts and evaluators watch hundreds of players and are grading more than just the next mid-rotation starter or potential first-division shortstop. Most of the players we lay eyes on are simply minor league filler. This series is meant to take a more detailed look at the process of evaluating talent, and hopefully provide a greater understanding of what a minor league roster really looks like.

To that end, I took in a weekend series between the Aberdeen Ironbirds and the Williamsport Crosscutters. Below are the fruits of that labor, with notes on every player, no matter the name value or quality. Following the tables are five full writeups on particular standouts.

July 24-26, 2015.

Short-season

Aberdeen Ironbirds (Baltimore Orioles)

Williamsport Crosscutters (Philadelphia Phillies)

Aberdeen Ironbirds
Player	Pos.	Hit	Power	Speed	Glove	Arm	OFP	Notes
Ricardo Andujar	SS	20	20	55	50	50	30	Poor bat with quick-twitch athleticism; potential depth piece in upper minors
Jerry Mclanahan	C	20	20	20	20	20	20	2.20 pop time; poor footwork
Steve Laurino	1B	20	20	20	20	40	20	Poor all around; lacks a carrying tool
Kirvin Moesquit	3B	20	20	50	40	30	20	2B profile long term; undersized and lacks power
Austin Pfeiffer	3B	20	20	30	30	30	20	Average raw; well-below avg bat speed; rigid swing and lacks athleticism
Drew Turbin	2B	20	20	40	40	30	20	4.14 home to first
Randolph Gassaway	LF	20	20	30	40	40	20	Avg raw power; poor pitch ID skills; poor barrel control
Mike Odenwaelder	RF	20	20	50	45	50	20	Mild athleticism; minimal barrel control; below-average bat speed
Chris Shaw	C	20	20	20	40	50	20	Efficient receiver; 2.00 pop time; solid org filler

***

Aberdeen Ironbirds
		FB	CB	SL	CH
Pitcher	L/R	Overall Command Velocity	Overall Command Velocity	Overall Command Velocity	Overall Command Velocity	OFP	Notes
Lazaro Leyva	R	60/70	50/60		20/30	50	2nd viewing this season; stuff a tick lower; less effort; threw CH mostly as second pitch; liked first viewing better when he was 96-98 velo band
		40/50	40/50		20/30
		93-95	74-77		84-85
Travis Seabrooke	L	30/50	30/40		30/30	30	2nd viewing this season; stuff regressed (88-91 in 1st viewing); high 3/4 from downhill plane; top and bottom half out of sync; moderate effort
		40/50	30/40		30/40
		84-88 T89	73-76 T77		78-80 T81
Jay Flaa	R	40/45		40/40		30	Tall build; average arm speed; generated downhill plane; SL lacks spin and is caught in between.
		40/45		30/40
		90-91 T92		81-82
Reid Love	L	30/30		30/30	30/30	20	Easy delivery; average arm speed; mild plane; athletic player; sinkerballer
		40/40		30/30	40/40
		86-88 T90		77-79 T80	78-79 T80
Andrew Elliot	R	40/40		20/20	20/20	20	Sturdy frame; max-effort delivery; falls off and opens up; FB straight and flat; poor arm speed replication on secondary
		20/20		20/20	20/20
		89-91 T92		79-80	75
Yi-Hsiang Lin	L	20/20				20	Wiry with skinny hips and shoulders; poor arm speed; easy delivery
		30/30
		85-86 T87
Zach Albin	R	30/30	30/30		20/20	20	Athletic build; groundball pitcher with fringe arm speed and moderate effort
		30/30	30/30		30/30
		87-89 T90	73-74		80-81

***

Williamsport Crosscutters
Player	Pos.	Hit	Power	Speed	Glove	Arm	OFP	Notes
Jan Hernandez	3B	30	45	30	45	50	40	Above-average raw power; noisy hands; drops back shoulder; lacks approach; doesn't recognize spin; consistency issues will hinder profile
Zach Coppola	RF	30	20	60	55	40	30	4.09 home to first; opens up front side; below-avg bat speed; light bat with abv-avg glove; up-and-down player
Brandon Hayden	1B	30	40	20	50	50	30	Average raw power; average bat speed; 1B profile that lacks carrying tool.
Grenny Cumana	SS	20	20	50	50	45	30	Quick and agile; can stick at SS; poor power and will struggle to hit ball with authority.
Austin Bossart	C	20	20	20	50	50	30	Polished receiver with efficient footwork and an average arm; org catcher with potential to provide depth value
Jesus Posso	1B/C	20	30	20	30	50	20	Plus raw power; below-avg bat speed; poor athleticism and lack of fluidity in swing; bad body with long-term first base profile
Josh Tobias	2B	30	20	30	40	40	20	Mild barrel control; quick feet; below-average range; looks uncomfortable at 2B due to limited time there
Mark Laird	CF	20	20	70	50	30	20	4.01 and 4.09 home to first; poor power; well below-average bat speed; poor pitch recognition
Venn Biter	LF	20	20	60	40	40	20	Below-avg bat speed; long swing; no pitch ID; dropped routine fly ball.
Dylan Bosheers	INF	20	20	40	30	30	20	Utility filler; 4.38 home to first.
Andrew Amaro	INF	20	20	40	30	30	20	Utility filler; 4.37 home to first.

***

Williamsport Crosscutters
		FB	CB	SL	CH
Pitcher	L/R	Overall Command Velocity	Overall Command Velocity	Overall Command Velocity	Overall Command Velocity	OFP	Notes
Tyler Gilbert	L	45/50	40/45		30/30	40	Athletic; 3/4 arm slot; slight stab; mild effort; out of sync and opens front shoulder; FB has life and arm-side run
		45/50	30/40		40/40
		88-90 T92	75-77 T78		79-81 T82
Kenny Koplove	R	50/50	40/45		20/20	40	Sidearm; exert delivery; deceptive FB; replicates arm speed for slow CB
		40/45	40/45		40/40
		89-92 T93	73-76 T77		80
Mitch Gueller	R	40/40		30/40	30/40	30	High 3/4 arm slot; stab with poor arm action; stiff delivery; moderate effort; arsenal lacks movement
		40/45		30/30	40/45
		86-88 T89		78-81 T82	78-79 T83
Robert Tasin	R	50/55				30	Low 3/4 arm slot; poor arm action; moderate effort; moderate deception
		30/40
		91-93 T95
Luke Leftwich	R	45/50	30/40	30/30	30/30	30	3/4 arm slot; poor arm action; unbalanced and out of sync; trouble repeating
		40/45	30/40	20/20	30/30
		89-92 T93	78-80 T81	83-84	77-78
Feliberto Sanchez	R	30/30		20/20		20	Tall with long limbs; max effort with hard drive; cannot repeat mechanics
		20/20		20/20
		89-90 T91		78-80
Anthony Sequeira	R	40/40		40/40	30/30	20	3/4 arm slot; avg arm speed; exerted delivery with hard drive
		30/30		30/30	30/30
		87-89 T90		79-80	82-83
Denton Keys	L	30/30		30/30	20/20	20	Sturdy body; high 3/4 arm slot; max effort with hard drive; FB flat and straight
		20/20		30/30	20/20
		87-89 T90		77-79	78
Andrew Godail	L	30/30		30/30		20	Short arm slot; max effort; flat and straight plane; lacks a second pitch
		20/20		20/20
		88-90 T91		80-82
Jacob Waguespack	R	30/40		30/30		20	Big body with long limbs; drop and drive with extreme stab; trouble repeating; pitches lack plane and deception.
		20/30		20/20
		89-90 T91		78-79

***

Tanner Scott
Jose Pujols
Cedric Mullins
Gregori Rivero
D.J. Stewart

Tanner Scott


	Born: 07/22/1994 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Left
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 220

Build: Athletic with long arms; maxed frame.

Mechanics: 3/4 arm slot; premium arm speed; mild stab with deep arm action; front shoulder can open up; falls off with max effort; clean landing; delivery can get out of sync.

Evaluator	Tucker Blair
Report Date	07/26/2015
Affiliate	Aberdeen IronBirds (Short Season, Orioles)
Dates Seen	7/26/15
OFP/Risk	50/High
Realistic	40; Middle Relief
MLB ETA	2018
Video	No

93-96

Velocity: 70/80
Movement: 50/50
Command: 30/40

T98 twice; downhill plane; life; mild deception; deception plays up against LHH; command is inconsistent but mechanics can be cleaned up enough to allow more consistency.

85-86

Movement: 50/50
Command: 30/40

Replicates arm speed; short and tight with bite; inconsistent release point; pitch can flatten; improvements in release points and command can allow pitch to play average.

Scott is a power arm that has the potential to work in the late innings. The FB/SL combo is efficient and both pitches have deception against LHH. His command and mechanics are inconsistent, but there has been slight improvement in all three of my viewings this season. The risk remains high due to limited innings and command.

Round Drafted: sixth round, 2014.
Why: Power arm that profiles as a back-end reliever.

Jose Pujols


	Born: 09/29/1995 (Age: 19)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 175
	Primary Position: RF
	Secondary Position:

Athletic and skinny; tall with long limbs; room for 10-15 lbs of muscle.

Evaluator	Tucker Blair
Report Date	07/26/2015
Dates Seen	7/24/15 – 7/26/15
Affiliate	Williamsport Crosscutters (Short Season, Phillies)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2018	High	55	50; Major League Regular	No

Coached 1B on Sunday and kept his head in the game; teammates get along with him.

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	50	Plus bat speed; hitch; hands can get overly noisy; loose wrists; moderate barrel control; bat is quick through zone; drops shoulder on occasion; can get unbalanced; mild leg lift; recognizes spin; ultra-aggressive approach; pull-heavy swing; can reach high-end velocity.
Power	55	Plus raw power; pull-heavy power; leveraged swing; plus raw will play slightly down due to aggression and pull-heavy approach.
Baserunning/Speed	40	Out of the box slow; 4.51 and 4.58; displays better agility and speed in the field.
Glove	50	Inconsistent reads; will improve with repetition; first step is efficient; footwork is inconsistent.
Arm	70	Premium arm strength; extreme carry; accurate throws.

Signed as an international free agent in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic for $540,000. Pujols displays a plethora of enticing raw tools, and the in-game skill set is inching closer to actualizing. He's more than capable of playing RF and the bat has impact ability. There is risk involved due to his limited professional experience along with the aggressive and pull-happy approach.

Cedric Mullins


	Born: 10/01/1994 (Age: 20)
	Bats: Switch	Throws: Left
	Height: 5' 8"	Weight: 175
	Primary Position: CF
	Secondary Position:

Small frame; muscular; maxed.

Evaluator	Tucker Blair
Report Date	07/26/2015
Dates Seen	7/24/15 – 7/26/15
Affiliate	Aberdeen IronBirds (Short Season, Orioles)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2019	High	50	40; fourth OF/Below-average Regular	No

Hustles every play; minimizes frustration.

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	50	Average bat speed; loose wrists; smooth and easy swing; moderate barrel control; front side can leak as RHH; mild load with toe tap; stays balanced; sprays the entire field; mild recognition of spin; solid approach; can beat upstairs with velocity; swing is more consistent as a LHH.
Power	30	Fringe raw power; linear swing; swing is more conducive for gap-to-gap power.
Baserunning/Speed	60	4.06, 4.07, 4.09 home to first; quick bursts; agility, speed, and a second gear; athleticism shows up in OF and on bases.
Glove	60	Efficient reads and routes; speed and athleticism; instinctual fielder with correct first step; plus range; covers the gaps.
Arm	40	Fringe arm strength; lacks carry; accurate throws.

Mullins is a plus CF with moderate barrel control, profiling as a potential regular up the middle. His instincts and athleticism help his game play up. There is high risk due to his limited experience against advanced competition and reliance on the hit tool actualizing. At the worst, Mullins provides value as a depth option or fourth OF.

Round Drafted: 13th round, 2015
Why: Athletic CF with plus speed and barrel control.

Gregori Rivero


	Born: 05/27/1996 (Age: 19)
	Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
	Height: 5' 11"	Weight: 194
	Primary Position: C
	Secondary Position:

Smaller frame; athletic build with strong frame; mild room for growth.

Evaluator	Tucker Blair
Report Date	07/26/2015
Dates Seen	7/24/15 – 7/26/15
Affiliate	Williamsport Crosscutters (Short Season, Phillies)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2019	High	40	30; Org Player	No

Active behind the plate; wears emotions on sleeve; talkative player that routinely interacts with teammates.

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	30	Average bat speed; swing shows more fluidity as LHH; mild barrel control; hands can drift; drops back shoulder often from both sides of the plate; mild toe tap and load; swing is unbalanced; mild recognition of spin; poor approach.
Power	30	Fringe raw power; swing has slight leverage; will play down a grade in-game due to hit tool.
Baserunning/Speed	30	4.45 home to first; lacks a second gear; more agility than speed.
Glove	50	Inconsistent currently; athletic movements behind the plate; blocking is currently below-average; footwork needs refinement; strong wrists allow for efficient framing.
Arm	55	Plus arm strength; 1.94 and 1.96 pop times; footwork inconsistent; accuracy inconsistent.

Signed as an international free agent in 2012 out of Venezuela for $110,000. I see value as a backup catcher, as the defense has a chance to play average if he refines a few mechanical aspects with the footwork and decision making. The risk remains high due to the lack of a hit tool and limited time against stronger competition.

D.J. Stewart


	Born: 11/30/1993 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 0"	Weight: 230
	Primary Position: LF
	Secondary Position:

Thick and short frame; potential bad body; will need to keep in shape throughout career.

Evaluator	Tucker Blair
Report Date	07/26/2015
Dates Seen	7/24/15 – 7/26/15
Affiliate	Aberdeen IronBirds (, Orioles)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2018	Moderate	40	40; Below-average Regular/ Bench Bat	No

Displays confidence and pride on field; expects to do well, has shown frustration at the plate.

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	40	Average bat speed; swing is muscled and lacks looseness in the wrists; moderate barrel control; quiet upper half; extreme crouching stance; does not use bottom half efficiently; mild toe tap with moderate load; lacks balance throughout swing; solid approach, can get overly passive; mild recognition of spin; trouble with velocity on inner half and up in the zone; can pound inside with fastball routinely.
Power	40	Above-average raw power; swing is linear and muscled; batting stance saps power; hit tool will limit in-game power from manifesting.
Baserunning/Speed	30	4.44 home to first; displays more agility and speed in OF; likely to lose a step as he ages.
Glove	40	Solid first step; efficient reads and routes; range is slightly below-average; body concerns could limit athleticism in future; potential move to 1B with added weight and loss of athleticism.
Arm	45	Average arm strength; short arm action; throws have carry and accuracy.

Stewart has raw physical tools but the overall profile is hindered by his rigid swing and the extreme crouch in his batting stance. Slight adjustments could help his raw power play up, but the swing still lacks fluidity and will be tested at higher levels. There is moderate risk due to the adjustments needed at the plate and the potential to eventually move out of LF and to 1B.

Round Drafted: first round, 2015 (signed for $2,064,500)
Why: Advanced college bat with potential for above-average hit tool and power.

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ErikBFlom

7/31

They really don't give Cal Ripken much to work with there, do they. They must hate him.

Reply to ErikBFlom

davescottofakron

Do the players ever see evaluations of themselves along with an explanation of what it means? For example, a player might not understand how "maximum effort" is not necessarily a good thing. Reading such candid and blunt appraisals might get varying reactions, depending on the player's maturity.

Reply to davescottofakron

TuckerBlair

I am sure players are well aware of their evaluations at times, although that typically comes from the coaching staff and not from scouts. I do think from a scouts perspective, it's a different lingo than what a coach or front office member might attempt to pass down to a player.

And with some terms, it can be easy to misconstrue the meaning. Max effort isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially for a reliever. But a player needs to know when there is too much effort in their delivery.

Reply to TuckerBlair

kmacwade

this is great. really puts it into perspective how rare plus tools are.

Reply to kmacwade

PastorStephen

Thanks for this article! Would love to see more like this :)

Reply to PastorStephen

bleaklewis

8/03

Nice article.

I've always wondered is there a hierarchy to scouts as well? For example would a new scout get assigned to Fall League or low A ball for their first assignment? And how often are scouts themselves reviewed for advancement?

Reply to bleaklewis

8/04

Absolutely, there is a hierarchy. But it's not in the manner you portrayed. It would take me an hour to discuss this topic, but long-story-short...I know new scouts that are covering Double-A squads, and I know veterans in Low-A and Amateur ball. I don't think the level of ball really affects the assignment of scouts.

Scouts are reviewed/evaluated by their clubs all the time, I can assure you that.

5 O’Clock Power: Scouting a Series: Aberdeen vs. Williamsport

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